I'm going to take some inspiration from gardeners now. I am planning my year, as though it was a plot, as though time itself was physical and manageable.

First, having prepared the ground (found my studio, hurrah) I will sew some seeds. Some will flower, some will fail and some will produce. There are about six beds to tend. The most tender is a drawing club project at Markeaton Primary. This needs nurturing and growing gradually, not forced. I'm trying to remember to take baby steps and appreciate the small details. I was getting a bit panicked about not being able to provide an exciting enough drawing experience to the group of junior school kids but all I have to do is create a space for us all to try things out, learn, talk and share. It's hard to take the pressure off yourself but this needs observation of process not production.

I have had a lot of ideas that haven't germinated. They don't die, though, they lie dormant until the right combination of conditions allows them to spark. Keeping the garden tidy, tending the seeds that are emerging, waiting, learning from experience are my new motos for 2011.

Let it grow. Move with the seasons. No hot housing....