Making Plans

Setting Off Into the New Year

January! It’s by turns an exhilarating and (let’s be honest) terrifying month. There’s the promise of a shiny, new year, a blank calendar ready for adventures. And there’s also the overwhelm of just what to do with all that newness. So to avoid that paralyzing duality, I’ve been sliding slow-mo into 2025. I’m trying to balance that sense of possibility with a healthy dose of reality. So, how’s that shaping up?

• You Are Here: One thing I did at the start of the month was working through the Monk Manual You Are Here download. It’s a free resource, a way to take stock of the year gone by and to plan for the year ahead. Some of the questions made me squirm. All of them made me think. It’s easy to bomb into January, just wanting to leave 2024 in the rear-view mirror. But I found having to honestly face the highs and lows of the previous year incredibly helpful. This is my third year (fourth maybe?) doing this activity and I can’t recommend it enough.

• Finish the middle grade project: My number one priority this year is finishing a rough draft of my middle grade historical fantasy. My goal is to finish the first draft by spring and I have a self-imposed word count “deadline” each week. That picture above? That’s around 6 AM. On Wednesdays, I get up extra early before work and write. Is it fun? Not until the caffeine kicks in. But I’ve found that sense of moving forward, even in a small way, really helpful. One thing I struggled with at the end of 2024 was feeling “stuck.” I felt that I was treading water. But that early morning writing time has really helped me to feel, “unstuck.” And I love the peace of those early mornings, candle burning, coffee hot and the moon still in the sky. So once the writing is done, I’m planning to create character sheets, a couple black and white pieces of art and some finished pieces. Ideally, I’d like to pass the first draft off to friends and family by fall.

• Overhaul my portfolio: A lot of older pieces need to get packed up in mothballs, so there’s an impetus to create new work. In an earlier post I’d mentioned giving yourself faux assignments as a good way to expand an illustration portfolio. So I’m putting my money where my mouth is and am planning a series here that’ll look at a book cover creation from start to finish. I began working on that this week and will share soon.

• Share More About Sketchbook-ing: I’m planning to bring back more sketchbook prompts/creative resources for this space. Maybe process videos? Speaking of substack…

• Download Down Low: Starting in February, I’ll begin offering monthly downloads for subscribers. I have a free Valentine card next month and there’s an embroidery pattern being finished up for March.

  

• And everything else? The rest of my resolutions are pretty basic, but sometimes basic is good. I’m planning to visit both of my sisters. I’m back to working out. I set a reading goal on Goodreads. Going for winter walks is on the list. I hate being cold, but the light does wonders for your psyche at this time of year. I want to make a screenprint. I have plans to grow a ton of zinnias. So that’s where I’m at with 2025. Will half a dozen metaphorical landmines blow up in my face before the winter is even out? Probably. But to quote Nietzsche Kelly Clarkson, “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.”