A Decade Worth of Year to Review
After wrapping up an exhibition, our team would typically gather around the table, with a bottle of wine and cheese plate at-the-ready, to have an “autopsy-like” discussion of how we thought it went. We’d analyze the entire process, from our preliminary plans to the final execution, noting both what we did well and what we wasted too much time on. It worked well. After all, the more efficient we became at the administrative or logistical parts of a show, the more time we had to focus on the creative fun parts.
Now with Ouderkirk on Art turning one year old, I’ve spent the last few weeks thinking about and “dissecting” the body of work I created in a (long, endless) year that was truly turbulent and emotionally draining. The challenging part — just like the exhibition “autopsies”— was to avoid focusing on the “would of, should of, and could of” pitfalls, and instead evaluate what was actually accomplished. It’s too easy to get bogged down by what you could have done with more time, more money or no raging pandemic. My objective instead is to learn from both my positive experiences as well as my disappointing failures, to ensure I make smarter, more efficient decisions going forward. Less time wasted = more art time.
“As always, I must continue to manage that which is within my power or as I love to say: Control my ‘controllables.’ ”
Here’s my 2020 report:
Focus. Instead of being overwhelmed with a large amount of “unknown” factors about our industry, country, and the planet —and putting off making big decisions or long-term goals due to those factors — I choose instead to focus on completing smaller tasks with shorter, daily or weekly timelines.
Write. I will continue to write my long articles, which are heavily researched and dense topics. But, as these tend to take a great deal of my time, I’ve decided to break-up these lengthy essays into shorter, more digestible posts. I’m happy to report that readers are enjoying the blog, as Feedspot has selected OUDERKIRK on ART as one of the Top 50 Contemporary Art Blogs on the web. Thank you! 🙏
Transition. I will try to transition away from overly-detailed Instagram posts and use that content for short blog posts. (This will be SO hard for me.) Ideally, I want to use Instagram as a tool for advertising blog posts.
Team meeting in progress. ❤️
Read. I need to continue to fortify my mind with more content from art books and articles and create a working “to read” list. Perhaps the most important part of 2020 was the realization that I have a great deal of un-learning to do. Art history (and the art world in general) needs to be less colonial, less white, less patriarchal, and a great deal more inclusive and welcoming. I want the content I create to be a part of this shift towards inclusivity and awareness.
Prioritize. It’s all about the art, and I need to see more of it in person. While I’m still personally uncomfortable touring large indoor museums, I must find ways to visit more galleries (by appointment), artist studio visits, and — my favorite — outdoor public art.
Accountability. Working for yourself without firm deadlines or a supervisor to keep you on task, is challenging. I struggled. My solution is to work with an accountability buddy via Wake Up Well Monday. By telling someone else what my plan or goals are, I’m now obligated to report my progress to someone that wants to see me succeed.
Support. While I’m unable to donate or financially support worthy causes, businesses, and friend’s projects, I can support them with my time and recognition. It doesn’t take much effort to send a quick message to an artist or gallery about why you admire their work or business. And if these first few weeks of 2021 are any indication of what this year will bring us, I think we will all need as much support as possible.