"Focus is the art of knowing what to ignore."

-James Clear

Focus is my word of the year for 2020. Deciding on a word is less about planning than it is keeping my eyes and ears open to what sort of messages are resonating with me. Over the years I've learned to hold these words loosely, paying attention to see how they show up in my life. 

At the start of 2020, I read three books that helped me learn more about focus: The One Thing by Jay Papasan & Gary Keller, Master of One by Jordan Raynor, and Atomic Habits by James Clear. They all were great insight for figuring out where I needed to spend my time and energy. But the one thing that I've learned about focus is just what James Clear said: It's about letting go of things to spotlight what truly matters.

In order to focus on painting and building a career on art and illustration (my big goals), I had to let go of my handmade sewing business. It was tough closing the business after building it for 4 years. I grieved a lot (I'm a crier) but I've not regretted it since. Now my energy and time is spent on creating the art I want to make.

I've even seen how having a focal point has changed in my art making. When painting my first collection, the Emerging collection, I wanted to paint everything. Finding a prime focus enabled me to refine my work. I had to restrain myself to only the leaves on the canvas, slow my pace, and pay attention to the details. Shining the spotlight on the subject of my paintings helped me to have clarity on my message and on the collection as a whole. It's also represented in the paintings themselves. The block of color in the background allows you to focus on the foliage that is telling the story.

How does focus shape you? Do you have a word of the year?