Have you reflected on what you have done this year? Have you patted yourself on the back or given yourself a sticker for everything you did? I spent some time this week making a list of my accomplishments this year. It is nice to realize how much I did. Here are my biggest art accomplishments:

1.Every artist needs a dedicated art making space, and this year I finally got a studio! Previously I had a portion of our den which wasn’t ideal. Now I have a dedicated space in our basement.

It has been a while since I have shown you the space so I thought I would show how it looks today. I have a laundry list of improvements to make to the space. In the meantime, I am really enjoying the fact that I have a studio! It is mine! ALL mine!

I have moved the art supply storage shelves into a little nook which has opened up the space. Yesterday I decided to add a third table to the studio. I slid the white sewing table to the side and added an old dining room table. Now I have a dedicated wet area, a dry area for ironing and cutting, and a sewing area.

Since my last update, I have also obtained an air purifier. If you are an artist, you really should have one!

I hope to further improve upon the lighting in the studio as well as find a way to hang things on the concrete walls. And the red carpet has got to go! It is annoying me! One of these days, I hope the studio will be pretty enough to be in Cloth Paper Scissors Studios!

2. I became official! While I have considered myself an artist for years, this year I took a number of steps to make the business side of my art official. I now have a sales tax permit, a PO Box, business cards, a Facebook fan page, a mailing list and more!

3. I learned a lot this year! I was able to venture to Art and Soul in Hampton, Virginia and take a number of classes which really expanded my collection of techniques. I really appreciate the time I spent with all of the instructors and fellow artists!

I also took Alyson Stanfield’s online classes which really helped me with my art business goals this year. I began with Blog Triage which allowed me to recommit to blogging and improve my design and content.  Get Organized was a big help when I set out to establish my studio and better organize my office space. Blast Off was great for establishing my goals, and Cultivating Collectors was filled with lots of ideas that I will be using as I expand my art business. I met a lot of fabulous artists in the classes, too. And yes, I do recommend all of these classes!

4. Regular art time! Since my youngest headed off to kindergarten in the Fall, I have been able to have semi-regular art time. This is a very big deal to me, and I am really looking forward to more time in the new year!

5. I finally opened my Etsy shop. This was a really big deal for me. I see it as a stepping stone to other things on my list. It allows me to sell some work directly to buyers as I build up a collection to sell in other venues. I am looking forward to adding more things to the shop in the new year!

Whew! What a year! I hope your year has been creative and productive and filled with love! If you haven’t already, give yourself a sticker (or maybe a glass of champagne) to celebrate everything you did this year!

Have a fabulous last day of 2010!