2017: My Most Creative Year Yet

I can’t keep it a secret any longer!! I’m bursting at the seams to share how I’m going to make 2017 my most creative year yet.

But first, a quick recap of 2016.

Though my blog is only eleven days old, my big idea for 2017 has been brewing for quite some time. As explained in Naming the Blog, I dedicated 2016 to my year of finishing. I focused on finishing as many of my in-progress projects that I could, in an effort to clear my mind for what’s to come. I didn’t get everything done; I sure did accomplish quite a bit; I refrained the best I could from starting new projects; so I’ll call it a win!

Now let’s look forward!

I love Pinterest. I love Instagram. But every awesome project I scrolled by became yet another idea to sit on the back burner. I recognized that each new idea was just another drop in the bucket, and soon, my heart became restless. So many creative channels to explore, but I was losing time the more I scrolled for inspiration. After much too long, it dawned on me.

I needed to generate my own inspiration.

Absorbing these new ideas at such a rapid pace was actually paralyzing my creativity. I became so engulfed in all these exciting projects happening around me, that I basically forgot to keep creating for myself! Those who know me personally may giggle at that previous statement as I rarely leave behind my latest crochet project when heading out the door. But it’s true! I had accidentally slowed down on exploring new avenues, those which keep my creativity growing.

I needed to take action.
I needed a goal.
I needed a plan.
So here we are today. I have many ideas queued up, but how do I get started? How do I decide which idea to explore first? How much time do I spend with each idea? Do I let myself get burnt out, or do I time-box each phase to keep on a schedule?
Daily challenges:
Too overwhelming for me. Too fast-paced. Too much planning. Too much pressure to not miss a day. Some people love this kind of challenge, and I think it is perfect if you already know your niche, but at this stage, the world is my oyster (whatever that truly means).
Weekly challenges:
Still too short of a time period. I want to learn new mediums, and some of the ideas I have stored up may take me a week to simply prep before beginning. (Mind you, I’ll still be working full-time and pursuing my Master’s degree…)
Monthly challenges:
Woah. This just feels…. right. Roughly four weeks to plan, prep, execute, and reflect. Twelve new ideas to try out seems like a reasonable number. Each new month naturally brings new beginnings, so switching to the next-in-line medium will feel almost instinctive. I can plan my medium of choice based on seasonal impact.

Looks like we have a winner!

What might each monthly challenge look like?

I have pre-selected the top twelve ideas pulling at my heart, and I have been exploding with excitement since August!! I will reveal each month’s focus either on the first or slightly before it, and then the fun begins! I will need to plan a few ideas, gather supplies, and start doing! Some things will take longer to complete than others but that’s okay!

Already know your passion?

This challenge doesn’t have to be focused on finding your niche, or even creating at all! The following are a few examples you may choose to follow instead:

  • Say you love woodworking. You already know that. Little to no interest in finding new passions. This challenge is still for you!! How about spending each month practicing a new technique, or creating something you’ve never made time to try!
  • How many of you love the idea of less is more? Perhaps each month you focus on an area of less: spending less, owning less, doing less. The peace you may feel during this dedicated time of less may actually make you more productive where it matters.

If you get in the groove for one month and you really love what you’re exploring, go ahead and carry it into the next month! There really are no rules, just guidelines!!

Are you feeling a little tug on your heart? Any ideas coming forward that you’ve been sitting on for some time? Is something stopping you? Do you fear failure? Let’s fail together. Because we need to be reminded that failing is actually very valuable; it leads to discovery and reveals a further-refined path to you reaching your dreams.
I am sharing this journey of exploration with you all in hopes that you feel inspired and can begin taking these steps for yourself. Together we can create a movement of exploring the opportunities that will make our dreams possible!
This endeavor is going to be many things.
 
We’re going to be challenged.
We will experience failures.
We’re going to succeed.
We may be scared.
We will be thrilled.
Frustration may come.
Work may move slowly.
Some things will be too easy.
Some things may not go as planned.
 
But perhaps most important of all,
We’ll Be Heartward.

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