From the featured image you can tell my friend and I started the new year in a rather chilly fashion! I’ve been going up to Lake George for quite a few years to participate in the polar plunge! It’s always fun and feels like a nice way to start the new year fresh and ready for anything! As of writing this we are almost a week into 2025 and I can honestly say I’m feeling good! There are many unknowns I still have to figure out, but overall the paths in front of me feel good no matter which one I take. Plus figuring out healthcare isn’t as bad as I thought it would be!
In this moment it feels like a lot of things are beginning for me. Funny enough however, most of the things coming up for me are things I have considered before. They are only just culminating into an actual thing for me now. That was a lot of use of the word ‘thing’, but with the variety of topics I’m trying to cover with one word, I think it’s the only one that fits. For example, I’m awaiting a response from the JET program. This was something I heard about in my senior year of college, but it just lived in the back of my head. I never applied until this year. Something about lacking the confidence to even try, for fear of failure. Have I completely fixed this? No. But it’s a work in progress and I know acknowledging my wins is a part of the process.
Similarly many mediums I learned in college are finding their way back to me. Ceramics has been more long term, but recently printmaking, papermaking, and fiber arts are popping back into focus. College was a great time for artistic exploration, but for a long time I felt I didn’t have the community or resources to continue much of my work beyond my school’s walls. While both are still developing (community development especially, is something I’m bringing into 2025) the baby steps to something I am happy with are there. A piece of me always wants to combine my mediums, but I’m trying to develop ideas first. I want to create more conceptual artwork this year. At the tail end of 2024 I began vending for markets and this was a very exciting venture for me. Everyone I met was so friendly and welcoming. It’s definitely a space I want to explore more!
More than 300 days lie ahead of me and everyone else to make the most of. I’m trying to accomplish things with solid and specific goals combined with routine. Let me know how you feel about the new year! Is it just another day for you? Or a total reset opportunity? What goals and/or resolutions are you bringing into 2025?
All the best,
Polar