Well we are just about halfway through 2014 and I have almost caught my breath! 
The first few months of this year saw me taking up residency in the 'slow lane' with pregnancy making itself well and truly known to all of my usual energy reserves. I certainly cannot say that those 9 months were blissful or that I am a fan of being pregnant, BUT yes it was all worthwhile and we happily welcomed our first child in March. I can honestly say that once she was here my energy levels, motivation and MOJO came right on back. Sleep deprivation aside!

After taking 6 months off from my full time job of high school teaching early last year, I was energised, inspired and determined to make the most of my precious 'me' time. I had my home studio set up in the third bedroom of our little Mountain abode and my 'to do' list looked a little like this:

1. Give back to OTHERS 
Declared my head to be shaved and in doing so raised $10,600 for the Leukaemia Foundation along with proceeds from organising the Group Exhibition and main EMPOWERMENT event.

2. Give back to MYSELF 
After shaving said head and committing to mammoth fundraising efforts, by April I found myself feeling like an unfit 90 year old woman. I could barely walk from hip and back pain, I was constantly needing more and more sleep, suffering from migraines, emotional melt downs, panic attacks and just running completely on empty. I had every blood test under the sun only to find out there was nothing out of the ordinary and so my Dr suspected Fibromyalgia, an autoimmune disease (that may have hit my nervous system after contracting Ross River Fever 6 years ago) with no known treatment or cure. GREAT! I had promised myself that I would put my health first during this time off and so I looked to my diet. I Quit Sugar at the start of May...as an experiment. By July my pain gradually disappeared, my energy levels soared, my mind cleared, I lost 12kg and I 'fell' pregnant.

3. Stay motivated 
I came up with monthly challenges such as 'Birds of May', 'MAKE-DO-BE' month to create new work each and every day. Happy to say I didn't skip a single day and in doing so my ideas grew bigger and my confidence did as well.

4. Get my website PIMPED 
CHECK....successfully happened thanks to the genius vision by Pixelle Graphic Design. 

5. Have another solo exhibition 
CHECK...Feature exhibition 'Insight' at D'Bar Gallery, Coolangatta in May.

6. Get my MAKE DO BE illustrations published
Did not happen! Despite looking into a few options for publishing, it is still on the back burner.

7. Get my Art Studio designed and built
Did not happen! Boo hoo.

There were many other small and large  goals I had set for myself and some were achieved while others are...well...still waiting to happen! 

I was annoyed at myself for not making them all happen, and most upset with myself for letting my dream Art Studio slip to the end of the long growing list. I had been saving my pennies for so long to make this goal come to life and yet I just couldn't quite get it to happen. I ran out of time and I temporarily had my MOJO  shelved. I reminded myself I was after all growing a life...but I just don't like to sit idle, waiting and this wasn't good enough. I worried that having a baby would mean that I could no longer chase my dreams. What a stupid thought. By having this thought though, I was even more determined to MAKE IT HAPPEN!

So when life was about to change (dramatically) with this little one's arrival, I put everything else on hold and focussed on getting this studio here...preferably before she did. This all happened thanks to my Husband Matt. I do think he knew his life would greatly improve as well if he kept his moody, pregnant wife happy. So he took on the role of Project Manager...and he did it like a BOSS!

So my Dream Art Studio is here! There are a few small finishes to be added before I dust off the champagne glasses  and send out the Grand Opening invites...but it is ACTUALLY a real physical thing.

Here are some progress pics of the MFCP headquarters and its journey so far.

If you approach each year in quarters perhaps it could be easier to write brief, achievable to do lists, lay down plans and tick off each and every goal you set....or perhaps you are a teacher and you refer to the year in weeks and terms!

I return to teaching next week for the start of Semester 2, hitting the ground running with my Year 12s who are almost halfway through their final body of work.  Plus two lessons a week with some Year 8s that I am yet to meet...potentially the scariest part! 

I am only returning to two classes, three days a week and more importantly I am returning to PEOPLE CONTACT!

I have been a teacher of Visual Art since I was 21 years old and it has been an absolute joy and privilege to have met and worked with (potentially) 1000+ young people in a variety of different settings from a wide range of backgrounds, abilities and cultures. For my 21-year-old self the best part of becoming a teacher was being an ART teacher. That to me meant spending time in an art room, making art everyday, helping others, watching their work progress, having fun and sharing what I know and love to ultimately spread an infectious love of Art further. Of course with that comes planning, assessment, marking, deadlines, paper trails and reporting on EVERYTHING that your students have completed...or failed to complete AND should they have failed you of course map out and implement strategies to improve on everything you are doing as a teacher to ultimately benefit all of your students. That's right I was as eager as ever to get out there and do all of the above and I honestly believe I did all of that (and more) to the best of my ability over the past 9 years. Making art every day just is not possible when you devote your time, energy and focus to your students, I know this because I tried it and I ended up tired, stressed and torn. 

The best part of teaching Art is learning from others, inspiring others and being inspired. The exact same thing can be said about being an Artist. 

When I worked up the courage to vocalise my desire to work as an Artist full time, I knew that what would need to follow would be more courage. Courage and discipline.  Courage to ask for time off from teaching, courage to learn how to manage my own finances, courage to attempt to generate my own income and courage to tell people I am working as an artist. These were all things that I knew I would have to do and over the past 6 months I have faced the hurdles of starting a business, staying motivated and defending my choices. I have gained so much and I have overcome many personal fears so far this year. I am extremely grateful for having had this special gift of time to do so. It all seemed so selfish to me in the beginning, as did being an artist. So much in fact I searched for ways to use my time to help others, which I will never regret doing. The lessons learnt from doing only what's important to you are plentiful. 

• I must not worry what others will think
  
• My work is my passion 
  
• Positives MUST outweigh negatives
  
• I own my time
  
• My hair is not important
  
• There are people who energise me 
  
• There are people who drain me
  
• Fears must be faced
  
• I can make my dreams my goals
  
• I can achieve my goals
  

It has been a huge transitional period and as a result it has changed how I view myself and others. How I view my abilities and how I wish to approach and balance two of my passions...making art and teaching art. My next adventure includes finally building my own studio here at my home on Tamborine Mountain to privately showcase my artwork and run small art classes for young and old. This will allow for the public to view my work by appointment and purchase work direct from me. I plan on holding small workshops, creative sessions and personal tutoring for anyone interested as well as other local artists and Art teachers wanting to work collaboratively or simply wanting to share ideas. 

Being an artist is hard, I've said it before and many have said it to me. For this reason many believe it's not worthwhile to become an artist. What I know and can safely say is that one can not become an artist you are simply born an artist. Artists see the world a certain way and have an ability to show others their view through their art. So I am forgetting about becoming anything other than my true self and should that be an 'Artist who can teach' or a 'Teacher that makes art'  I won't allow the boundaries of such titles to define what I am and what I do.