Well, we made it y'all! If you're reading this, you've successfully made it to the end of the first month of 2021! Congratulations. I'm proud of us. A lot happened, but we're here and we're still moving forward, one step at a time. At the end of December, I made some goals for myself as a creator and business owner. In this quick wrap-up post I'll share what those goals were, and check in on how they're coming along.
I'm not a person who makes resolutions for the New Year, but I do like to set and achieve goals. Every month I take inventory (literally and figuratively) of Kenyatta Harden Art, and assess the areas that I have seen progress and where I would like to grow more. The areas that were most important to me this month were:
- Post consistently on my social media platforms
- Share more of my creative process
- Become more helpful to my collectors and potential collectors
- Own my "weird"
Up first, social media. Ah. I have a love hate relationship with all the different platforms we can stay connected on. I love that I can keep up with my friends on the West Coast, buy art from a painter in England, and teach a friend in Australia how to mix the perfect shade of turquoise, but I'll be honest, it can be a lot to keep up with. For anyone. This month I worked to create content that was relevant to what I was actually currently creating in my studio, as well as interesting enough to share. I'll keep this as an area to work on next month, but I definitely think positive progress was made here.
Along the same lines, I wanted to share more of my creative process with those of you who have been interested to see it. I have held back from posting much of my creative process for two main reasons:
Recording myself painting is kind of awkward. I'm getting used to it now, and have discovered almost the perfect set up, but it was real rough at first. You know.
Editing videos is a lot of work. Again, just being honest. I might record myself painting for an hour or two to get a 10 minute video, after editing. I enjoy that process as well, but it does take time.
Overall, I'm happy with the progress I've made here, and will continue to work to grow in this area again in February.
Serve your clients with sincerity. If I had to guess, I'd bet that's the number one tip business owners hear most. When you're someone who creates abstract art, it can be tricky to know exactly how your art can serve someone. Is offering what I consider to be a beautiful piece of art enough? Maybe, but I wanted to offer something more substantial than that, which is why you will start to see more short videos popping up where you follow me. I'll just spill the beans here: I've decided to start creating short mindfulness exercises and will be sharing them with you. These moments are designed to create a space where we can press pause on our days and enjoy a few moments of peace and calm. There's a lot going on everywhere right now, and even if none of you need this time, I do. I hope that I can reach you and support you through my art the way that you all have supported me.
Finally, my final goal of the month: "Own my weird." I'm slightly aware of my online persona and how I might come across, but to those of you who don't know me in "real life," I have long held a fear that I would come across as too quirky or too much which would drive people away. However, through a wonderful practice of release and renewal this month, I have decided to let the thoughts and opinions of others go, with love. I am who I am, and the people who are meant to find me will. That being said, I appreciate all of you who are here. I hope you've had a great start to your New Year, and that the good times will keep rolling on.
See you in the studio!