If you’ve been following along on this particular art journey, thank you for reading each week and going along for the ride! I’ve had some lovely responses to this project and I especially appreciate all of you who shared your thoughts and gave me encouragement. It really helped me keep going.

If you’re just finding me now, welcome! This 52 Cards Project has been a personal project for 2022 where each week I assigned a theme to whatever I experienced that week and illustrated it on a 4X6” card, and then I shared each card and some thoughts in a weekly post.

I’ve had some questions about how the project went for me, what I learned—and what I’m going to do next—so here goes:

First of all, Why did I initiate a project that would run for an entire year?

I have no idea.

I literally thought, ‘I know, I’ll make a card every week this year to represent a word or phrase that sums up the week.” And then I just started.

I can say why I kept going.

Basically, as with all new projects, the first few cards were almost effortless.They just popped out.

But then, over time, it did get harder. Each week came a little faster. I had to dig a little deeper to think of a theme and then make the visual leap to express it. And each week, I got a little more worried: will this be the week that I just can’t pull it off?

But I think I kept surprising myself. Every week I did come up with a theme and a final image!

Every card, every week, turned into itself—which is what creating is all about, right? It’s what keeps me hooked to my creative practice, anyway. First there is nothing and then—wha la, through a mysterious process that I definitely don’t fully control—something is made.

So basically I kept going. And also, let’s be real. Since I announced the project publicly, I didn’t want to flake out.

Now with the project complete, I’m pleased with the work and I’m so glad I saw the project through to the end.

What I learned

First, as I said, I learned that I could do it. I could draw an idea week after week.

And I strengthened my idea muscles too as I practiced turning thoughts into image.

I improved drawing from imagination, and learned how to use reference photos in a way that helped me render the image in my imagination rather than copy the reference.

Overall, I built some drawing skills and stuck to a cohesive drawing style. I’m not sure this is “my style” of drawing—but it is one style I developed over the project.

But aside from visual art making, the biggest shift might have come in writing.

I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I struggled a lot with it too—especially when I tried to write from my heart. It turns out I don’t like vulnerability all that much (I’m working on that). I’ve had a blog for many years now but never posted with any consistency (earlier posts from earlier in the decade long gone).

I couldn’t get honest enough and I knew it. Meanwhile, the journey of learning visual artmaking has been SO fun and SO rewarding—I kind of left writing behind a bit.

But over this project some of the former obstacles seemed to slip away. Maybe it was the structure of this project and how I could riff off the visuals, or that I’m gaining self acceptance and risking vulnerability a bit more. Maybe both, but I think I relaxed into my voice as a writer as well as a visual artist with this project—and that also makes me very happy.

So – what’s next?

I’ve been asked if I’m going to sell prints, and to tell you the truth I’m not there yet in my creative journey—but maybe this year I’ll learn how to do that.

Creatively, I’m itching to get back to watercolor and gouache, always ink, collage—maybe textile too. I hope to play and experiment in my sketchbook regularly—and make final works that come from my deepest Self.

As for writing here, I will continue to share. I’m putting the cards project away, but I’ll definitely continue to check in with you every week to share something I’m making thinking about, and offer up something helpful for your creative life too.

If you know anyone who might like my weekly dispatches, please feel free to send them to my website to subscribe.

See ya next week!

Denise