2024 Year in Review

2024 was visceral. I felt gutted. The wind was knocked out of me. I didn’t think I had any hot air left to be knocked out. But I had to get up; we have to get up. We have to make our things, relate to things, connect to things, cultivate our things.

I moved from Liberty, MO to Fayetteville, AR. And back and forth to Colorado Springs. Stupid. Got out of debt for the first time in my entire adult life. Hallelujah.

Um, Jen and Natalia, we graduated together twenty years ago!?? Martha, we worked together 26 years ago!?? Brenda, we taught together 23 years ago!?? You four dear friends, thank you for putting up with me on a regular basis. You are golden.

The following are reflections on significant moments for me in 2024, as well as what I want and need more of in this coming year of 2025. Note: these are neither goals nor resolutions. This is about process. It is always about process, curiosity, creativity, experimentation, and lessons learned in my life.

Art

Finished Covid paintings I started in 2021, made mandalas incessantly, collaborated with genius instructors, continued ArtSpark, introduced young artist Sol to established artist Harold Smith, purchased a Kevin Hopkins painting. Saw Knowing the West at Crystal Bridges. Accepted by the Arkansas Arts Council as a state Teaching Artist. Starting to realize I am a stronger curator than artist.

“The arts, which frequently contain the beautiful and the unexpected, are excellent facilitators of wonder. You are struck by something, and this astonishment becomes fertile ground. Wonder snaps you to attention and is one of the most effective ways to spark curiosity.” 

Food

Carlsbad Cravings, Sally’s Baking Addiction, Gimme Some Oven, Smitten Kitchen, Live Eat Learn. More plant-based. Less food waste. More baking. Less plastic. More colors. More indulgence. Butter. Ate oysters at Earl’s Premier twice. Ate mostly crappy food in CO Springs and discovered Atlas, Geraldi’s, and Richard’s in Fayetteville. Farmers Market on Fayetteville Square and West Fork. Martinis with blue cheese olives. Salty snacks. Super simple and small whole food dinners. Finally got a Kitchen Aid mixer, pistachio. Lots of new cookbooks. Favorites: Egg Shop by Nick Corbee and The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen. Made lists and notes of potential food-based businesses and ideas.

“Studies show that ‘breaking bread’ literally has an effect on our emotions and behavior. Eating is both a practical need and a cultural one. The aesthetics of food, the beauty of the presentation, how it registers on our senses, is an aesthetic experience that is being studied.”

Work

Read AP Portfolios in Salt Lake City. Taught art at Sand Creek HS and Falcon HS. My students made stunning paintings. Dressed up as Eeyore for Halloween. Oh, bother. Designed two websites for friends in addition to my own. Received a grant to study art integration. Was accepted to do a professional workshop on my Chance Mandala and art integration in the classroom. Had lunch every work day with my department.

“You have a daily art practice that is as vital to you as exercise and meditation routines. Art, you now understand, isn’t only a hobby, it’s a conversation with yourself, a way to connect your mind, body, and spirit and to support your health and wellness.”

Health

Lost some weight. Slept mostly well. Established new doctors. Was crazy sick and missed a whole week of work. No clue what it was. Had a crazy itchy rash in two waves. No clue what it was. Hard to be at work past 1pm. My body starts to shut down, and get super achy. Lupus sucks. Appointment with a new rheumatologist soon. Bad back most days. Need to figure that out. I grunt more when getting up and down. Turned 50 fucking 3. Not old. Walked and swam occasionally. Danced a bit, too. Cooked every day, mostly plants.

“What we cognitively think and what we biologically feel don’t always align.” 

Wellness

Saw Jon Batiste in Chicago with my sister. Watched tulips bloom in my backyard. Browsed at the Asian Pacific Market and World Market just for eye candy. Rooted and voted for Kamala. Sat with golden aspens in the mountains. Hiked with Lance at Nine Stone. Cried when I needed to. Raged when I needed to. Refused to meditate with an app. Said “no” more than “yes.” Enlisted as a volunteer with World Central Kitchen. Stopped watching cable news.

“For the first time since these statistics have been collected, mental illness is increasing at a faster rate than physical disease. Mental wholeness is having the inner capacity and resourcefulness to navigate the daily fluctuations of your life, even when you are feeling difficult emotions. Stress isn’t a feeling or an emotion, rather it’s a physiological response to our emotions.”

People

Watched my nephew Jonah kick ass on the Park Hill football team. Watched my sister get promoted to executive director. Watched my sister-in-law kick cancer to the curb and ring that bell. Gaped at gorgeous photos of all three nephews and their homecoming dates. Celebrated 78 years of my parents on this earth. Shared sorrows and terrifying selfies with Brooklyn friends the morning after the election. Met Brenda for brunch multiple Sundays and detoxed from our teacher week. Touched base with sweet friend and chef Tylor, now in Hawaii. Met artist and Fayetteville native, Meg Chapman, who generously shared her time and heart from Scotland. Dreamed and laughed with Martha over coffee on the porch.

“Those who have an aesthetic mindset share four key attributes: (1) a high level of curiosity, (2) a love of playful, open-ended exploration, (3) keen sensory awareness, and (4) a drive to engage in creative activities as a maker and/or beholder.”

Forward

Black Lives still Matter. Me, Too does, too. Screens are necessary. Inclusion and diversity are vital. We are to care for everyone. No one should be hungry. The climate should not be changing. The older I get, the more conservative I am sharing my time, my heart, my money.

I want more play, more fun, yet more routine. More making, curating, and writing of food and art. More pizza, less pasta. More cheese, homemade bread, and plants. More hydration. Less coffee and Coke and more tea and lemonade. More thriving and less surviving.

“Flourishing, we believe, is about living an authentic and full life. It’s feeling present and alive by noticing and appreciating what you already have around you. It’s about being in touch with yourself—what many refer to as mindfulness—in order to live with a sense of purpose and meaning, a moral compass and sense of virtue. Flourishing includes caring about the welfare of others and contributing to the greater good.

When you are flourishing, you are curious, creative, and open to new experiences, and there is a conscious commitment to fostering a positive mindset. You’re nurturing your mental, physical, and social health. And you’re appreciating the time you have on this planet.” 

(All quotes from Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross except where noted)

Note to Self

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” —UNKNOWN