The End of Draws...

It's been a few days now since the challenge I set myself to complete one drawing a day for a whole year has run it's course and I have to say whilst it has been challenging it has also been equally rewarding.With the dust now settled and having had a few days to readjust and recuperate from the inevitable hang over that comes from the culmination of one year and the birth of the next, I figured now would be a good time to discuss what's next?

Firstly though and just to clarify in this case when I say 'hangover' I'm not merely referring to the alcohol induced hangover that most of us insist on subjecting ourselves to but instead the sense of melancholy that hits at that point where we should really be at our most positive. It is the dawn of a new year, a time for positive action, a time to be resolute and time for a new beginning but instead it is overshadowed by the onset of ennui that can only be attributed to our penchant for looking back rather than forward. We dissect the year since past whilst its demise is still fresh in our minds and whilst doing so we realise that much of what we intended to make different has remained the same, much of what we promised we would achieve has fallen by the wayside and much of what we have done is regrettable at best. So whilst the promise of positive change and affirmative action is ever present with the onset of each new year, the likelihood is we'll be too focussed on how things didn't go exactly as we planned last time that we can give up before we've even started. Well the harsh truth is that, that's life... you're never prepared for every eventuality and the majority of the things that can go wrong, will most certainly and without a doubt go wrong. So when we decide to take on a challenge to ourself that's main aim is to change something for the better we often fail, as either the obstacles that we could not foresee prove to large to circumvent. In some cases it is merely that we do not give ourselves a clear goal to reach or not enough time to actually reach it that proves the main cause of our failure. On the other hand it may simply be that we've chosen to give up a vice that we are all too comfortable with and one that gives us too great a pleasure... even if it is much to our detriment. The thing is though this is exactly how I felt before I began this project and it is strange to me as this something that I've actually managed to see through to some extent. I mean Honestly if truth be told... it's still exactly how I fell now, as I'm again in that interim point between the end of one thing and the start of something else wherein apathy inhibits the part of the brain that would otherwise take affirmative action and move forward. However what I have realised as a result of my experiences of this year is that if you really want to do something enough then you'll find a way to do it. In no way am I aiming to suggest that those that have or will make promises and not keep them don't want it enough nor am I suggesting that every aspect of this project is something that I'm proud of, in fact there were drawings that I don't think were good enough and there were things that I aimed to do that I never really fulfilled. What I'm referring to is the likes of the text that accompanied the drawings, the other ways I thought of presenting the drawings and even the thought of adding regular overviews on how things had gone so far or plans on where they could go next. The problem was and it was almost my downfall is that I tried to stray from the initial goal I set out, that being one drawing a day, every day for the whole year. As I alluded to before this is normally one of the reasons why much of what we plan does not come to fruition as the delusions of grandeur that come from any small victories and successes we achieve cause us over reach and try to do too much. By taking on more than we had previously planned we increase the possibility of coming face to face with the unexpected. Luckily though I realised that these additional tangents were not as immediate and necessary as I once thought, rather they were something that could be revisited and this is something I'll return to in a few moments.

Firstly though I would like to offer... well what I can only describe as my opinion on why I managed to stick to the original idea as I don't think I'm really in the position to offer advice nor am I very good at it. What worked for me then was primarily keeping things simple and concise, as it is all too often that we rush into these sort of tasks a with a gung-ho attitude and the change is too abrupt that we can barley contend with it. Instead we suffer from withdrawal from the normality we've become accustomed to which leaves us barely coherent shuddering in a corner somewhere. The other issue is that we give our goals too much ambiguity and no clear definition and that without definition has no meaning or relevance. So what you really need to do is have a clear and achievable goal, a concise time frame of when you want to achieve your goal, then break it into manageable pieces so that you could clearly measure the success of each step and have an end point to work towards. A further thing I would like to say is that this idea of using New Years as a starting point worked well for me as it provided the clearest passage of time in terms of a full year from beginning to end. However this notion that we should wait until this day of all days to decide to change that which is not working in our favour is bullshit. All it does is provide additional pressure as millions of people all around the world jump on and overload the band wagon to it's capacity, meaning it's difficult to move forward as we are encumbered by each subsequent poor decision and mistake made by those around us who have chosen a similar path and have decided to hitch-hike along ours. If you want to do something then it should be on your own terms, in your own time and for the most part on your own merits rather than waiting on someone else to hold your hand and walk you through it.

This brings me neatly to my next point, whilst it is important to not have to depend on someone else to walk you through it that does not mean that having people there to support you is not important. In fact it's the complete opposite and if it wasn't for the people around me on a daily basis I don't think I would have ever carried this through. Those people that offered me words of encouragement helped me to keep going and equally those that said I would never do it made me more resolute. Those people that offered me praise made me proud of what I'd achieved and likewise those that said I could do better made me want to try harder. Knowing that people I'd known for years followed my exploits on a daily basis from all around the world made me realise that what I was doing had some vaguely nostalgic or poignant meaning to them as a result of having known me at some point. Furthermore speaking to people for the first time that had somehow already heard of the project before knowing who I was meant that it was something that was for more than just those who already knew me but something of interest for those who didn't. Whilst the project then was something I did for my own amusement and in some respects something I did for myself, It's great that it has gained it's own audience and I could never have imagined how that would have taken shape. So one thing I need to do now is sincerely thank all of those who have offered their support, their criticisms and witticisms as without you I would never have gotten this far nor would it have been nearly as rewarding.

The final thing that I have come to conclude was responsible for me completing the 365 Draws of the Year is a culmination of the above and something that I believe was best described by Maya Angelou,

'If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.'


As I've explained before one of the main reasons why I chose to take on this project was as I felt I wasn't drawing as much as I should be. So I decided to change it and in the process hope that in the future rather than merely wanting to change or undertake something, I would take a more decisive step and follow through on those ideas and notions that so often appear, only to quickly return once more into the ether from whence they came. This then brings me to what the plan is going forward, as I've mentioned a few moments ago I want to revisit the text aspect of the blog that I seen as a secondary notion as I do think that the drawings will work best in a book format. So over the next year that is what I will be working towards putting together the book and having an official launch and exhibition of the works. Furthermore I've realised that now that the drawings are completed it shouldn't be a case that I allow the momentum that I have gathered over the last year to slow or falter. Instead I intend to carry it forward meaning that I want to continue to do more work, more specifically though I aim to revisit some of the old projects, pieces of work and ideas that I have made some headway on before and for one reason or another left to gather dust both physically and metaphysically. My problem had always been that I had an issue with completing and following through with ideas and this is one of the main reason I had chosen to do this particular project to show myself that I could carry an idea through from conception to completion. So the new concept revolves around completing things that 'I've started so I'll finish' and this will be the name of this years project, which I'm still uncertain as to what form it will take. However the initial idea is to have a new blog which can then act as a recurring art blog going forward for all future works created and finished. As I plan and work on this over the next few days It'll should begin to take shape and I'll be able to link what's happening with 365 Draws along the way also. The main thing is I need to take that which I have learned from last years project and apply it moving forward so as not to lose the momentum and the discipline of creating work regularly that was a big part of 365 Draws. 


Lastly I'd just like to say thanks again for taking the time to look at 365 Draws throughout this year and also for all your support... here's to another fruitful and productive year.


Don