{"id":2163,"date":"2019-01-04T19:59:02","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T18:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zoki.art\/?p=2163"},"modified":"2025-10-07T16:16:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T14:16:29","slug":"not-splendid-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zoki.art\/en\/not-splendid-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Not the Most Splendid Year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Not the Most Splendid Year<\/h1>\n

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

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

There was a lot of NOT splendid. I forced myself to do things I really don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Then contacting people I didn’t know \u2014 actually talking to them. In person!<\/p>\n

And then writing. English, Slovene \u2014 take your pick. I almost feel I should apologise. I like painting, cooking, walking in nature, listening to music, but I really don\u2019t like writing. I\u2019m not good at it. And I had to do it anyway.<\/p>\n

[Note] In future \u2013 focus on the illustrations and ignore the text.<\/em><\/p>\n

But after all that NOT splendid came the SPLENDID. So what WAS splendid?<\/h4>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I met many dear, wonderful, extraordinary people and friends both in person and online. Splendid.<\/p>\n

I learned so many new things I thought I never would. Splendid.<\/p>\n

I am one year older. Splendid.<\/p>\n

Like Stallabrass says: \u201cOnce you put your work out in public, it is not yours anymore. You have no control over it.\u201d And that was the most splendid of all.<\/p>\n

So, thank you for that, Everyone!<\/h5>\n

Love, Z.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo: Tanja Pe\u010denko<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3132,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2163","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nUncategorized • Not the Most Splendid Year • Zoki.art \u2013 navihane \u010di\u010dke in \u010da\u010dke in ra\u010dke za najne\u017enej\u0161e du\u0161e<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"First year illustration journey reflections on 2018: fear, marketing and invoices versus the quiet joy of brushes, 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