New Year, Better Me: Choosing Creation Over Consumption
As the New Year has been rolling in, the air has been feeling thick with the talk of goals, reinvention, and new habits. Everywhere I have looked, there’s a conversation of new year, new me. I’m not quite cut out for that mindset however.
This year, I am choosing a more sustainable mantra for myself: New year, better me. I feel like it sounds less like “I’m going to erase who I am and rewrite myself,” and more like, “What can I do to ensure I am being my most honest and authentic self?”
This article marks the beginning of a new segment on my site where I will be sharing the simple shifts I make in my daily routine, and I will reflect on how these shifts better my physical and mental well being. These are shifts that I hope will move me closer to the goals I have set for myself. I am interested and excited to unveil areas of growth I have yet to see. I will be making changes that will feel sustainable, grounding, and true.
My number one priority this year is simple but not easy. I want to give myself space, and allow myself to take up space to be who I am at my core.
The last few years of my life have been flooded with movement and transition. I finished college, sorted out some health problems, and decided to pack up my life and spend a couple of years living on the road. I spent a long stretch of time traveling the country, experiencing and learning new things every single day. One of the things I learned from living out of your car, is that there isn’t much room to settle, reflect, or create.
About six months ago, that changed. I made a big move and began the process of settling down into one place. For the first time in a long time, I had room to spread out–both physically and emotionally. Having my own space has allowed me to establish myself not as who I was trying to be, but who I actually am.
One of the first, and most meaningful shifts that I have made is choosing creating over consuming.
I started prioritizing making things over scrolling, shopping or participating in habits that don't serve me, like drinking. Reconnecting with the artist inside of me has been deeply healing. Creating things and making art helps me feel more present in my body and grounded in the moment. When I create, I am less distracted and overwhelmed by the chaotic energy that doomscrolling brings into my life.
Historically, I have been my harshest critic. Aren’t we all? Perfectionism has followed me around in just about every area of my life for as long as I can remember. If I didn’t execute flawlessly, I was a failure. Silly thinking of me.
Through practice, and gratitude for the time and space I have to create, I have learned to have fun with creating again. The practice of gratitude has truly softened my inner critic. This has been a big step for me. Along the way on this journey, I was also introduced to the concept of wabi-sabi.
Wabi Sabi is a Japanese philosophy centered on finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and authenticity. It has completely reshaped how I view myself and the things I create. Instead of trying to hide or correct flaws, I have learned to view them as life and effort. Every morning, I drink out of a coffee mug I made in my beginner pottery class. Sure, it is lopsided and the rim isn't even, but it adds a touch of whimsy to my mornings to drink out of something that I made with my own two hands. Each morning, it offers me a chance to reflect and be grateful for the ability and space I have to create, and it is a little confidence boost to see what other cool things I can do.
Embracing wabi-sabi has allowed me to accept myself with more compassion.
Making art has become an outlet, a grounding practice, and a mirror. It has played a massive role in helping me lean fully into who I am.
This new segment will continue to explore small, everyday practices, mantras, and themes that I support in that process of choosing creativity, presence, and gratitude over distraction. I am doing not because it is trendy or aligns with the calendar, but because it feels right. And it feels good to be so honest. Here’s to a new year and to a better, more authentic me!
