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January — I used to consider myself “good” at setting New Year’s Resolutions or goals in general because I easily came up with things to aim for, could articulate them clearly and am principled about writing them down. Despite this, they never seemed to come to fruition. Not uncommon, I know — statistically, by the end of January most people who made a New Year’s resolution have already abandoned it. Which points to an undeniable reality: it’s not perfectly stating what it is you resolve to accomplish, it’s the ability to follow through that gets you there. Small daily actions being the secret sauce in large accomplishments is now a common theme in self improvement writing — see the bestselling Atomic Habits by James Clear. This is true whether we’re aiming for straightforward so called “SMART” goals, or something a bit more abstract, like: I want to develop my skills in (insert just about anything here). Either way, reaching that goal is a matter of making a certain activity, choice or deprivation (looking at you weight loss goal) routine. But even while I know this, it can be hard to make those small actions happen on a consistent enough basis to become habit. I’ve found an unlikely ally in social media. For the last couple of years a primary goal of mine has been to improve my visual arts vocabulary (via technique) and refine my artistic voice. There is really only one way to do this: make a lot of art. Enter Instagram challenges. If you’re not familiar with them, this is when a person or group puts out a challenge to make or do something and post about it (using a particular hashtag) within a certain time frame. It’s not about competing, it’s about motivation through mutual support - just show up and share. It’s amazing how incentivizing that simple act and the resulting encouragement can be. It’s an especially effective tool for those who tend to be scattered, lacking focus, undisciplined . . . such as yours truly. On February 13th #the100dayproject begins on Instagram and I’m all in. I’ll be creating 100 (!!!) small works of mixed media collage and painting during the 100 days between 2/13/2022 and 5/23/2022. You can hold me to that — please do. To see how (let’s not say “if”:) I do it, follow me on Instagram @rebeccadegroodt_artlife So what small habits would you work into your daily routine to edge you baby step by baby step toward a big goal or seemingly unreachable dream? Best wishes for 2022!
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