New Year New Challenge

Part 1
Today, being the last in the year was perfect for the task I set myself this morning. Homework from a Coaching Circle I've joined was to write a letter dated this time next year detailing what a fab and successful 2011 it has been. It's a bit too long (and personal!) to share in its entirety here but I thought I'd stick a couple of relevant paragraphs in for posterity... Coming up after those is part 2 of this post outlining a new challenge site I found yesterday.

31st December 2011

Well, it looks like we’re going to finish off 2011 rather nicely; I’m settled rather comfily in an armchair by a roaring log fire in a country hotel. We thought we’d treat ourselves this New Year by allowing someone else to do the cooking. Some friends and I have got together for a special treat. The kids are outside playing in the snow and I’m sipping a warming mulled wine before we get dressed up for the festivities tonight.



I was going to write that I needed this break, but you know what I don’t. I deserve it yes, but need it? Not really. I might have just had the busiest year of my life, but it has been such fun that I’m not tired. In fact, if anything, I’m actually more fired up with energy than ever before.

A lot happened really fast so I’m not sure where to start in retelling it all to you. I think the speed of it all was down to the fact that I was so ready. I’d put the background research and work in for years but never done anything with it. I needed the final push to make it happen and that’s what 2011 was all about for me.


I finally got around to contacting my favourite art magazines with submissions of my work. It was no good just sitting around thinking, I had to ‘do’. I submitted work for Somerset Studio and my leap for joy when I got accepted almost hit the ceiling – and this on the back of my acceptance into Seth Apter’s Pulse book too. Best of all, I was featured in Artful Blogging – a four page spread! Imagine my delight! The exposure has been terrific and generated hundreds of new followers who of course get exposed to my art shop too! Off the back of this I’ve been contacted by a number of magazines and ezines to produce content for them. I’ve been churning out the writing and artwork non-stop since....


Ha! Would be nice eh? Well, that's my visually exercise done. My subconscious should be digesting this now and believing it has happened already... You may have noticed a distinct theme this week in my posting. I really am determined this year, I assure you, and the theory is that if I keep writing it down and going on about it, then it will definitely happen!

Part 2

Sometimes I just love to go on a blog hop to see where it might take me. I'll click on links on other blogs, then more links until I'm miles from where I started and probably circumnavigated the world a few times too.

Last night I found The Sketchbook Challenge by just such a journey. It begins tomorrow, is hosted by a delightful spread of artists (many of whose books grace my shelves) and will give a monthly prompt to get our creative juices going.

Each month the artist hosts will share their pages and participants can post to a Flickr group. It's all about the nitty gritty of ideas forming from the scribble through the the final pieces. Learn about everyone's unique creative process.

Best of all, it's free to join!

The image up top is one I haven't shared on here yet. I drew it on a card for a friend a couple of weeks ago. It's funny, it doesn't seem to write to post without sticking some art up!