Happy Hogmanay!

and 2024 recap

Hello! Wishing you a Happy Hogmanay from an affa windy Scotland. The roof hasn’t taken off for Norway, yet, so there’s that.

I haven’t been very prolific with my Substack in 2024, maybe that will change in 2025. We’ll see.

I have been prolific, tho, in making more art this year than I have made probably in any other year. I’m over the moon that I made this commitment to myself, and started showing up for myself in this way. It has certainly improved my wellbeing, and everyone needs a bit of that as we attempt to navigate the truly appalling world unfolding before us.

At the start of the year I chose my Word of the Year - practise - and I stuck with it all year, giving myself the space to just practise, to make a mess, to build a practise, to have good days and bad days, and it’s the first year I have stuck to a WOTY all year.

In February I decided to try the 100 Day Project, and set myself the challenge of making at least one piece of art and writing a blog every day for 100 Days. No-one was more surprised than I was when I succeeded.

When the challenge was over, I decided to carry on, and I’m now on Day 318 of my streak, and it is very much my practise. On some days there might be a five minute sketch, and on some days there are several hours of painting, and over time it matters less when the day is filled with inner critic rubbish, procrastination, and a tiny sketch, because the next day is usually better, and the tiny sketches add up.

The highlight of my art year was showing my portrait of Gisèle Pelicot in the small works section of the 126th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Scottish Artists. My painting on display in the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh wasn’t something I would have believed at the start of the year, but I made it happen for myself, instead of giving in to my incessant inner critic.

My painting was there during the #16DaysOfActivism, which was not by design, but a meaningful coincidence. She’s the last painting in this wee compilation video I made of my 2024 art highlights.

2025 is nearly here, and I have a list of things that the people in power need to do better before any of us need to start thinking about how we are failing on a personal level, and needing to punish ourselves with resolutions.

Thank you for reading, please feel free to like, share, subscribe, comment and have a Happy Hogmanay!

Goodbye 2024, it has been a combination of horrific, terrifying and creative.

Til next year,

Suzanne

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