1st Quarter Goal setting

When I was a little girl, my mother would call out to me to do something and if I was in the middle of what I thought was more important, I'd respond with " Ok mommy , I'll be there in a second, wait one minute." Mom's response was, Wait! (weight) broke the wagon! I admit, that this saying had me perplexed but not for long because my mom helped me learn the consequences of telling her to wait very early on, and I've carried that lesson with me throughout my life. What exactly does this saying mean for me now that I'm grown? It means that setting goals and following through with my plans, is absolutely necessary, because I am a person that thrives in a progressive environment. What do I mean by that? I mean that my hands and mind are always moving. Some of you know that my day job involves running a produce farm called Young Female Farmers. We grow fruit, vegetables, and herbs, we also have classes on food preservation, making tonics and plant identification just to name a few. I love watching plants grow and learning about things that others may see as weeds and non essentials, much like art. My farm involves planning, planning in my head, planning on paper, planning while scanning seed catalogues, and planning in my dreams. My artistry involves a similar process, planning the concept, planning how I want to execute the idea, the color, materials, size, yada yada, yah but the point I'm trying to make is that my mind has been trained from infancy to move forward and execute because sitting with weighty ideas can become an overload and break the wagon. I realize that everyone doesn't work the way that I do, and being an artist is about exercising your personal creative style. Maybe you're a person that creates for the joy of making something beautiful without a desire to show it to the world. But if you'd like to share what you do with others than having a plan, and setting a goal will help you get there. Thinking about next years goals in the fall gives you some time to do some research on upcoming events you may be interested in attending or participating in. The first quarter is an excellent time to start putting those goals into play. Many galleries and outdoor art events post on social media their event schedules like exhibitions, classes, and grant opportunities in January for the year. Maybe you'd like to have a solo exhibition at a local gallery space or home show, the sky is the limit, let your imagination soar! My imagination does its best work, when I set some goals, why? because I must believe it, to achieve it! Happy painting, drawing, crafting and sewing. Until we meet again,

~Margo Candelario

Art featured is entitled "Mr. Holiday" mixed media, acrylic, cotton, gauze, paper, modeling clay on canvas