2022 review

I love a yearly review. This year in list format because my brain couldn't handle paragraphs. I'm sure you understand.

• Sometimes setting your life on fire is the answer. This year I moved across the country, deleted my Instagram and Twitter accounts, and started taking art classes in a new city. I was in a rut and moving away from everything familiar was the fastest way to reinvent myself.
• I need hours of uninterruped time in order to get into a creative focused state. Meetings kill the vibe.
• I feel most like myself when I’m making art & when I’m dancing.
• One of my favorite ways to travel is by visiting a friend’s hometown. This summer I met up with a friend who grew up in Buffalo. I loved meeting her family, eating at their favorite restaurants, and doing random suburban things. This is way more fun for me than visiting somewhere completely unfamiliar.
• Birthdays can be hard. Going out of town makes it way more enjoyable. (Hayley Nahman wrote about this somewhere in her newsletter but I can't find the exact post.)
• Having house guests is lovely, but I need to figure out better ways to ensure I’m getting enough alone time/down time when we have visitors.
• The two best purchases of the year: (1) This sonicare electric toothbrush and (2) This dyson vacuum.
• I feel better when I do some sort of movement every day. 20 minutes of yoga or a walk are enough. Going to the gym is better.
• I’m very good at keeping a home. Sunday cooking and cleaning are my favorite weekly rituals.
• Big, lofty goals are great, but more important are consitent practice and tender discipline.
• I’ve wasted too much of my life forcing myself to do things I don’t want to do. I’m currently exploring what happens if I stop this habit and do whatever I want instead. These are the questions that are guiding me:
  • What do I need to feel right now?
  • How can my art be in service to that feeling?
  • Where can I find flow?
• Diet has a much bigger impact on my nervous system than I wanted to believe. Quitting caffeine and cutting back on dairy and sugar while eating more protein, fiber, and electrolytes has greatly improved my day-to-day functioning and mood.
• Coaches and teachers are the key to staying on a creative and intentional path. I’m currently receiving leadership coaching from Lindsay Parker. Martha Bloom is my printmaking teacher. They’re my real-life fairy godmothers.
• One year oftentimes isn’t enough time to see progress. But looking back three to five years, I can see how I’ve grown leaps and bounds. Four years ago I would have struggled to cook dinner for friends, but now I do it almost weekly and I’m usually proud of the food I put on the table.

2023 Goals #

1. Build an artistic practice
2. Productive mornings
3. Share & make friends online
4. Make my partner feel special & loved
5. Practice wholehearted leadership

I've started using Complice to track my goals, and I've made them public. If you're interested, click that link and you can read a longer description of each one.

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