New Year, new me?
Happy New Year!
I love this feeling of renewal that each new cycle brings. It’s a good time to reflect on everything that happened and all the things I'm grateful for. Especially the ones that came after a long trial. We've made it after all! And here is a chance for a restart :)
You can print this layout and fill in with your 7 things you were most grateful for 2022 here.
What about goals?
I've given up on the traditional idea of "new year goals" some time ago, but I still like to set some intentions and structures for my future self. The thing I'm still struggling with and want to focus right now is:
Process x Result
This is the biggest catch on the creative process for me. We are always aiming for a specific endpoint when we are working: the best illustration, a published picture book, writing a novel.. These are grand and mostly inspiring goals but useless and sometimes even detrimental for getting there.
I've been testing some ways of making the process the main focus, but one thing that is definitely helping me right now is:
1 month at a time
Focusing on something for 1 month at a time consistently allows me to create a lot but it still makes me scale down any expectations on what can be accomplished.
When the month is done you can see the progress you made and check in with yourself if this is the path you want to keep pushing for the next month. Sometimes I get to a dead end and I know that pushing forward is a certain way to burnout. And usually a bit of breathing space before taking the next step makes the whole thing much more interesting.
This isn't a "productive" path per se, but it is certainly fulfilling. Personally I've been more productive this way but rationally I always wonder if it is some sort of “creative procrastination”. Well… it is working for me right now and I’ll keep pushing forward!
If you want to read more, this post from “How About This” about the creative process is really interesting:
Wishing you the best of luck on this new beginning! I would love to her a bit from you, what is your goal for 2023? Or how do you prefer tackling the new year yourself? (You can leave a comment or just hit reply to this email and I'll receive it! )