a year to refine

i can always well when i haven’t practiced calligraphy for a while.  my forms are sloppy, my connectors are shaky, my upstrokes look an 87 year-old woman who’s had 12 cups of coffee made them.

calligraphy is like any other art form…it takes deliberate, consistent practice to make improvement.  but it’s worth it.  because once i get back into the groove, everything just flows.  my calligraphy is a little more refined and i am able to more clearly express myself.

for those of you keeping track at home, this is my fourth year to choose a word – an intention – for the year.  but before i continue sharing more about this year’s word, i would jut like to add here that for me, inviting a word to live by for a year has been a transformative experience.

anyway, for the past couple of months as i pondered a word for 2015, i wanted to build on my previous years’ goals. TRY and REACH were about discovering what i could do and pushing past fear and doubt. PARE was (and always will be i’m afraid) about learning to create temporal, spiritual, and mental space for the {A}rt that i hope to create.

it was the same question over and over….where do i want to go from here?

the answer came to me on the pedestrian bridge one night while i was out running with tripp. naturally.

the thing is…i know who i am now. i know what i can do – what i feel called to do.  what i enjoying doing.  and really… at this point in my life i just want to continue to improve in these areas of my life.  so i mulled around some words and finally landed on REFINE.

REFINE:: to improve (something) by making small changes.  to improve by pruning or polishing.  to free from unwanted material.  ENHANCE, ENRICH, ELEVATE

yes.  yes, yes, yes.

i am a true believer that small changes can have a big impact and so REFINE, as it pertains to my {a}rt, is to work on my craft and hone my creative vision.  with photography, i’m continuing my practice of taking a daily photograph.  but this year i am planning to change things up just a little…focus (pun intended) on a different theme each month. i also hope to refine my calligraphy and find new ways to incorporate it into my photography and my blog.

but for me, i have found that the quality of my {a}rt is completely dependent upon my {A}rt.  and i think REFINE can apply here is a well.  this continual journey in mindfulness.  being fully present in my own life.  awareness of and gratitude for the beauty and magic in my ordinary life.  a life free of unwanted comparison and perfectionism.

of course this isn’t going to all be accomplished in one year…i’m totally not expecting that.  but my hope is just to make progress and move towards this ideal.  because when i do get it right, when i am present and grateful and open, i see things more clearly.  i feel alive and creative.  and that’s where joy and possibility live.

i feel like these past few years have been team building years.  a lot of soul work.  building things from the ground up.  figuring out who the big players will be. putting those players in the right positions.  and now that i’ve got my team right…it’s time to put get out there on the field and practice.

why yes i’ve been watching alot of football lately…why do you ask??

sidenote::my husband is rolling his eyes right now.

anyway, all of this is just a longwinded way of saying that i’m going to keep doing what i’ve been doing.  and hopefully learn to do everything just a little bit better.  as always, i am so grateful for the opportunity to share it with you.

so are you in the practice of choosing a word for the year?  want to share with the class?  and if so, how has that practice enhanced your life?  (football metaphors not required.)

love, kelly