Here are my plans for the next year. Not unforgiving checklists, but part of learning curve.  

Talk to more artists. I have been surrounded by scientists after I embarked on life as a science illustrator. What has been missing is formal training in the arts. To still learn the artistic process of thought and experimentation, I hope to talk to and surround myself with ‘blue-blooded’ artists and learn to understand their language. I want to challenge myself with newer forms of art and thought. I hope to take feedback from these artists, on my work and improve on it.

Collaborate. I hope to collaborate more in the coming year, with scientists, with science writers, other science communicators, science visualizers, more artists, and educators. I have collaborated with scientists and science writers all along. I have experienced that exchange of ideas leads to an evolution of newer ideas. I want to work with people from diverse backgrounds and continue to evolve.

If you are interested in cooking up something together, get in touch.

Share more. Some of my friends and well-wishers have helped me realize that I do not participate as much as I should/ I could. Being an introvert, it is a challenge to interact in real life and on social media. I plan to make an active effort to share more about my work, its challenges, and its rewards. As a part of this aim, I also plan to blog more. Writing these posts this month has eased me into writing to you.

Read more. While I read a lot of children’s picture books, my reading of other literary material has reduced. I hope to get back to reading a few books a year. I also plan to follow some blogs regularly, including my favorites, Nautilus, and Brain Pickings.

Teach more. During the last two years, I have learned about science illustration and visualization as a part of work. I have been attempting to discuss that in the workshops and seminars I have been presenting. I hope to have a collated, structured lessons to share these ideas with science students.

Experiment with more techniques. I want to learn and experiment with more skills including stop motion movies, cyanotype printing, improve digital drawing skills, work with gouache, and mixed media compositions.

If you can initiate me to any of these, please tell!

Experiment with more products. I also want to bring more zines, more prints, more products to you in the coming year. I always have lot of ideas, hope to execute some of them. If you have suggestions, do mention.

Here is a new year of working, making and learning!

Hope you get to do the things you want to do in the New Year. Cheers and let the merriment begin!