Ease into the New Year: Welcoming 2023 with New Words, New Projects (Same Me)
Here we are, two weeks into the new year. How are you feeling?
Have you chosen a word for your year? Are you setting intentions? Leaping into fun, new adventures? Taking things slow?
Although I relish any chance for a fresh start, this year I’m slowing down. (Borrowing last year’s word) I’m EASING into the new year. Over the years I’ve learned I need to follow my own pace, especially during the winter.
I think it’s so important that we honor our energy, our cycles of creativity and inspiration and the feelings of our hearts.
I’ve been trying to find a balance between action and intention, jumping into some projects while also slowing down to think and dream and plan.
I don’t think of the new year as a time to change my life, but instead, as another chance to become more myself.
I like to choose a word for my year.* This year I chose EXPAND. It feels hopeful, full of potential and right. It’s been a beautiful spark for journaling my intentions and dreams for the new year and I’ve been writing lists of all ways I hope to EXPAND over the coming months.
While writing in my journal another word popped into my head. It hadn’t been on any of my lists of possible words and although I didn’t want to let go of EXPAND, this other word was too perfect to leave out: DELIGHT.
And so, I’m EXPANDing my one word into two. I like each on its own, winding their way into my plans for the new year. And the two together…
EXPAND DELIGHT
It feels like such a juicy way to start the year.
I jumped back into work in my studio by putting the finishing touches on a new class and releasing it into the world:**
If you’ve been wanting to make block prints, I hope you’ll join me. The class has been chosen as a Staff Pick and I’ve loved seeing the student projects coming in so far (see them here and here). They seem to have a theme!
I have so much goodness in mind for this year and I can’t wait to share it all with you.
But as I ease into 2023, I’m also craving a bit more time and space.
I need room to grow. Room to EXPAND in beautiful ways. And so I’m beginning the new year with a change I’ve been thinking about for a while. I’m reducing the frequency of my blog to twice a month. I’ll post on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays, alternating my blog posts with my Joy Letter which will come out on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays (sign up here if you’re not already a subscriber).
Connecting with you is so important to me and you know how much I love blogs and blogging. I’m hoping this small shift will give me the time and space I’ve been craving.
I’m planning some other ways we can connect, too… a new free class, a new class outside of Skillshare and some other DELIGHTs I hope to share with you soon.
As I plan and dream, I keep coming back to the phrase, Instigator of Creativity and Joy. Yes, that’s who I want to be. My intention for everything I do.
I’m so grateful to have you here as we embark on another year of creativity and joy.
*This is my 11th year choosing a Word for the year. It’s a fun tradition for me. (In the list below for years 2013-2019, clicking on the date takes you to my blog post at the beginning of the year and the word takes you to my post at the end of the year. 2020-2022 take you to my posts from the beginning of the year):
**You can take Learn to Block Print: Create Your Design, Carve Your Block, Make Your Print on Skillshare. If you’re not already a member try it free for a month (learn more about the platform here and here).