“Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand.”
― Oprah Winfrey
My cousin Tracey and I at her daughter, Kathryn’s, college graduation party. We rejoiced with lots of family and friends. It was a beautiful night and wonderful to be celebrating together.
I'm so happy I've taken time this summer to reconnect in person with lots of friends and family 'cause it looks like we might be in for another solitary winter. If you have a similar concern, I'm sharing how I accomplished so many things this year to inspire you. You have the choice to embrace every day as an opportunity and create habits to ensure your success. Make sure you have fun along the way too!
Because I have ADD, the first couple of months in lockdown, I was completely swamped accomplishing nothing. I knew if I didn't start figuring things out, it was gonna get ugly! So early on, I decided to come out of this period better than when I went in. I am learning how to support myself in the best way possible with the help of my friend and ADHD coach, Diane Thomson. To create success, I set up some healthy routines, goals, and means of being accountable.
Above is a glimpse of a few of the pieces that have found new homes during this past year.
With overwhelming support from my collectors and my artist mastermind group, Wild Cherry Art had the best year yet! The mastermind group has been meeting via Zoom, from all parts of the globe, for almost three years. We hold each other accountable with strategies and ideas. I also have a few great nearby artist friends with whom I've successfully collaborated locally. Doing things together makes things easier and so much more fun! Check out what my friends have helped me do since February 2020:
60+ new pieces of artwork
4 new series
10 commissioned pieces
A new logo
New business cards and greeting cards
An outdoor studio tour event
An outdoor art walk
Proceeds donated to the NAACP, WConnection, Sierra Club, and the Rent Party Pantry
Twice monthly blog and newsletter
Monthly critique group via zoom
Above are a handful of the commissions delivered this past year.
I've kept my music and songwriting alive and going strong. Lucky for me, my friend and voice coach, Tim Welch, pivoted to Zoom quickly. My weekly lessons continued, and I signed up for songwriting classes. I also took a couple of songwriting workshops with my friend, Jill Sobule. As a result I:
Wrote a dozen new songs
Hosted a holiday pARTy via Zoom, where I performed the new material
Participated in online and outdoor TWVS singing parties
Started recording and learning how to produce
Along with donating a portion of my art sales to organizations that make the world better and kinder, I wanted to do more hands-on volunteering for WConnection, a nonprofit for widows. It was unbearable for me when I lost my husband. I couldn't imagine how widows dealt with the tremendous loss of a spouse during the lockdown. The monthly in-person meeting that I co-hosted went virtual. I also jumped in to host a monthly chat group and a monthly trial meeting for this incredible national organization. I'm grateful I've made some lifelong friendships and supported so many women in their time of need. It feels good to do good.
I took the opportunity, in lockdown, to make my health a priority. I cooked healthy foods, walked several miles weekly, and joined a nutrition program called Wildfit with a friend. As a result, I've lost 21 pounds, lowered my cholesterol, blood pressure, and sugar levels. I've got more to go, but I'm confident with support and perseverance, I'll get there!
Here I was at the Spring, outdoor, Tim Welch Vocal Studio singing party.
The common thread in all of these things is support and connection. I wouldn't have accomplished nearly as much without several great groups of people who helped me achieve my goals. I didn't purge any closets or organize my pantry, and my garden needs weeding something awful, but nobody's perfect! Writing all of my successes in this blog post helped me see how much I actually accomplished this year, and I feel pretty great about it. I encourage you to write down all your accomplishments from the past year too. You'll probably be surprised to see how much you achieved.
Thank you for reading and following my journey here and on social media. I sincerely value your time and our connection. If you're interested in any of the resources I mentioned, email me, and I'll happily share them with you. I want to support you in achieving your goals. I'm still holding out hope that we'll all be able to move forward with more in-person festivities, but I know, no matter what comes our way, we can accomplish anything together.
Be well and have fun!
Love,
Leslie