Not the Most Splendid Year

Today marks exactly one year since I gathered my courage, rolled up my sleeves, took a brush and painted the year 2018 for myself.

I won’t pretend everything was splendid. It wasn’t. You can’t know what splendid is if you haven’t first met NOT splendid. First comes the not-so-great so you can later recognise and cherish the great.

There was a lot of NOT splendid. I forced myself to do things I really don’t enjoy. First I had to put myself out there. My Facebook page sat ready for months before I published it. Same with the website and Instagram. Before every post I felt uncertain. I still do.

Then came marketing. Really? Me? And issuing the first invoice. Then the next. Paying taxes and dealing with a pile of accounting bits I find utterly superfluous.

Then contacting people I didn’t know — actually talking to them. In person!

And then writing. English, Slovene — take your pick. I almost feel I should apologise. I like painting, cooking, walking in nature, listening to music, but I really don’t like writing. I’m not good at it. And I had to do it anyway.

[Note] In future – focus on the illustrations and ignore the text.

But after all that NOT splendid came the SPLENDID. So what WAS splendid?

The most splendid were the hours with a brush and water in the company of Debussy, Chopin, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Yiruma, Mozart and others. That was truly splendid.

I met many dear, wonderful, extraordinary people and friends both in person and online. Splendid.

I learned so many new things I thought I never would. Splendid.

I am one year older. Splendid.

Like Stallabrass says: “Once you put your work out in public, it is not yours anymore. You have no control over it.” And that was the most splendid of all.

So, thank you for that, Everyone!

Love, Z.

Photo: Tanja Pečenko