Top image: Gavin Snider paints in New York City by Corbin Bradley.
Happy New Year! Today we’re reflecting on 2022 and setting goals and intentions for the new year.
In 2023, I want to make marks that are bigger softer, and more playful. I want to reconnect with my daily sketchbooking practice, too, and see what kind of ideas I can plant there.
When work gets away from me it can be difficult to get back to the core art practices that make me happy. My plein air practice has become a rat race of “bigger and more complex” and can be muddied by the ambition to create something “sellable.”
In 2023, I want to carve out more time for getting back to core principles studies and using my Art Toolkit to create more travel sketches in places like Kodiak, Alaska. I’d like to do more on-the-spot sketching that is just for me and my personal study and, as always, I hope to grow in skills and learning through reading more and discovering more art-heroes to follow and glean lessons from.
One of my goals for next year when it comes to art is to take it more seriously from a professional perspective while making sure that I am still having fun and maintaining my passion for it. To achieve this, I would like to dedicate more time to creating so that I can grow my portfolio, and I would especially love to expand the mediums that I am currently using. As part of growing into a professional artist, one specific goal that I have for next year is to have my artwork produced on a pair of skis or a snowboard.
Another goal that is important to me for next year is to grow the art community by teaching others. I love to hold classes/workshops, because it has the potential to inspire and foster new artists, as well as create connections between people.
I’m most rewarded by art when it’s not a solitary activity. My goal for 2023 is to learn from and collaborate with artists in varying fields. How does my painting intersect with music, dance, sculpture, food, or fashion? I have no idea. I’ve always wanted to paint artists at work in their studios. Maybe that’s the first step. On a similar note, I’d like to escape my comfort zone more often and challenge myself with new media. What better way to do that than by learning from other artists?