Welcome to 2025, The Year of the Creative
Yeah... I made that title up, myself
If you are reading this then let me start by congratulating you on making it through 2024! I have heard more stories from those around me about what a challenge last year has been. Relationship troubles, personal issues, health problems, and loss… 2024 had it all!
So, you MAY have noticed that I did not do a lot of writing or send out many newsletters in the past… half year, or so… Is there a chance that my introductory paragraph is a lead in to a excuse? Am I blaming 2024 and it’s many hardships for not delivering on my promise to send out updates and inspirational writing on a regular basis? Did I send out this post, just to let you know that I fell behind and it’s not my fault??
Yup! That’s exactly the plan!
I do, however, have hope that this year, 2025, will go a lot better than it’s predecessor. I want to make this a year of intentionality. I don’t want to create, paint or write when I “have the time,” but to make the time and pull inspiration from the world around and get things done! 2025 is going to be awesome!
So… what does “awesome” mean, exactly? I am so glad I asked! Here are three things I plan to do to make 2025 The Year of Creativity!
Get it on the calendar
First, as I mentioned, I am going to be much more intentional about scheduling time for creative pursuits. I plan on mornings of writing and afternoon and evenings creating or painting. In the past I have been relied on “extra time” that I could fill in with these life-giving practices, but that just the problem. If you wait for time to show up in abundance, it will never come! There will always be something to fill in those open slots on your calendar. This year, creativity gets scheduled right along side work meetings, lunch with the kids, and date nights with my wife. If I am serious about creating, my calendar needs to represent that!
Invest in my effort
When I say “invest” I am talking about more than just my time (though we know what a valuable commodity that is!). I am talking about actually investing my money into my efforts. This seems basic (how can you create without any materials?) but it is so easy for me to overlook. If I want to do something creative, I should be able to just make do with what I have on hand, right? No need to spend money on a studio space, I should be able to just work out of my garage, right? Yeah, I get that thought, but at the same time, dedicating my financial resources to my creative efforts gives me that extra push to dedicate myself to creating. Knowing that I am paying rent on my studio and knowing that I have a stack of fresh canvases waiting for me is a great motivator… because I hate wasting money!! Good thing the next thing helps with the financial requirements…
Getting the word out
Let me start by saying, I do not do any of this (painting, writing, creating) so that I can get recognition. Nor do I create paintings just so that I can sell them and make money. However, there are two reasons that I want to get my work out into the world.
Reason 1: If I can paint and sell the paintings I create then this hobby/side hustle becomes self sustaining. If I can get people to pay me for the paintings I create then I can create more paintings!
Reason 2: I need to get rid of some of this stuff! If I complete two paintings per month, that means I have to find a place to put 24 paintings every year! That’s a lot of wall space that I just don’t have! Getting people to see my work and generating some interest in buying means that some of my work may find new homes!
So, all that to say that I am working on a new store where I can sell originals and prints of my paintings. Keep an eye out for an update on that, soon!
So… that’s my plan. I know that scratching my creative itch will not take care of all the potential speed bumps that 2025 may be setting up for me, but being intentional about something that means so much to me is a great way to feel better when it does end up hitting the fan!