A New Plan for the New Year ! -- Shirley's America Travel Diary 118 & 509th Friendly Greeting - Jan 03, 2016

Hi,Dear Friends

Happy New Year!

How are you? Have you had a wonderful time in the new year? Have you started to perform your new year's plan?

In the past 3 days, I have completed 2 paintings, went to a church names Peace Chapel in Mountain Grove, MO to give a lesson (you can see the photos on the page), and wrote two files for my future work in 2016.

The past 2015 is the first year of my first 3 - years plan (2015 to 2017) of my 10-year plan(2015 to 2025). There are some big fails and some good gain.

The Biggest Fails in 2015:

-- I just got 58 in the National English Examination on May 31, 2015 and lost the opportunity to write a dissertation of degree of Master of Fine Arts in Chinese National Academy of Arts.
-- My publishing house “ Temporarily Stopped” the publishing jobs in Jan, 2015 so that the second volume of my 2nd E-bridge series books and DVDs could not be published in the year as the original plan.
-- My new web site which had been paid in 2013 has not been online for its technology level has not met the level of my old /current web site yet.

The Main Gain in 2015:

Artistically::

-- I have created / painted 66 Traditional Chinese paintings.
-- My 5th cross-cultural and comprehensive art exhibition was held in the USA.
-- I have given Chinese poetry course and traditional Chinese painting course at 3 American K-12 schools, 2 libraries and 2 artist guilds; about 540 students / over 1,620 person- times have attended my lessons for 103 hours for free in my current travel in the USA since Sept, 2015.
-- I have passed the training for being an instructor of Ozarks Technical Community College.
-- Hopefully the course that I have created would be started at OTC in Fall, 2016.
-- I have attended English lesson more than 80 hours in America.
-- I have been keeping the good connecting with Australian Chinese School Alliance.

Commercially:
-- I have bought a house in the USA and found a foothold or base for my little cross-cultural and comprehensive art dream.
-- My publisher has expressed on Sep 17, 2015 that they would re-start to make an cooperation with me and re-start the publishing work in 2016.

My Goals in 2016:

Theoretically: Re-attend the National English Examination in May, 2016 for qualifying for writing the dissertation for my degree of Master of Fine Arts from Chinese National Academy of Arts.

Artistically:
-- Hope to start the course which we have prepared for a long time at OTC in 2016.
-- Continue to create some new comprehensive art works and try to publish the 2nd volume of E-bridge Series II in 2016.
-- Create more traditional Chinese paintings.
-- Start to teach in churches besides at K-12 schools.

Commercially
-- Have at least one art exhibition in the USA in 2016 and prepare for new art exhibition in 2017.
-- Update the current web site.
-- Think of the possibility to register something relates to Chinese arts and cultural in the USA and find some possible work partner or investment for it. Since it should be done in the 4th or 3rd years of my 10-year plan. I would just like to think of it now. :-)




How about you? How do you think of my plan for 2016? Do you have any plan for your new year?

Do you have anything special in the past several days in the new year?


Notes of the photos:
No. 1: The most lovely girl Michah at the Peace Chapel sent me a Christmas Gift.
No.2: I donated my book and albume of paintings to the church.
No.3,4,5: I was working at the church.
No.6: My American friends and students are painting their irst Chinese paintings.
No.7: Professor Susan Trobridge of Missouri State University and I.
No.8: Mr.Don Stilley bought 3 of my paintings on the second day of 2016.

I am just a student on Arts of Painting, Music, English and Management, to work on the web site in my free time. I would really like to do somethings with what I have learned to make this little web site to be an Electronic Bridge of Cross - Culture and Comprehensive Arts, Language & Friendship. To help the others and this world while improving myself and realizing my own value of life.

I would really like to appreciate you for your understanding, directions, supports and help.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you are welcome to write to shirley@ebridge.cn or leave your message on Message Board.

Sincerely,

Shirley Yiping Zhang
Jan 04, 2016 (American Local Time)