A gentle but intentional start to the year

Feeling motivated

I started this year feeling pretty motivated. Not to the point that I wanted to make new year's resolutions - I generally avoid those because they always feel like I'm getting caught up in the excitement of the calendar changing to a new day, while also setting myself up to fail.

Boom and bust

I think the timing was coincidental but I did start to make some plans at the beginning of January. I've been talking in more detail about this with my Patrons, but the way I've been working over the past few years really hasn't suited my health needs. I've overwhelmed myself with some personal projects, which left me burnt out and needing long periods of rest but I kept repeating the same pattern.

Unsurprisingly, each time this happened and I’d rested again, I wasn't all that keen to get back into making new work (would you if you knew it was likely to wear you out - again?!).

Planning to play in my sketchbook

So I've got a few things I want to work towards over the next few months, mostly focused on making new work in my sketchbook but in a more playful way and just seeing what happens with that.

I'm also allowing my shop to keep ticking over both here on the website and on Etsy but I won't be adding anything new for at least a few months and everything will stay at half price.

Making for the sake of making

I'm not making any big plans or anything that feels overwhelming and I don't intend to make any sweeping changes overnight. This isn't about starting something new, I'm seeing it as trying to get back in touch with what I enjoy the most - making drawings for the sake of making (while keeping things manageable and sustainable).

How have you started 2021? Did you make any new year’s resolutions or are you letting ideas develop in their own time?