Pivot Points and the New Year

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
— Søren Kierkegaard

This is the time of year when activity naturally slows for visual artists.

The calendar relaxes. Shows take a break. Emails slow down. The pressure to keep producing lifts a little, making room for reflection. This time also offers the chance to look ahead and consider what you want to change or improve in the coming year.

Because this pause is predictable and shared, it isn’t an organic pivot point. It’s a prompted one. Plans are made. Resolutions are set. Actions are taken with intention because you’re seeking a specific outcome.

But there is another kind of turning point, one that arrives quietly and without warning.

These turning points come from things you do without thinking about the bigger picture. You are not trying to change direction. You are just responding, following your curiosity, or saying yes to something that seems helpful or engaging in the moment.

A Red Rock News clipping from 2004 turned up recently and reminded me of one of those quiet moments that changed everything for me.

It began as a lark. My wife and I had recently moved to Sedona and, on a whim, decided to spend the day visiting artists during the annual studio tour.

In the course of those conversations, I shared the same practical advice I’d been offering artists for years—simply being myself, with no plan behind it. I left with invitations to speak to other groups, one of which led to a six-hour workshop on publishing your art for the Sedona Arts Center.

At the time, the experience felt ordinary, chatting with artists about their lives and business.

What strikes me now is how mundane the moment felt at the time. I wasn’t trying to build anything. I wasn’t thinking about a career arc or a long-term plan. I was sharing what I knew because it seemed useful in the moment.

I didn’t plan to turn that knowledge into a workshop, and I certainly didn’t expect it to shape the next twenty years of my career. Only looking back can I see how that simple encounter became a turning point, one that eventually led me to write this for you now.

This time of year creates a pause. Sometimes that’s enough.

Planning for the year ahead is helpful. It gives you space to take stock and make choices with intention.

But many of the most important turning points are not planned. They come from ordinary actions taken in good faith: being yourself, sharing what you know, following your curiosity, and showing up without a big plan. That is what I call Being on Brand.

Those moments can open doors you did not even know existed.

This is my last post of the year. I am taking a short break as the calendar turns.

I hope the next few weeks give you some breathing room, some clarity, and maybe the start of a new turning point you did not expect.

Best wishes for a safe and enjoyable holiday season and a prosperous New Year.

I’ll see you in January.