I am a New Year’s resolutions setter. I have been for years. Sometimes those resolutions are numerous and ambitious. Sometimes, I’ve focussed on just one.
Every year around the new year, I get together with two friends to do a goal review and setting session. It’s one of my favourite things to do, not only because setting goals has been transformative for me, but also because I get to catch up with these close friends when our lives are so full.
We spend hours (usually on video call as we live in different countries, although there have been times we’ve serendipitously been in person), talking about our past year, and our hopes and goals for the year to come.
For me, those goals have ranged from health and fitness to saving money, completing large projects to spending time with my kids, and fulfilling travel dreams to progressing my career.
But the resolutions I keep coming back to are all about creativity: building creative habits, and expressing myself creatively.
In the past few years, I’ve just set one or two goals. For example, publishing on this blog once a week (achieved since April!). I have gotten so many benefits from weekly blogging. First, it means I stay creative so I have something to share. Also, writing regularly helps me organises my thoughts.
For next year, my goals are very straightforward:
Start a monthly newsletter
I subscribe to quite a lot of email newsletters. Since I rarely use social media, it’s my preferred way of keeping up with creatives I follow.
I’ve hesitated to start my own newsletter, because I already have so many commitments. But I think a monthly cadence would be totally possible, especially since I’m already blogging once a week. The newsletter could be a way to share my blogs with those who want to read them, and add a little commentary about what I’ve been doing or thinking about. This will also keep me motivated to continue weekly blog posts.
Also, I’m keen to test publishing newsletters through WordPress.com. Most of the newsletters I subscribe to are via Substack, but since I’m already blogging here, there’s really no need to start it on another platform. And one of the perks of being an Automattician is access to our products!
Join at least one urban sketcher meetup
This year, I learned that there are urban sketching chapters all over the world, including one here in Sydney. In 2026, I’d like to go to at least one meetup, just to see what it’s like. I’m hoping to meet other likeminded sketchers, share sketching styles, and discover new parts of the city (or old parts, seen in new ways).
I’m also considering doing one or two art workshops, but I need to see what will work around some work and personal travel.
Tell me — do you have any creative intentions for the new year?
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