I have nothing against New Years resolutions. If you make them, great. What matters though is you stick to them.
I’ve heard arguments for and against goal setting.
You know what really matters to me?
Results. Either you get them or you don’t.
As I’ve said many times, I’m not competing against you. I’m competing against my former self. I need to be better than I was a year ago because as we age, our body deteriorates. Like it or not, that’s just reality.
I don’t heal like I used to. I currently have a nagging shoulder injury and have dropped all the way from 14 pull-ups to a measly 6. Which for me is awful.
I used to get my hit points back overnight. Now it seems like it takes forever.
But I’ll still lift. My current trainer says you only rest a part if there’s a break or a tear. Otherwise, get stronger.
I don’t have a break or a tear. I have a pinched nerve. It’s enough to zap my shoulder strength and it really sucks because I hate only being able to do single digit pull-ups.
Anyways, that’s just one aspect. My health otherwise is great. I’m still deadlifting and squatting a lot of weight. I just can’t bench and pull-up like I used to because those rely too much on the shoulder.
Art
For art though, lessons are going great. Couldn’t be happier.
I told one of you who reads this blog regularly that the absolutely most important thing I got from art lessons is gesture drawing. Gesture drawing changed everything. I now paint the girls from gesture drawings rather than the “paint what you see” method. The girls look much more fluid. More alive. I love it!
The whole anatomy stuff helps your shadowing big time. Yes, you need to know the skeletons and muscle groups. That’s why Renaissance artists dissected cadavers. Luckily, we don’t have to do that anymore because you can pick up anatomy books at your local bookstore.
So now, I’m competing against the previous painting. I’ll try a new technique, then the next painting, see if I can do it better than the previous one.
What about New Years Resolutions?
I used to be the New Years resolution type of man. Not anymore. Now, I’m competing with myself on a much faster basis.
Resolutions set yearly goals. Which are great.
Rather, I’m setting goals with each painting. And with each song. (I’m a dual artist – painter & composer).
I got 4 songs coming next year and I’ll release at least 3 of them. I’ve been hitting the books hard. Especially Chopin. One of the pieces almost sounds like something Chopin would write, except of course with a Roman Riva feel to it.
So if you’re a New Years resolution type, do you have any? Care to share them?
Not at all knocking using that method. It’s just no longer me.
I do think it’s imperative that as humans, we make an honest attempt to improve in our lives from one year to the next.
If you haven’t heard it yet, this is my most recent composition. I wrote the piano part back in 2012 but added band + strings. Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more.