New Year Spruce up (part one)
Kicking things off with some reflecting
Hello!! I’m coming to you with part one of my New Year Spruce Up for 2025!
I’ve decided to change things up a bit from the original plan. I want to be able to take my time reflecting back on the year, and I also think it will be helpful to include some reflection for each part of the Spruec up. So this is how it willl work.
New Year Spruce up 2025
Part One - Reflection. I am a big fan of the power of reflecting - on a creative level, it was when I started taking the time to look back over the art I was making that I started to have breakthroughs and leaps forward in my practice - so I know first hand how powerful it can be. I invite you to join me as I look back at 2024. Because I want us to take our time with the reflecting (as I realised as I started how long it takes) I am suggesting we do it chronologically, in three parts. We will kick things off today looking at the Beginning (Jan - April).
Part Two - Visualisation and dreaming - this feels like a really important part of it for me. I need to feel excited about what I am doing, and doing this helps me feel connected and excited about my future somehow. We will continue reflecting by looking at the middle of the year (May - August)
Part Three - Setting intentions and goals. We will finish the reflection by looking back at the end of the year (Sep - Dec) and then we will set some intentions and goals for 2025.
I’ll be aiming to get a post up per week over January, kicking off with Part One today. I like taking my time over this, and I’m excited to spend all of January floating around in a reflecting and hopeful space! If you’re excited to get going, I have set up a special chat for it.
Part One - Reflecting kick off.
It’s 12th January, and if you are anything like me, you might already feel like it’s all a bit late to look back at last year, and make resolutions and all of that. And part of me already feels resistant to doing it - a large part of me just wants to get on with 2025 and let bygones be bygones - bye bye 2024! But at the same time, I know the power of looking back, not with regret or with celebration, but something more complicated than that. For me, looking back and reflecting is such a great way to get the perspective you can’t get when you are busy living the everyday. And I tend to rush through things, push through, stretch everything to it’s utmost, not leaving a lot of room for any space around the edges (as I often think about it). And having a bit of time and space at the end of the year around the holidays I find myself looking back and having realisations about how I was feeling, what I wish I had done a little differently, or perhaps, what I would like to try differently next year. It’s not a self-punishing feeling, more like the feeling you might get if you were trying to throw a crumpled-up piece of paper in the bin. It’s a try again with optimism feeling, an adjustment to my throw, if you will. Maybe I will throw with a bit more arch…
side bar: I have recently realised how helpful I find metaphors like this. Maybe it’s the same thing: a way of looking at a situation with a little bit more perspective and a different lens. I will probably use a fair few metaphors during this New Year Spruce Up!
As I said before, I have decided to put this behind the paywall this year, because I want to be able to be a little more personal this time, and I don’t want to feel like I am exposing myself too much. I’m hoping this will make it a bit more of a personal experience for all of you joining in, and please do carry on the conversation in the comments and in the chat. If you do want to join in, I have a New Year promotion on right now. I’m offering 25% off all subscriptions for a year until February 2nd. That means a monthly subscription is £4.50 £3.50 and annual subs are £45 £33.00. I’d love it if you wanted to hop on board! All you have to do to get the discount is click on the link below.
Ok, on with the show…
So, let’s reflect back on the last year. I’m inviting you to join me with a chronological look back at the year. It has been a pretty momentous year for me - I published two illustrated books, and have been working on the next two, as well as juggling a fair few other things. I know outwardly, it must seem pretty great, and don’t get me wrong, I feel very grateful to be getting work doing what I love. And at the same time, it has been exhausting, and I finished the year feeling frazzled, and a little bit like I had lost perspective on everything, which is why I have been keen to look back, and take it all in.
I’ve split it into three parts, as I explained above, and much like last year, this is the task: Look back through the year, pick out anything that stands out, and write a sentance about each thing. I will use my photos to help me remember everything that happened, as it’s so easy to forget everything! And I’m hoping the photos might help me remember silly little moments too.
I’ve added a little extra from last year. This time, at the end of each part, take a moment to ask yourself three things: