Every new year — or sometimes at the end of a creative cycle — I feel a deep need to slow down. To press pause, just for a moment. To give myself space for reflection, silence, and clarity, where I can look back with honesty and gentleness at the path I’ve traveled. For me, taking stock of my artistic journey is not just about counting finished pieces or evaluating exhibitions. It’s an act of love toward my practice — a sacred moment where I reconnect with what truly moves me.
Looking back to move forward
In the whirlwind of creation, it’s easy to jump from one project to another without fully integrating what has been lived. But every artwork carries a story, an emotion, an intention. Some pieces took me further than I expected. Others confronted my doubts or pushed my limits. It’s by rereading my sketchbooks, revisiting my canvases, or observing my sculptural work that I begin to see the true thread of the year: what I was trying to say to the world. What I dared to feel.
This reflection is also a way to honor myself. To recognize all the invisible work: the sleepless nights searching for balance in a composition, the moments of grace when colors respond to each other effortlessly, and the moments of resistance — when everything feels stuck and creation becomes quiet.
An inner compass
Asking myself these deeper questions becomes a kind of compass:
- Where do I feel most alive in my practice?
- What materials or formats truly made me vibrate?
- Which collaborations or exhibitions nourished me?
- Where did I shine… and where did I hide?
I start noticing recurring elements in my work — colors that return like mantras, symbols that appear without conscious planning. These subtle signs reveal the organic evolution of my visual language, and sometimes even hint at a new series or creative direction emerging.
Celebrating the journey
Taking this kind of inventory isn’t just about planning ahead or fixing the past. It’s also a celebration. Because art is a full-body, full-heart commitment — to the material, to time, to ourselves. And it’s vital to pause and acknowledge all that has been created with passion, courage, and persistence.
I also take time to thank myself: for holding on during moments of doubt, for listening to my intuition when it called me to step off the beaten path, for bringing into the world artworks that I hope have touched, stirred, or delighted.
An open door to what comes next
This reflection isn’t an ending — it’s a threshold. A bridge toward what’s to come. By reconnecting with my essence, I can create with more clarity, authenticity, and freedom. It’s as if each past artwork whispers softly in my ear: “Keep going… You are exactly where you need to be.”
And maybe, you who are reading this, also feel the need to take a moment. To pause in the middle of the noise. I invite you to write your own creative inventory — to celebrate your own path, even if it feels messy or incomplete. Because every creative gesture matters. Every spark has meaning. And sometimes, it’s only by looking back that we find the courage to step fully into who we are becoming.
