2020 | Year In Review
Every year for the past decade, I’ve done a little recap of the year. It's a nice way to take stock of the past 12 months. Those of you who know me personally know that I have a hard time slowing down. “Pause” is a hard one for me. But this is a moment to reflect and appreciate what has transpired.
If you're interested in previous years, you can take a look back at 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010.
Sometimes, life flies by so fast that I don’t take the time to celebrate my successes and honor rites of passage. Sometimes I don’t even SEE that a moment or a milestone is deserving of honor. This year, my friend Anya Hankin was constantly saying, “Well done! Have you taken a moment to celebrate?” She always reminds me to honor my work, press pause, and have a little party. So here is my 2020 year in review pause party:
1) i made an oracle deck
This year, I created and published The Creative Alchemy Oracle Deck, a 50-card deck using my back catalog of paintings as source materials. Now, more than 200 people have a deck to call their very own! Learn more about it HERE.
2) a new painting series emerged this spring
This year I produced a series of 20-plus paintings under the title Singularity. It was such a beautfiul and heart-opening process. You can read about it HERE and HERE.
3) a public reading of one of my plays
Moderate Woo is the feminist storytelling collected I helped to co-found in late 2018. This spring, we jumped into the world of live theatre via Zoom with a first read of our script The Motherhood Project. It was an enormous effort and I’m so grateful for the experience.
4) i re-tooled my website and made it awesome
It was time. My work was pivoting in a major way and I needed a glow-up for my personal branding. So I spent eleventy million hours learning how to do lots of new things and built out my new and improved website. I also worked with a wonderful designer, Mallory Rex of Black Bear Supply, to create a new logo for my business! Ta da!
5) catalyst cohort for the win
I have just graduated from a 10 month leadership immersion program called the Catalyst Cohort. This program filled me up, skilled me up, built me up, and made my heart (and business) sing this year. I will be forever grateful to Anya Hankin for the magic that transpired in 2020. You can hear all about my experience with Anya as a part of THIS CONVERSATION.
6) love letters on the new and full moons
As a part of my departure from Facebook… and as part of my re-investment in my solo art business after leaving StateraArts… I re-shaped my newsletter into a beautiful offering that happens now twice a month on the full and new moons. It has been one of the most delicious pleasures of my year to connect with my community in this way. SUBSCRIBE HERE.
7) i can’t stop singing
Truly. I just can’t stop singing. I’ve been so lucky to have a pandemic pod that includes musicians. We spent lots of time this summer learning new music and jamming together. You can always catch me singing along on IGTV. My favorite video as a group is right HERE.
8) i talked to some awesome people about big ideas
I spent a lot of time chatting with awesome folks this year via Zoom for online interviews and podcasts. I chatted with Maggie Hollinbeck as a part of her offering called Waking the Queen. I talked with Mabelle and Tori of Hey Playwright about my work as a painter and storyteller. And I chatted with Anya Hankin as a part of her Catalyst Conversations series.
9) i deleted by facebook account ((what??))
I deleted my Facebook account! It took a lot of planning, but as of mid-December, I’m out of there! You can read more about that process HERE.
10) i made an amazing year-long e-course and shared it
This, perhaps, is my biggest achievement this year! I created and launched my signature offering, a year-long, deep-dive seasonal approach to life as an artist and change-maker. i have loved walking this path, sharing it with others, and allowing it to grow into the cornerstone of my work as a writer, painter, and storyteller. More about The Creative Alchemy Cycle HERE!
11) i opened a print shop
Since my originals tend to sell quickly, I wanted folks to have another option for collecting work and getting it into their homes and on their walls. It’s a great option and something I’ve wanted to offer for years and can finally make good on! Visit the print shop here!
12) my mother-in-love moved to town
In February, my mother-in-love, Betsy, broke her arm in Seattle and came to convelesce with our family just as Covid-19 was surging. After almost four months together, she decided to stay! So my Mama and I moved her out of her apartment in Seattle and found her a sweet little place to rent just two blocks from our home in Halfway! Sometimes things jsut work out!
13) we remodeled our bathroom and kitchen
At the beginning of the year, my partner and I, with the help of a local team of cousin contractors, rehabilitated our kitchen and upgraded the look of our bathroom with some fresh paint. This has changed. our. lives.
Kitchen
Bathroom
14) i left my nonprofit job
This May, I tendered my resignation at StateraArts. By August I was flying solo and pursuing my life’s work as an independent artist. I loved my work with Statera, but this new iteration is more fulfilling than I ever thought possible.
15) i launched a professional IG account
…and it’s really beautiful. Please follow along if you feel called!
