2019 Worksheet: Synchronicity

Prelude

Natalia Nakazawa is a NYC-based artist, educator, and arts administrator whose work has been shown widely in spaces like Transmitter Gallery, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is currently the Assistant Director of EFA Studios, a program of The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, which provides subsidized studio space to over 100 artists in midtown Manhattan. She is an active member of Admin—a space for arts administrators to support one another and plan for the future—and this worksheet was developed in collaboration with The Creative Independent from one of Admin’s Artist/Life workshops.

Editor’s note: This worksheet is the first piece to be published as part of Conditions, a new series exploring how various forces affect our ability to live fulfilling, creative lives.

Worksheet

2019 Worksheet: Synchronicity

A worksheet for anyone looking to create more synchronicity between their creative practice and life in the new year.

January 2, 2019 -

As told to Natalia Nakazawa, 1332 words.

Artists often have the difficult task of balancing multiple identities and roles in our day-to-day lives. Many of us serve our communities as educators, activists, parents, entrepreneurs, and more—all while trying to support ourselves financially, emotionally, and intellectually.

The start of a new year is a good time to take stock of the balance we seek in our lives, work, and relationships. Despite whatever conditions might be working against you, how can you live harmoniously? How can you carve out space for yourself and others in which to grow?

This worksheet is intended for any creative person looking to create more synchronicity between their practice and life in the coming year. We hope you find it useful.

Pick a sound

Sometimes when we transcend beyond images and text, we find answers. What will your energy sound like in 2019?

Meditation

Find a quiet space, and spend a few moments thinking about the following:

Try to recall a specific experience this past year when you felt like your personal identity and creativity were working in harmony. Where were you? What were you doing? Who were you with?

What set this harmonious experience apart from other experiences?

What conditions enabled this experience to happen?

How might you engineer more experiences like this one in the new year?

Relationships

The New Year is often a time when we reflect on our own accomplishments and set intentions. What if we did the same for how we’d like to support others? Use this time to consider what you can do for other people in 2019:

Think about the resources, skills, and connections you have—and how those might be of value to others. Is there an opportunity that you could create for someone else right now?

In the coming year, how can you show up for people who are not well supported or recognized?

How could you positively change another person’s life, in either a small or large way?

2019 mantra

A mantra can help you keep your priorities in focus. Fill in the blanks below with whatever you’d like to focus on in the coming year:

Be kind to
Rely on
Find
It’s OK to
Save
Remember
Honor

Now, using your responses above, spend a few minutes writing out your mantra for 2019.

Visualize synchronicity

Imagine that what you want for yourself in 2019 not only can, but will happen. See it in your mind, and pick a color for what that vision looks and feels like using the color picker on the top. Then, drag the color picker on the bottom to match—and see your vision and reality coming together as one:

The color of your vision The color of your reality in 2019

Save as PDF

If you feel like sharing your responses please email us at info@thecreativeindependent.com with your PDF attached!

Name: Natalia Nakazawa
Vocation: Visual artist, Educator, Arts administrator