2023 is over, and I want to start a tradition to kind of motivate myself to appreciate the ups and downs of my art career (what I did and what I didn’t during my year). So here I am with my 2023 art wrap-up so that I can start 2024 with a clearer vision of where I stand, where I want to head, and what to focus on for the months to come.
If you haven’t read my 2023 New Year art resolutions, you can find them here. But don’t use that to judge my progress 🙂
What’s my painting wrap-up for 2023?
I started a painting I was extremely excited about making, but I never finished it (I experienced an art identity crisis in mid-June, and I stopped painting for 6 months straight). I am, however, looking forward to going back to painting sooner and perhaps finishing this one.
What’s my art blog wrap-up for 2023?
I have shared 107 blog posts about art and creativity. You can see the best of those here: The Best Art Blog Posts I Shared This Year. You can also learn What I learned from my art blog in 2023.
What other creative skills did I try or learn in 2023?
In February 2023, my mom signed me up for a calligraphy class. I enjoyed learning traditional Arabic calligraphy, but I enjoyed spending quality time with my mom the most.
In May 2023, I visited Cannes for the International Cannes Film Festival. I then went to Grasse (30 minutes drive from Cannes) with my friend to learn how perfumes in Fragonard Parfumerie are made and also how to mix our perfume in a 4-hour workshop. One of my all-time favorite experiences.
In October, I joined my incubator on a mobility weekend in Fes, Morocco, where we learned how to weave Moroccan carpets. Another great highlight of my year in art.
Last month (December), I decided to finally try embroidery, and I loved it. I see myself going to it this year and getting better at it.
Overall, I did free myself from my medium (painting), and I tried many different self-expression mediums, of which I am very proud.
Art events wrap-up
I started the year 2023 with Sun Festival, in which I exhibited some of my older paintings alongside a painting from 2022. I also organized an art therapy workshop during the second day of the festival that took place in Marrakech.
As part of my job in event management, I participated in organizing the Tetouan Mediterranean Film Festival (and many more festivals, but this one remains the closest to my heart), and I also attended the Cannes Film Festival.
I was invited to take part in an open conversation about the opportunities in creative industries in Morocco, but I wasn’t able to participate because of my grandpa’s loss.
I took part in the first Moroccan Forum of Creative and Cultural Industries in Rabat as an entrepreneur and founder of my project idea, “The Box and Beyond.”.
Conclusion
Let me put my art wrap-up in a list of what went well and what didn’t go that well:
What went well?
- I did put myself out there and tried out many new things, which have marked my personal growth way more than my art career
- I created some of my favorite blog posts and kept consistency in my posting schedule
- I have created some digital products for my blog and many great practical art guides
- I reconnected with parts of myself (through writing and art journaling practice), and I genuinely enjoyed my own company.
- I visited my dream museums and galleries (Sistine Chapel, Uffizi, academia, Boboli Gardens, etc)
- I started working on my Ph.D. in the creative and cultural industries.
What didn’t go very well?
- I ended the year with no (finished) new painting
- I fell behind on my art practice
- Hardly organized any more workshops, talks, and art-related events
- Falling into an art identity crisis
- I didn’t stick to my 2023 resolutions.
How about you? What was your 2023 like?
Enjoy creating <3
