Baskets 2019: Dreams and Goals for a New Year

Reflections on 2018 and Dreams for 2019

In planning, scheming, and dreaming for 2019 I like to imagine myself like the child in the picture above- looking out over a domain of possibilities in the form of baskets! This past year has been really full. I achieved a couple of big goals and didn’t make much progress on some others. Some were revealed to not actually be as important as I thought they were. Every year around this time I make it a point to look back at what my goals were for the past year and do some visioning for the upcoming year. It helps keep me focused and to be honest is a lot of fun! This year I wanted to share just a bit of the process here on my blog as a window into my personal and professional process.

Actual 2018 accomplishments:

• Taught 48 basketry workshops all around the northeast
• Continued my favorite series: Wild Basketry 9 Month Series
• Moved into a new house which includes a studio which will further my teaching and art making in untold ways.
• Spent 5 weeks in the southwest hiking, visiting museums, making baskets, and enjoying life.
• Planted two willow gardens
• Refined my technique in making twill patterned baskets
• Took a two week teaching road trip throughout the northeast.
• Almost reached financial goals (I’ll blame the ‘almost’ on the new house costs!)

Things that took a back seat in 2018:

• Only participated in one art exhibit.
• Didn’t do any artist residencies
• Only did one solo camping overnight
• Hardly made any fine art, although I did make a lot of baskets.

Upon reflection it’s pretty clear that my teaching career made great progress, but my work as an artist fell behind substantially. I would love to find a balance between the two in 2019. Buying and moving into the new house with my partner, Dave, also took up a ton of time, money, and energy so that has something to do with it. I learned things I never knew I didn’t want to know (like drywall and heating systems!) But on the positive side I now have a great space for hosting workshops and making my own art. I also reached so many people with a message of knowing and loving the plants and making baskets through my workshops.

Goals for 2019:

• Achieve a balance of how many workshops I have the energy to teach
• Make awesome art that I am proud of with the goal of having a show in 2020.
• Do at least one artist residency
• Make a plan for writing a basketry book and be ready to move forward in 2020.
• Deepen my understanding of bias plaited basketry
• Take two trips to the Southwest – one in February and March and one solo trip in August.
• Do a teaching tour in cape cod/rhode island, etc.
• Spend more time visiting family and seeing my nephew.

Hopefully sharing these will help me with a sense of accountability! I’m sure my goals will shift a change over the year, but this gives me something to go off of. If you see me in 2019 be sure to ask how they are going ; )