2024 was a mixed bag of ups and downs, professionally and personally. The year prior, I wasn’t able to travel for work for roughly 6 months due to health reasons, so I decided to make up for lost time by stacking 2024 with a ton of workshops and other projects.

Let’s put it this way, there wasn’t anything that I didn’t want to do. I wanted to do it ALL. Shows, classes, workshops, online classes, my book, social media, gallery work, new gallery work, travel in the US, travel abroad. Woosh, so many amazing things! The caveat was that there were no plans for anything going wrong in life, and we all know that things will go wrong when you least expect it. And they did, several times throughout the year.

The biggest crisis happened almost at the beginning of the year. It was right around this time last February that Jason was mugged outside of the place he was working at. He was hit on the side/back of his head with some sort of weapon like a tire iron or bat, causing three skull fractures and bleeding on the brain.

The assailant was never caught. He stole some cash and just left Jason struggling in the parking. About an hour or so later, one of the workers found Jason in the back parking lot unconscious in a pool of blood. It was a blessing that he was found. If he was found any later, we might be telling a different story right now because his injuries were that serious.

Having a family member go through something so dramatic that it stops life in its tracks, and you have no choice but to go into survival mode.

He stayed in the ICU for a little over 3 weeks and was in and out of the hospital for the next month and a half, plus over the year he had a few more unexpected hospital stays that caught us off guard.

The good news is that he is almost back to his old self but he still has some issues with his hearing and taste/smell is gone. It’s just been a slow and steady recovery that’s taken the better part of the year.

I did everything I could to keep things together and to work my hardest throughout the year to keep us financially afloat. While I managed (managing is not thriving), I only wanted to escape into my painting and do little else.

The problem is, there is so much more to do than paint when you are a working artist. In my head, I was doing the right thing but in my heart, I was losing control and falling short every where I turned.

I did paint a LOT in 2024; it was a very creative year despite the fact I wasn’t in the best headspace. There were a lot of bright colors used in my work. It could have been I was trying to paint my life happy. I’m extremely grateful that I also sold a nice amount of original work to my loyal patrons and some new collectors. So very grateful💖

The only problem was that life kept getting interrupted by more crises, unexpected health issues, and significant home bills that kept me spinning my wheels trying to keep up with all the demands.

I never want to complain because I have been extremely lucky in so many ways, I am just sharing how easy it is to be thrown off the path you are on when life throws you some major curveballs and how difficult it can be to get back on the right side of your journey in life.

After my last teaching event in October, I think I just melted into a world of whimsical painting- probably not the smartest thing to do when you are trying to write a book on abstract painting. Nevertheless, I spent the majority of the last quarter working on small, fun, playful quirky work.

While it might not have been a part of my ‘plan’, it was what I needed at the time. I was searching for a playful part of me again. I just wanted to let loose and play with color. I spent months escaping into a world that wasn’t so serious and stressful as a form of ‘creative self-soothing’.

Mid-December, I just had to stop working.

Stop painting. It was all becoming too much for me. Honestly, I just needed a break. Rest and relaxation first and foremost, and then strategize how to fix what broke.

When you feel like life is spinning out of control, it’s your sign to pause for a moment so you don’t fall apart, too

I took a little break for a couple of weeks and did some honest reflection.

What do I want to do next, and how do I make it happen?
Honestly, there are some things still up in the air for 2025 and beyond, but the time I took off helped me so much gain a ton of clarity on my life. The fog is starting to dissipate.
You can’t stay on the rollercoaster forever, you won’t go anywhere fast, and you just keep going in circles until you throw up. Haha :)

My break is starting to work its magic. I feel like I’m more in control than I’ve been in a LONG TIME.

I’m ready to make 2025 one of the best years yet (if the world doesn’t blow up first) I'm kidding… not kidding.

If you’d like to read about how I’ve started to rebuild myself and my business-please read on or bookmark this article to return to later.

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Part Two-Putting a Plan in Place

Quit to Start Again

The biggest lesson I learned is that flying by the seat of your pants only works for so long. It doesn’t allow you to be proactive, because you are always reactive. I needed a solid break to just figure out a solid plan and how to put it into action. In other words, I needed to quit to start again.
1. I purchased a fun but well-thought-out planner that has a lot of self-reflecting prompts in it. Not only did I buy it, I filled it out! That right there is a clap-on-your-back activity!
2. Before filling in the actual calendar, I created a business plan (which I have been doing since I started working for myself). You have to know what you want to achieve before you schedule out your time to work on the plan. Even if you don’t want to do a robust business plan, think about the 5 or 6 top priorities for the year and that will give you a starting point. You can always add items or take them away.
3. Before adding work items to the calendar, I planned for our vacation and other family events that require travel and time off(two weddings!).

4. Next, I plotted the year by the month on a two-page spread. I need a visual first before it soaks into my brain. It also helped me see where and when I need to back up my timeline to work on projects so I’m not scrambling at the last minute to get things done.

5. I may have some adjusting to do throughout the year so I put a quick monthly check-in on the schedule that coordinates with the day I get my business side of the coin together (sales/expenses, statements). I also added a more in-depth analysis each quarter to hedge off any bumps in the road before they become full-on potholes!

6. Moving on, I added all the repeating tasks into my monthly/weekly planner and any personal goals listed for each month so I can have a more robust life that includes time for family, friends, and experiences. One of the items I listed for each month is to try something new each month. Our something new was going to a wine and cheese pairing at a local shop and it was tons of fun!

I also would like to get back to reading/audio books and am going to try to read 1 book a month but preferably 2. I want to be realistic with myself, I can’t run a marathon just yet when I haven’t even started walking.

7. At this point, you probably can guess you need to fill in all the monthly activities and work out how long you will need to prepare for them. For instance, I’m doing a show in August. I can’t just start working on it in July. That’s too late. It’s in my calendar to start working on it in April so I’m ready in time for it.

8. I have gone back and forth between being a digital planner person and a physical planner girl and I just am more of an analog planner at this point of my life but I do like some aspects of digital planning.

I use Notions for my digital planning and organization. I bought a robust planner at the beginning of the year but it’s too robust for my needs. I could spend hours every day just planning and not doing. I’ve decided to just use it for brainstorming ideas, writing articles, to keep my tools/links for writing newsletters all in one place, and it also is a place where I’ve been organizing my book writing and online class creation.

There’s a fine line between being a planner and a planner-procrastinator. I can create lists all day long, it’s the execution of those to-dos that’s important.

9. One of my mantras is to create more than I consume. I recognize that I can cry about not having enough time, but there is a lot of wiggle room if I’m being honest. It’s easy to doom-scroll and fall into a rabbit hole (good and bad) online. I’m trying to limit my time online so that I can reclaim my life and get back on track.

10. Self care-If you don’t take care of yourself, how are you going to be there for everyone else? How are you going to handle issues when life throws you curve balls? I have been warned by my dr. to get it together or else. Point taken. I’ve changed my diet, go to bed earlier, consume less alcohol, and listen to ambient music when I’m stressed. Next, I need to start walking and exercising. I could alleviate a lot of my issues if I just started moving more.

What’s my excuse? I work so much that there isn’t time for me to exercise. I know it’s a flawed excuse, and I’m calling BS on myself. I'm going to keep you updated now that I’ve revealed one of my big shortfalls. :)

Hold me accountable. I hate letting others down but I guess I’m okay with letting myself down.

Recharge-Coming up in my show February 22nd over at Art With Heart.

11. My last tip or strategy is to batch my time and not dig into one project that takes away from the other areas of my business that need attention, too. Last year, I spent so much time creating and not as much time doing the administrative part of my work, eventually, key things fell through the cracks, which cost me a ton of money.

That’s insane, and I know it.

My path forward is to pay attention to the ‘business’ side of my creative career so I don’t throw my hard-earned income down the drain in fees and penalties.

Last but not least, I’m also giving myself some grace. Life didn’t cascade into this quagmire over a couple of weeks. Rising and dusting my knees off is going to take time.

If nothing else, I hope that opening up and pulling back the curtains will show you that you can be successful AND also be falling apart at the same time.

The key is to stop the madness before it’s taken over your life.
Quit doing the same thing and expect different results.
Slow down and take stock of what needs to be corrected before taking on more projects.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself mentally and physically. Without your health and emotional well-being, nothing else matters.

I’m back from my pause and excited to start again with a stronger foundation than in 2024.

You can do it too! Feel free to drop me a comment down below if you’ve been where I have been too and how did you get back on track to becoming your best self.

Until next time, gratefully yours,

Jodi

PS—I’d love to continue sharing this journey with you! If you are interested in all sides of art and continuing your creative education, hop over to my student tribe list and subscribe today by going HERE.

Why I Had to Quit Painting

Part Two-Putting a Plan in Place

I send out messages 2-4 times a month normally unless I have a big event opening.