A humble welcome to a New Year
with a few recommendations, the themes I'm embracing, and an introduction to The Swatch Project 2.0
Happy Belated New Year!
Thank you for being here with me as I start my 3rd year of writing my thoughts from my little Oregon art studio desk in the form of this Substack newsletter, An Artist’s Notes. I honestly can’t believe it’s been that long. My first post, “Hope, Love, and the Creative Process” feels like a lifetime (and several project pivots) ago. When I look back, I am grateful to still feel that sense of hope going forward. I’m grateful to still look at a new year with open enthusiasm and humble appreciation of all the things I don’t yet know. My greatest wish is that I continue to grow, learn, give, and honor the time I have ahead. I hope I can also honor your time here with me by providing thoughtful notes on navigating inspiration, process, and projects while exploring the greater artist community and the everyday business of professional artist life. And hopefully, also have a bit of fun.
Before I get too far in this rather long artist “note” - a little New Year housekeeping for you.
2023 posts will include a regular footer with art-related highlights from the week. The footer will also include a reading of the text being provided. If you don’t read the whole post, be sure to scroll to the end for the bonus materials!
New posts planned for the near future include (a) a list of recommendations that will be continually updated and available as a reference point for books, materials, podcasts, articles, movies, etc. that I share throughout my posts; (b) short reviews of new art shows, books, and other arts-related media; and (c) a breakdown of topics introduced in the Death of an Artist podcast, as noted in my previous review here.
Not-so-near posts planned for this year include: (a) reviews of various outdoor shows I’ll be attending over the summer (as a visitor, not an artist); (b) new releases of art projects; (c) practical posts about the business of art (which I neglected doing in 2022).
You can expect about three posts per month (typically on Sundays).
If you’re interested, I also post free content on Instagram, paid and free content on Patreon, and free content on YouTube. I provide a monthly newsletter with updates linking to each of these creative publications. Links to all content (as well as items and art for sale) can also be found on my artist website: JenniferLommers.com.
After welcoming a long holiday respite to spend time with family, I am slowly re-entering my studio while contemplating what the year ahead will look like for my art practice (as well as my writing practice). I don’t know about you, but this year I’ve really found myself gravitating toward fewer specific goals and a desire to be less structured overall. But before I dig into the direction I am taking with new (and old) projects, I wanted to share how much I enjoyed participating in some of the more fun aspects of the New Year traditions of reflection and renewal via a variety of online challenges. It was such a lovely way to think about the year ahead while having fun and making new connections with fellow participants. I also enjoyed finding a few more resources to keep me re-energized and emphasize the themes I’m embracing in the New Year (specifically including Growth).
From my 2023 Themes Countdown - (#5) Growth: To grow I must be open to new ideas and take time to engage in learning while also taking time for self-care. I must reach outward while digging deeper within. (full text on 12-27-22 Instagram post here)
New Year “Challenges” & Recommendations
23 things to do more in 23 Challenge: I enjoyed the light-hearted notion of this Instagram challenge provided by Sarah Townsend (@thecopywritersday) which I followed with my own post, thanks to knitwear designer Louise Tilbrook (@louisetilbrookdesigns) who led me to it with her own contribution. My favorite unexpected inclusion on my list? More dancing (I have Swing Dance lessons on my bucket list for this year!)
21 days in my art world Challenge: For a more art-centric Instagram challenge, I joined the very casual “post the days you want, no pressure” approach to the daily email of prompts provided by Tara Leaver (@taraleaver) via a daily email to inspire Instagram posts. I don’t often join these types of challenges, but soon realized how rewarding the experience could be when I’m following someone else’s lead and connecting with fellow participants via their interpretations of the prompt. In its 5th year, if you miss it this time around, I would jot a note on your calendar to maybe join in the fun next year. There’s also still time to join the last few prompts too!
Beyond the Studio: I just started this podcast with its New Year re-boot (Beyond the Studio is Back) after the co-hosts, artists Nicole Mueller and Amanda Adams, had taken a few months off. It was a perfect entry point to their podcast exploring the worlds of professional artists, starting with their personal stories of why they took a break, what projects they have been working on during that time, and how they plan to incorporate what they’ve learned while setting boundaries and expectations for the show to move forward. I found their rapport with each other to be welcoming and their dialogue to be open and honest. I also found the content to be much more relatable and educational than I expected and look forward to hearing more future shows as well as diving deep into their past episodes to be introduced to the many artists they feature.
Death of an Artist: If you read here already, you probably saw my post, “Death of an Artist, Short Review”. Whether you are familiar with the work of artist Ana Mendieta and the tragedy of her untimely death or not, this podcast will draw you into an art world few see as told by host Helen Molesworth. This year I’m also looking forward to listening to more podcasts hosted by Helen on Dialogues: The David Zwirner Podcast.
Counting Descent by Clint Smith: As I work to improve my own writing and poetry, I am truly humbled by the beautiful and powerful way in which the poems in this book are constructed and by the stories they hold. I’m proud to add it to a growing collection of contemporary poets on my shelf and I’m looking forward to reading his book, “How the Word is Passed” next (available at my favorite Portland bookstore, Powell’s here).
The Intentional Thread by Susan Brandeis: I found this book via a recommendation from Fiber Art Now. It is the second book I’ve bought from their bookstore and while I love their magazine for its inspiring articles featuring the fabulous work of fiber artists, I think I love their book recommendations even more (regularly delivered to my email inbox). This particular book is a beautiful and highly detailed expert deep-dive into the many ways to work creatively with thread born mark-making. And while it’s no longer available on their website, it can be found at Powell’s here. I’m looking forward to more book recommendations from Fiber Art Now in 2023!
Continuing my resistance to my normally more aggressive attempts to fill my year with goals and a scrutinization of the year before (such as my Artist Notes Welcoming a New Year and Preparing for a New Year as 2021 bookends, and January in Review to hash out my 2022 goals) - I definitely enjoyed a more playful January with the new year challenges, podcasts, and readings (above). Continuing that trend, I decided to keep my New Year reflections more ephemeral with a series of themes to keep me grounded in my studio without overburdening my art practice - the next of which is Resolve.
From my 2023 Themes Countdown - (#4) Resolve: In approaching existing and new projects this year, I need to re-imagine my process. For those concepts I believe to be worthwhile but never found their full potential, I plan to tear down the original work and re-imagine what it could be given the experience and consideration gained over the last few years. For existing and currently stalled projects, I am determined to explore new approaches while examining the original intentions.
I’ve chosen Resolve to remind myself as I reimagine my work to be determined in my efforts and methodical in my process to enable a more complete story in the life cycle of my art.
During my recent studio break, I picked up a lovely new journal to help me work through my projects in what I hope to be a more constructive way. I often use my semi-daily hikes in the surrounding forests and parks of my Oregon home to process ideas. I have become used to recording voice memos for any random thoughts I have about works in progress, yet I haven’t had a system for processing those recordings to act on the content. One main focus of this journal will be to thoughtfully organize the text of these recordings so that I can use (or discard) them more easily during my studio process. So far I have found this to be a meaningful way to bring my communal time with nature into my work while also giving me the pleasure of enjoying my morning-cup-of-coffee ritual with something more purposeful than scrolling through the latest online content. It’s certainly a fulfilling new way to start my day and can hopefully be the catalyst for the resolve I seek to maintain.
From my 2023 Themes Countdown - (#3) Rhythm: Music surrounds us. It can be felt in a heartbeat, in the patter of rain, rustle of wind in the leaves of a tree, the ebb and flow of the tides, and in the movement of our day-to-day lives. (full text on 12-29-22 Instagram post here)
I suppose it’s natural, but the older I get the more patterns I see in my life and in how I work creatively. I hope to listen more closely and feel more readily the rhythms that beat all around me, to join in their beat instead of fighting against it. Inherently intangible, for me this theme lies closest to a more personal and nuanced life experience. Part of my work moving forward will be to find a way to communicate this rhythm in my art.
From my 2023 Themes Countdown - (#2) Visible Mending is …a means to not only physically combine ideas and materials but to honor generational connections, story moments in time, and lay bare the rawness and fragility of the world around me. (full text on 12-30-22 Instagram post here.)
In stark contrast to my other themes, Visible Mending is a tangible skill as well as a concept. It can be applied to the chosen materials innumerable ways and for a plethora of reasons. Of all the techniques I’ve acquired over the past year, I find the act of visibly mending with fiber to be therapeutic in its ability to bring life to discarded items, beautiful in its application, and a comfort in its tradition of techniques passed from one generation to the next. I especially look forward to using this theme in a re-invention of my Swatch Project (version 2.0, detailed below), while leaning into my final theme, Intention.
From my 2023 Themes Countdown - (#1) Intention. Over the years I feel like I skirted the open dialogue that could provide greater insight into my art-making and thereby offer a greater impact. I hadn’t yet fully embraced intention as a focal point of my art. (full text on 12-31-22 Instagram post here.)
In looking back at past New Year pronouncements, I realize I have grazed the concept of Intention before.
(notes on “intention” from Preparing for a New Year)
… [I] want to experience more community and care in the exchange of art and ideas. I want to share my experiences and content with complete sincerity. And in doing so, I want to be more accountable and consistent in my actions - to myself, and to my followers at large.
It wasn’t until more recently, after I attended a variety of artist talks (including one by John Grade which I detailed in a Patreon post here), that I began to look more closely at the word “intention”. Understanding his intentional choices with each step of his art practice was surprisingly unsettling, and uncomfortable - in that way where you know you need to make space for something larger within you. It was that gently blowing breeze grazing the embers of my art-making process and igniting them into an unexpected fire. It made me think about my art and the projects I had started in new and interesting ways, which encouraged me to re-imagine what my Swatch Project truly could be.
The Swatch Project 2.0
What started as a way to develop specific techniques in small weekly manageable bites of creativity has become a concept beyond the skills it provided. I originally saw the Swatch Project as a means to create follow-along creative content, which I maintained for the 1st half of 2022. As I continued to create these pieces, however, it became clear that the idea was bigger than the individual swatches. It became a concept for an art installation showcasing the themes (mentioned above) with which I plan to create going forward - Growth, Resolve, Rhythm, Visible Mending, and Intention. It is no longer simply a means to an end, but a timeless journey through creativity, community, and heritage. It now touches everything I do as an artist.
In the coming months, I hope to make this project clear and accessible with the weekly posts I share on Patreon1 (a monthly subscription service connecting creatives with their patrons), starting with an introductory video to be released this week to kick off my 2023 creative journey. Until then, I hope you can take a moment to read the following recent Patreon post marking the anniversary of my initial Swatch project and join me in the making.
Sincerely ~ Jennifer
To finish off 2022, I posted the following 1-year anniversary update on my Swatch Project to my Patreon followers and subscribers and wish to share it with you here to encourage your continued support of my Substack writing (I currently offer all Substack writing for free), as well as consider following or subscribing (at $3/month) to my Patreon subscription which details my day to day studio practice.
It all started with this post, Uncharted Territory, from 2021
Welcome to my studio! This work-in-progress piece, "Uncharted Territory", symbolically captures the shift occurring in my studio work toward larger, more methodical, thoughtful, and intentional art with a multi-disciplinary approach. As I follow this path in my art-making, I will be working with new materials and methods which need to be tested and explored as I try to make my vision for each piece come to life.
In 2022 I will specifically be working several times a week on small "swatches" of paintings, papers, and other materials, and diligently recording my thoughts, inspirations, goals, mishaps, and successes along the way. I will also be sharing inside peeks at how these pieces inform and create larger work, in what I hope will culminate into a large installation project in 2023.
I would like to invite you to watch, make, learn, and help me grow as I take this journey into the unknown.
Thank you for your consideration and support of the arts!
Swatch Project - 1 year later (edited for clarity)
"While I've had weeks since this first Patreon post with a lot of progress, I also had many weeks where I struggled to keep my focus due to a variety of factors (moving my home and studio, creating work for the in-person and online events that help keep my studio open, and the responsibilities that come with this stage of life - being a mom and daughter in my 50's). I am grateful, though, for where this project is taking my work and plan to recommit to the pieces in progress that are resulting from my swatching work.
In December I made the difficult decision to not apply to outdoor festivals for 2023. Historically, these events have provided about 40-60% of my income over a year. I've managed to work around these numbers throughout COVID, and continue to find ways to press onward (thanks to many of you!) These shows are truly all-consuming. To create a booth full of art for sale, stage photos for applications, market and promote the show and art, and spend exhausting hours on the road - setting up, long days in a booth, taking down, and doing it all over again - take a large commitment in time, energy, creativity, and dollars.
Life as an artist is often a life of taking risks.
If I want my art to go in a new direction, then I need to fully commit to that process, as difficult or scary as that may be. And I've reached that point in my career where if I don't make the changes I want now, then when will I?
My primary public interaction space in 2023 will be on Patreon.
While I will post images on Instagram and continue writing articles on Substack, and hopefully add a few more videos to my Youtube channel - my primary focus will be in the studio, making art, and sharing my progress via Patreon.
I plan to have 1 swatch post and 1 larger work post to share each week. I will share my studio notes as I progress, including any material and process information relating to the work. A few posts will be free to anyone "following" me on Patreon. Most will only be for my paid subscribers.
This is where I can use your help.
I hope you will consider sharing my Patreon page with anyone who you think may be interested in my studio practice or loves to support the arts - or even just sharing with others what Patreon is and how creatives use it to support their practice.
I know I love supporting fellow creators as much as I can and proudly support a few: Elster Photography, Mirjam Gielen, Squids School of Vintage Knitting, Avie Meadows, Orphan Girl Fine Art, as well as a local community project, The Really Really Free Market.
I know there is something special waiting on the other side of this journey, and I would love your help in getting there.
I am truly excited about the coming year. With this commitment, I feel confident I'll have the first few larger works ready soon to apply for 2024 installation opportunities. And I honestly can't wait to share more about the pieces I'm preparing. They truly speak to my heart, and I hope they will speak to yours as well.
Sincerely ~ Jennifer
Article Notes, Sources, and Audio File.
tl;dr - Happy New Year! I started the new year with a little more fun, a little less structure, fewer goals, and 5 overall themes to take me into 2023: Growth, Resolve, Rhythm, Visible Mending, and Intention. The Swatch Project I started in 2022 will evolve into a larger project in 2023 - The Swatch Project 2.0.
Audio File Link of this article read by Jennifer
From the archives: Hope, Love, and the Creative Process; Death of an Artist, Short Review; Welcoming a New Year; Preparing for a New Year; January in Review; Artist Talk Review - John Grade; Uncharted Territory; Swatch Project - 1 year later
Mentions: Sarah Townsend @thecopywritersday; Louise Tilbrook @louisetilbrookdesigns; Tara Leaver @taraleaver; John Grade
References: Beyond the Studio is Back; Death of an Artist; Dialogues: The David Zwirner Podcast; Counting Descent by Clint Smith; The Intentional Thread by Susan Brandeis; Fiber Art Now
Note: I do not receive any rewards or commissions for referrals or recommendations in this publication (e.g. links to Powell’s Books). As an independent artist, I simply like to support other independent (and local to me) businesses as well as those resources and artists that have helped me grow.
I think you will love "How the Word is Passed" - I read a copy borrowed from Henry VO last year. Lots of food for thought.