Nakatsu by JNA Designs

Regrouping after a successful Blue Genie Art Bazaar, a show I’ve been lucky to participate in since way back when it was in the original Blue Genie Art warehouse on the eastside (back when the Goodwill Blue Hangar was a neighbor, pre-Canopy days.) Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the show! Pretty amazing, many other shows have come and gone in that amount of time.

Time for some housecleaning in the studio, and preparing to get back to work. Thankful for Austin Creative Reuse, a great creative resource that keeps art and creative materials out of the landfill, sells them to other creative folks that can use/re-use/repurpose them. In Japan, where storage and space are at a premium, the neighborhood convenience store/grocery is referred to as your ‘other refrigerator/kitchen/apartment’; Austin Creative Reuse is my ‘other studio’, both a source and an outlet for extra supplies.

Also on my list:

• reopen my etsy store, listing some new stuff, and clearing the way for making new stuff. Converting materials into finished items is my way of sharing my joy of making things with others!
• in my little studio, space is a challenge. I will be culling through my materials stash and taking things to ACR.
• I have been putting together a collection of imperfect makes, I’m a perfectionist and have pretty high standards, I’ve been thinking a studio sale would be a good way to pass those on.
• I’d love to do a trunk show this year too, its been a while since I’ve had one.

I’ve started a new planner, this year it’s the Maker’s Yearbook from the Maker’s Business Toolkit and a bullet journal/notebook in the hopes of being more efficient/productive/organized, and revisiting the practice of Artist’s Morning Pages. It’s hard to keep the momentum of January goals/resolutions from fading out.

Hope your 2020 kicks 2019’s ass! Balancing work/creative life/family, etc. is such a challenge, I’d love to hear what works for you.