Creative Reset 2026
week1 - Gather
Hello! And welcome to week 1 of this year’s Creative Reset (formerly known as New Year Spruce Up). You can look back at the previous years if you scroll down on my main page here. Looking back to make this post, I realised they are both pretty - ahem - informal. So I’m going to attempt to make it all a bit clearer and easy to follow this year.
This time of year is so saturated with ‘new year, new you’ messages, and I honestly debated whether to do this again. But my mission for this Substack is to keep it honest and authentic to me - and I just genuinely enjoy this sort of thing so much, and get so much out of it.
Over the Christmas break, I started a Notes document and started looking back at 2025, thinking about what I wanted for 2026. When I take a break, as we all did over Christmas, once the dust starts to settle on the year, thoughts, emotions and reflections start flooding in. It’s like an itch I need to scratch, and if I don’t get it down on paper, I’ll go slightly mad, I think!
So, heck! I may as well do it with y’all Substack. And if you get the ick with New Year’s stuff, you can just skip all of this. My regular Substack will run as normal, and you can see it all here.
Below is a breakdown of what to expect, and then I will move swiftly on to this week.
Week 1 - Gather
We’ll begin by gathering an overview of the last year, and reflecting not just on what happened, but how it has impacted where you are right now, and where that leaves you looking into the upcoming year. There is a worksheet to accompany it.
Week 2 - Filter
This is where you’ll take some time to filter everything, and do a bit of visualising and dreaming. It always feels like a really important step, especially when you’ve got a little headspace and can look at things with less of the mental clutter that dominates the rest of the year. We’ll look at your creative practice and consider whether you’re working in a way that supports you, rather than working against you. I’ll guide you through it with a set of questions, prompts, and exercises. There are two worksheets for this week. One prompts you to dig deep into what you really want, if you don’t let the what ifs get in the way. I think it’s super important to allow yourself to daydream and fantasise about what you really really want (zig-a-zig-ahhh) in order to set yourself goals that align properly. This is a fun week!
Week 3 - Make
This week I’ll help guide you so you can turn your reflecting into tangible goals. I know, I know! It all sounds a bit new year’s resolution-y. I get you! But this is a tried and trusted system I use to actually set useful and realistic goals. You will set a 3-month, seasonal goal, and then you can use the worksheet again to set your goals for the next season. I find working this way is much more realistic than setting an arbitrary goal at the beginning of the year that you inevitably forget all about come January the 11th! There’s a bonus fun worksheet for those of you that enjoy making Lovely Lists!
Week 4 - Consolidate
A final week to wrap it all up, with worksheets to print and put on your wall for a reminder throughout the year.
I’ll be back next week on Tuesday with Week 2: Filter.
Until next time,
Ella xx
My Big Creative Reset is for paid subscribers only. Thank you for your support.
So, without further ado, may I introduce you to:
Ella Beech’s Big Creative Reset
Week 1 - Gather
You will need:
A pen
A piece of paper
Your phone/digital calendar (if you have one)
