Hey, there, Happy New Year! I should start by saying I don't love New Year's Day. It's always a reminder that the holidays are over and it's time to get back to reality... plus, the pressure to give myself a bunch of lofty goals that I will almost surely abandon a few months later.
However, I definitely see the value in looking back over the past year, noticing what went well and what didn't, and look for small, realistic ways to make the coming year more favorable. Okay, so I'm not sure YET how to do that... BUT I think it will have something to do with some of the words I choose. Last year, I chose the word PERSEVERE to guide me through the year, and I think it was helpful. (Even when things break... which they will inevitably do with my clumsiness.)
This year, I want to continue that, but add...
Be Present. Be Positive. Produce.
(Yes, yes, eat more produce, but I meant it as be productive... produce the things I actually want to make!)
I also want to... LISTEN (to my kids and others, to myself, to whatever God is sending my way). Simplify. Connect.
Too many words? Maybe. Probably.
So, to be more specific, this year I will...
* Make art. Specifically, illustrations so that I can build my portfolio to get representation as an author-illustrator
* Keep writing new stories and revising and refining previously-written ones
* Continue learning by participating in my critique groups
* Take classes, webinars, tutorials, whatever I can to improve
* Enjoy the process
* Most important... try to be the light. In my family and beyond. Remembering that people are put in our paths for a reason, and try to somehow be a blessing and a light to others. I probably need a whole lot of more specific words to guide me here, but I'll stick with what I've got. Be present, positive, productive, simplify, and connect. Oh, and smile and laugh when at all possible.
Happy New Year, All!
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