Wholeness
Do you have a word for this year?
My word for the year is wholeness. I prefer to have a word as a guide rather than do the January New Year’s resolution thing. And, yes I know its February now :) So how did I choose my word, and could picking your own word help you?
What I did, and why…
The first thing I did was look back to the words I chose for 2023 - Trust and 2024 - Tenacity. They were words that helped me to keep going and to remember that I am on a unique journey that’s right for me, in moments of struggle. They encouraged me to move into community with other like minded women, and to have a creative life that really suits me without feeling selfish and guilty for doing so.
For 2025, I picked out some candidate words: discernment, digestion, reincarnation, composting….these were about me currently being in a change and gathering ideas phase in my creative process and also sensing this being something that’s possibly on the way in the rest of my life as well.
Creatively, I have mostly been painting finished paintings up until quite recently. I’ve been painting in the same way for a while and I want to change it up a bit, perhaps look at new topics or playing with different materials. I keep feeling a call to play with more drawing and allow looseness in my work. I am drawn to sketching and quick pieces , and using the creative process as a journal or daily devotion more than making finished paintings for exhibitions right now. But I notice it feels safer to go back to what I am most familiar with so I’ve been going back and forth about this for a couple of months now.
While I was cogitating about what word to select, I started to notice that I have a wish, a longing even, to simplify my life, to stop rushing, to stop compartmentalising my day job, my social life, my creative life, my family life. I want to be one, whole person. I want to feel unhurried. I am tired of filtering myself to fit the situation or role I find myself in at any given moment. I am currently overscheduled most of the time, which I resent, and some of it is my own doing. I want to use the limited time and energy I have in any given day the best I can to be myself and pursue what is important to me. Sometimes I feel like I’ve lost myself and I want her back! Making the moves to change is easier said than done. I do have the ability and power to move in that direction in small steps. Thinking about all that was when the word wholeness came up for me. This year, I want to move towards wholeness the best I can.
Benefits so far…
One of my first steps has been to move my home studio from a very small bedroom into a large one. Its something I procrastinated about for a long time despite a wish to commit to my creative life. Once I decided my word for 2025 was wholeness something shifted inside me. It clarified that I want to spend more time doing creative play. I want to have more space for my sketchbooks, and my painting stuff and my collaging items so I’m always ready to mess around and play with without running out of space. And now I have that. Its so good. The same amount of art materials but with more table and wall and floor space. This year I’m keen to only buy supplies I really need to and I’m interested in moving towards materials that have lower environmental impact, if I can, as well.
I have joined the Art and Nature Collective that’s based in Scotland and I’m looking forward to getting involved with that community during 2025. I wanted to join a collective of creatives inspired by nature. I am a creative inspired by Nature too. I want to be more in community with like minded people as part of my move towards wholeness.
I am starting to reassess my internet and social media presence. I noticed when I was on holiday for 2 weeks over Christmas that I feel so much better with less screen time. I have started reading books again instead of scrolling. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. My website is here and I plan to keep it going, and I have joined Substack. I’m considering other online options for letting people know about my work, but don’t want to spend too much time online this year. I especially want to move away from Facebook and probably also Instagram if I can. I’m interested to hear what other artists and people generally think about all that, and what spaces you like to interact with artists on the most whether online or in person.
What do you want to move towards this year? What do you want to move away from? I’d love to hear from you.