What will you do with a fresh new year?

We are standing on the third day of a fresh new year, looking ahead at a fresh calendar and I ask; “What are you planning on doing with it?” I know, that is a bit like asking a high school freshman “What are your plans for the future after High School?” You are probably looking at the screen with the blank look that comes from a hangover and a lack of coffee. Am I cruel? What sadist asks those kinds of things before we have gotten through the first real weekend? I am that sadist.

I generally have a loose plan before the ball drops on the new year. I have an idea of what shows I want to do, ones I want to try and ones that I have decided to leave alone by the time September rolls around. I knew that I was going to be setting myself up for the residency in Albany NY this coming fall already and I have a class planned in St George UT this March. I have to, I need to figure out how to pay for them before I get close to them.

I have to make sure my car will make it and that I have a back up plan if something goes awry. Ultimately, that is for me and that isn’t for everyone. People make plans if they want to change things. If you want to keep things the way that they are (the job, the relationships, the home), you just have to make sure you have a back up plan for insurance. Let’s face it, things happen that can undermine your expectations.

What ever you decide, remember; life is what you make of it. What fits someone else, doesn’t always fit you. When I am teaching art classes, I always advise not to compare what you are doing to the guy next to you. You have to do what is right for you, not what works for someone else. In the end, if you are content to get up on Monday of the new year and go back to your job; then go. If that life makes you happy. Who am I to judge. Chances are, you drive a newer car than I do and your not currently trying to figure out why the check engine light is on. My life is mine because it is what I want and I suffer through the frustrations that come with it. You live the way you want, I don’t judge. Just remember that when I am going to interesting places in the USA, I’m probably looking for a good mechanic when I get there.