Well that was January then - greyness and practicalities soon superseded the revels. Much of the month was taken up with building work to open up the southern eaves of my attic studio. Since no real painting could be done I took the opportunity to reflect on previous themes to determine what I would like to work on this year. If this sounds a little too rational I would add the process felt more like an emotional ordering than any conscious selection. Suffice to say I am keen to get going on a new series of paintings, but first there is some further preparation to be done to be ready for the Open Studios scheme 2011 (more details on this soon).  

Meanwhile, what odd ideas arise from 'New Year' and 'New Year Resolutions'; it's as if some vast receptacle arrives that we must plan to fill with good deeds. No wonder a metaphysical cocktail of aspiration and guilt ensues. Nevertheless, the illusion of a fresh start can still be a useful indulgence, for while it lasts the sense is that one can make firm resolutions. The main  problems with this is that our habits ink us like tattoos; and rule-based resolutions get broken quickly because they are no more than simple fixes, targeting what we think we must do (or often stop doing) to become a better person. Such rules rarely dig deep, or acknowledge that we can't change our fundamental character. Perhaps it would be better to first accept that we mark time by nature's cycles because the cold truth, that time flows incessantly, is for many of us an unbearable concept. Second, instead of simply assigning ourselves a new set of rules: "I must do more of this and less of that" we should reflect on what we did over the previous twelve months.  If we can appreciate who we are by what motivated us, and then set goals around honouring those values, then they are far more likely to be realised. Put simply, personal growth trumps raw discipline - and in adopting this approach we also may discover that all the resources we require are already with us.