For the past two years in December I have been writing a Year in Review. I know some families do this as their generic Christmas letters to the relatives, but I never did.

Now that I am in the business of documenting my life as an artist, I find it’s really interesting to look back on what has happened during the course of the year.

Looking at a time span of 12 months, I can see the patterns in the themes I work with, the influences on my life, the personal and world events that have shaped my thinking. It is also a way to chart my personal and business growth.

This year I will start early and not wait until after Christmas. Like any major writing I do, I will make several drafts, put the concepts into some sort of order that is roughly chronological and then return to work on the draft several times before it is published.

It does get easier because I write so regularly; with emails, blogposts and newsletters going out weekly and monthly. It’s a bit like financial accounting, if you do it regularly it’s not such a burden at tax time. It’s also like creativity, a regular practice keeps you limber for when you need to undertake a big project. You are confident of your techniques, materials, and how to proceed because you have been creating consistently.

In 2019 I even wrote a Decade in Review, and I realised I had come so far in 10 years. Here’s a snippet of what I wrote:

“Do I feel any different from ten years ago? Absolutely! Finally I feel like I can claim the title of artist and put that as my occupation for those government forms when leaving and entering the country. “

Of course the 2020 year in review was a bit different:

“When the world went into lockdown and all my travel plans were cancelled, I brought the world to me. My personal and business life merged together. This was the year Zoom became my best friend and sanity saver.”

Now as I near the end of 2021 I think about my “zoom room” and all the ways I have been able to connect with people around the world through this marvellous interface that is the world wide web of the internet.

Next year when I am off travelling again I will be able to stay connected via zoom, even from Greenland!