Welcoming 2012

The New Year 2012 has dawned and I have to say it is with some degree of nervousness and excitement that I am here!  The past two years have been so jammed packed with adventure that my imagination is drawing blanks when I think about where to from here.  We have travelled, made friends, and I know I have discovered many things about myself that have been some of life's most valuable lessons.  I was asked before leaving London what my plans were when we arrived back in Australia and I have to say I felt rather stupid because I had no response.  I had the plan to come home to Australia to live again and that was it!  I didn't know where I was going to be working and I didn't know how I was going to keep myself moving forward in this life.  All a bit daunting really.  I am still really unsure about all of this.

In the next few weeks I will start a new job in a different school.  I will be returning to teaching in a Special Education Program in a local mainstream high school, but have no idea how this program is operated!  I am not sure what will be expected of me and am worried that it will all lack the excitement and interest of my London job.  I am so worried that after two years of life feeling so, so brilliant that it will seem mundane.  Not one to sit on my hands and let that happen, I have decided to take steps to ensure that I keep moving forwards!

I am currently enrolled in 5 on line art courses!  I have another 4 weeks to go of Jane Davenport's 'I Heart Drawing Class' (absolutely brilliant!!!) and today I start a free course with Strathmore (4 weeks) being taught by Traci Bautista and then also today I start on the 'Lifebook' course with Willowing and with the Lifebook course came access to another two Willowing courses (for me 'The Wonderful World of Whimsy' and 'Awesome Art Journals').  So you can see I plan on being a busy girl!

Having said that I have also decided than rather than make a New Year's resolution that I would follow the lead from a few blogs I have read lately and choose a word to guide me for the year.  After much to-ing and fro-ing I have chosen the word 'inspiration'.  I have decided that I really want to keep reminding myself to be open to inspiration from all sorts of sources and that even when something is getting up my nose I can reframe and use it as a source of inspiration to move towards better things.  I also know that I need to keep using my skills and talents to be an inspiration for others, it brings great joy into my heart.  I keep reminding myself of all that has happened in the past few years and how wonderful it has all been.  I want to use that as an inspiration for myself and others as to how wonderful life can be.

Here's the latest from my art desk.....still needs some work, but that's OK I thought I would share it with you anyway!

So maybe this year is one for me to regroup, seek inspiration and work out where the next big step in this adventure will be.  Hey if you had asked me in March 2004 if I thought all this was possible I would have said 'no way'!  Life's biggest turning point for me in this phase was on the 9th April 2004 when I literally fell in love at first sight!