Looking Back On 2021

Now we are into 2022 for reals, it gives us time to reflect on what we have achieved throughout 2021. Sometimes it seems like such a loooong year and at other times it feels like it flew by. There’s no denying that it has been an absolutely bonkers year in terms of the world and what we’ve been going through. But I hope that you’ve been able to have some good times as well as bad times.

For me personally it’s been a tough but rewarding year. It’s been tough on my mental state, being stuck indoors a lot more and not seeing people and having a laugh, which is what brings me happiness. I’m actually quite an introvert but have realised that I really do need interactions with other people that aren’t my parents because it makes me happy to be in the company of my friends and being a bit silly!

But I attended a course on setting your goals that I actually won through a competition on Instagram and it was really useful! It was with my fave business coach on Instagram Debbie Doo Dah and Emmie Faust who I’d not worked with before, but had heard about lots.

Before the session we were asked to have a review of our year and look back through each month and pick out the best bits and then write down our top 3 moments of 2021. It was actually so interesting to see what we forget throughout the year and what we don’t remember being a good moment or an achievement, but in hindsight actually being really proud of what we’ve been able to do.

So I thought it would be a nice idea to share with you my top 3 moments of last year and hopefully get you thinking about your top 3 moments to do with you, your business, your relationship, whatever it is that sums up last year.

It’s so hard to actually narrow down the top 3 but after writing down all of my achievements for every month, there were things that stuck out for me that I could group into sections and see them for what they were. So here they are… my top 3 things that happened in 2021!

Number 1

Applying for competitions and commissions. It’s always tough putting yourself out there to face rejection, but it can sometimes pay off. It’s also a lot of time that you put into something, where you might not get that time back.

One particular application that I was reflecting on is one for Lewisham Music that I applied for in February. My boyfriend’s Mum works for a music school and she received an internal email looking for artists to do something creative for Lewisham Music’s new premises, so she immediately forwarded it to me. I read the details and the only problem was they wanted someone Lewisham based… For all those that don’t know London at all, it’s super South London. Now I don’t live in Lewisham. Not at all close. Not even in the same part of London. Not even within an hours drive. Not even been to the area! So I immediately thought… great. Not for me then!!

But then I thought………. I can spin this to work for me! It was time to pull at the heartstrings and wangle my way in!! Now, back when I was 12 I went to music school in South London (same place where my boyfriend’s Mum works!) I went there for 4 years where I played the saxophone in jazz bands, ensembles, even had to do choir lessons! It was real fun most of the time, apart from when I had to improvise and I would shit me pants because I had such bad anxiety!

My parents are also musicians, so I’ve constantly been surrounded by music and it’s just the biggest part of my life. With these two things combined, I made my case for why I was the perfect person to come and transform the new building and make it a fun and exciting place for all to enjoy. I’ve been to music school, I’ve got musical parents, I’m a mural artist and I love transforming spaces. What more could you want in an application!?

To cut a long story short, and if you’ve been following me on Instagram you’ll have seen…. gurl got the job!! And then they got funding to get me in to paint the rest of the rooms. It was an absolute honour and pleasure to work with them!

When I went to see the space they told me that unanimously, everyone agreed that I was the perfect person. It was the best day ever!!! It was the first thing I have ever applied for and won and it just shows that you should always try, even if you think it won’t work out. You may regret not doing it and there’s literally no harm in trying! You never know what might happen or who might see it and remember you for the next job, which is how I ended up getting another job. Read about it here!

Number 2

Going on tour. It was a silly idea that I had early on in the year, where I would incorporate going on holiday with painting murals. I would travel wherever people needed me, see the UK and earn a living along the way.

People always comment on how they wished they could have me come and paint a mural but they didn’t live in London. To be honest with you, I didn’t think I would do it, but then chatting to Debbie Doo Dah, she convinced me it was such a brilliant idea and that she was jealous of it!

It was perfect. I would take the dog and the boyfriend in the car, load up the boot with paint and make my way up to Scotland to where I have family in Aberdeen.

Putting out posts and stories on Instagram, I had lots of people interested and it was shaping up to be a fun UK tour! Unfortunately lots of people weren’t able to commit in the end, which was a bit soul crushing, but I still had 2 murals to do and they were for people I had been chatting to on Instagram for a while and was so happy to finally get to meet them in real life!

It shaped up to be such a great month. I was able to paint 2 amazing murals, one of which was about 29 metres long in Dundee and another in Lincoln for the loveliest lady! I loved spending time with them both and getting to see the real person behind the screen. I also got to spend time in Scotland with my family in the countryside, which was amazing. Driving through the landscape on the way to Dundee was beautiful and I felt so independent and grownup. It was the highlight of my year!

It just shows how amazing social media is and how it can make ideas happen. It shows how one silly idea can actually happen if you believe in it and see it through. I may even do it again this year because it was so fun…

Number 3

Doing something I love. I know, I know, it’s so cheesy and cliche, but it’s so important as a creative to do something that you love and you are passionate about, otherwise, what is the point?!

It’s taken a long time and years and years of working crap jobs to realise that painting murals is what I love to do. Bringing happiness to people and transforming spaces is so important to me.

I’d had little creative ventures before, but I was always so embarrassed about showing people or talking about it, that I realise now, it’s because I wasn’t passionate about it and it didn’t represent me. I didn’t want people to judge something that I’d done that wasn’t 100% what I wanted to do or put out there. At the time I was sad that I wasn’t doing well with it, but it’s obvious why now!

Throughout the pandemic I’ve been able to put my art onto things like sweatshirts, plant pots and collages and people are actually buying them because I’m loving what I do and I think it shows.

People are also investing in themselves and their businesses by getting murals painted because they universally make people happy, and who doesn’t want to be a bit happier?!

You get what you put into the world, and so far I’ve been putting out happiness and colour. It’s what I love and apparently you guys all love it too!!

The moral of the story is……….. hmmm who knows?! haha I don’t have the answers, but I do know that going back through my year and seeing things that I’ve been proud of have made me see 2021 in a different light. It wasn’t all doom and gloom. There were high points and those are the bits we need to remember.

So why not give it a go? Look back through your pictures and calendar and see what really stuck out for you each month and what 3 things summed up your year. It may not be work related like mine, but may be a bit more personal. But it’s definitely worth it. You’ll see how much you’ve grown and see what can be achieved in the space of 365, even when 90 of them are taken up by being in a national lockdown!

I’d love to hear your top 3 things, so comment below or send me a message on Instagram: eloisa.artist