Life and Other Stuff -Mixed Media Art
January 29, 2024

Using Art and a Word of the Year to Guide My 2024

Word of the year art page with a painted abstract female face with red flowers in her hair and the word Sustain at the bottom

Happy new year my creative friend!

Have you made your new year’s resolutions? Or do you prefer choosing a “word of the year”? I know most advice out there today encourages setting intentions as opposed to hard resolutions as it’s all to easy to fall off the resolution bandwagon and feel discouraged. My type A personality still leans towards resolutions, though, because they are more quantifiable in my mind, but I also love the idea of a single word to reset my frame of mind, or guide and encourage me throughout the year.

A hybrid planning method

Why not have both?

In an attempt to combat my all-or-nothing tendencies, I’ve been using a sort of hybrid method to set goals and intentions for the year that includes both lists (yay!) and choosing a word of the year, which I’ll describe here.

Listing resolutions

First, the fun (to me!) part – creating lists of specific things that can be checked off: a reading list, ideas for one time things I want to do or try, short term goals or any other activities that can be concisely defined and are achievable. This year that includes taking a trip somewhere with my sisters and completing a no-spend month. I often include more practical things that I have been putting off or avoiding doing in this list because having them written down and being able to check them off makes me more likely to do them, such as cleaning my oven.

You can check out how I added these artsy, custom pages for goals and resolutions to my planner HERE. If you’d like a copy of my custom reading lists (there’s a back side too), just email me and I’ll send them over.

Choosing a word of the year

For other longer term habits or less quantifiable goals like mindset shifts and inspiration, I choose a word. My words from past years include Seasons, Education, Joy, and Push.

Have you been thinking of choosing a word of the year too? Some of my favorite ways to find it are:

Read through a favorite poem or book passage. Is there any particular word that catches your eye?
Listen to your favorite song. Is there something in the lyrics that has meaning to you?
Journal it out. Is there a subject or area of your life that you want to focus on? Something you want to appreciate more or are excited about? Or maybe something you feel needs work or more attention?
Do something else. Exercise or take a walk. You never know what might pop into your mind.

My 2024 Word of the Year

This word initially bubbled up as I was looking back on my habits and accomplishments from last year. I’ve found over time that I go through phases and intense bursts of excitement for a project or certain area of my life, dedicating all of my time to it while neglecting everything else. Last year was no exception, ha! I know everything comes in waves and that part of the creative process involves resting and refueling, but I can take it to extremes. This has led me to either spend so much time and energy on my new passion that I burn out and give up on it, or take so much “rest” time that I lose the flow and become out of practice and disconnected from things I once loved.

This year I aim to have more balance and keep pursuing my interests at a sustainable pace. So after a few weeks of contemplation, I’ve settled on the word:

Sustain

The power of Sustain

Here are a few of the definitions of Sustain that resonate with me:

Strengthen or support mentally or physically

Supply with sustenance or nourish; to keep alive

Bear (a weight or pressure) without breaking or falling

To make or allow something to continue for a prolonged period of time; keep up

Instead of creating art in fast and furious bursts of days or weeks where I make art all day every day and leave the laundry sitting and abandon my meal plans, I’d like to create in a more gentle way that focuses on process, not just the final result. Instead of exercising like a maniac for an hour or more a day, five days a week and tracking every calorie and macro for three months, then sitting on the couch and eating tortilla chips for dinner for the next six months, I aim to find more enjoyable form of eating and exercise that I will stick with long term. I also want to remind myself that I am capable of sustaining the difficulties of life without breaking.

Strengthening and sustaining the relationships in my life is also very important to me, including these guys (aren’t they cute?!) and also my parents, sisters, and close friends and neighbors.

Concrete plans with the word Sustain in mind

Here are some of the ways I plan to accomplish my goals while keeping the word Sustain in my mind. I’m putting these out here to help hold myself accountable 🙂

Start walking, even if it’s on the treadmill for just 15-20 minutes. It still counts and I know if I do this much I’ll throw in some squats and push-ups!
Create art in shorter bursts on days when I don’t have a lot of time. Paint a few backgrounds, make some marks.
Establish a “project curfew” at night so I don’t stay up all night working.
Go to new places with friends and loved ones. Check out some of the cool places in Houston that we’ve never been to before.
Reach out to my closest friends more often for lunch or just coffee at home.

I am hoping that keeping this word present in my mind will help strengthen both my mental and physical self and will also help me look up from my self-imposed to-do list and connect with real people. I’m hoping this word will remind me to keep going, keep working towards my goals.

What about you? Have you found your special word for this year? I hope that you are entering this new year and making (or not making) plans in whatever way feels truest for you. I’d love to hear about your plans in the comments. Here’s to a year of balance, sustainability, and meaningful connections. ♡

Jennifer