New Year
Posted: December 28, 2012 Filed under: Galleries, Private Collections | Tags: art, cheers, contemporary art, goals, life, New Year's Resolutions, No more resolutions, setting goals, Susan Finsen 3 Comments
Susan Finsen, Untitled 2
I’m not a fan of resolutions – I find them flimsy and limiting. Trying to “solve” life or “re-solve” life is a perilous venture potholed with frustration.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to reflect over the year and evaluate (This year I liked. . . )
Find areas for improvement (I wish. . .)
Isolate the things that worked to redouble efforts for success next year (What if . . .)
Accurate feedback is helpful – possibly life changing. One small study found that people who write down their goals more often achieve them. http://www.dominican.edu/dominicannews/study-backs-up-strategies-for-achieving-goals
Yet -I’m making a case for following this year. Artists already know the power of following. Follow inspiration to see where it leads. Allow ideas to unfold and evolve. Watch your creativity and ask how you can help it. Rather than ironing intention into a sentence to stick on the mirror/fridge for future castigation. Balled up and crushed in the trash by March.
Resolutions are limited by self-judgement – powered by self-discipline. People who are good at judgement and self-discipline profit from the model. The rest of us must follow – our passions, our ideas, our “what if life was like. . . this?” I’m for drawing a picture in your head (or paper) of what you want, and following that.
If you have an ambition – what does it look like? If you have a joy, find its color and keep close. If you feel trapped, cut out a door. If you are aimless, craft an arrow.
To pictures of a new year and a long swig of champagne. Cheers friends!
igetitart 
Most of all I love your complexity…never seeing things black and white. This way of seeing opens the door wide and makes for even uninvited guests. A great way to meet the new year!! Bravo!
I like your style. almost like the resolution itself short circuits the process of discovering what is important, where we should look, what we should look for. No one likes to be a follower, at least not in our western/united states culture with a trail blazing, entrepreneur, individualistic mentality. I think though, following yourself, is really letting the core parts of you that know you best lead. see, even the Type A’s can roll with your strategy if they want to…
I LIKE LIVING IN allowance. NOT THE 50 CENTS A WEEK MY MOTHER USED TO GIVE ME. YES, I’M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHEN 50 CENTS WAS A PRETTY FAIR WEEKLY ALLOWANCE.
I MEAN ALLOWING THINGS TO HAPPEN. ALLOWING NEW STUFF TO COME IN. ALLOWING CERTAIN CERTAINTIES TO FIZZLE OUT.
AND THEN THERE’S AN EXERCISE WHERE YOU CLEAN OUT THAT CLUTTERED CLOSET WE CALL “MIND” AND WHEN IT’S PRETTY EMPTY WE allow THAT WHICH IS MEANT FOR US TO COME TO US. THIS SEEMS AWFULLY PASSIVE TO SOME PEOPLE, AND IT IS, BUT SINCE MOST OF US ARE STRENUOUSLY ENGAGED NIGHT AND DAY PUSHING OUR ROCK UP THAT HILL, IT WOULD SEEM THAT A BIT OF PASSIVITY MIGHT BE REFRESHING, MIGHT BE JUST THE CRUISESHIP YOU ORDERED.
GIVE YOURSELF AN ALLOWANCE. AND DON’T SPEND IT ALL IN ONE PLACE.