Update: January, 2025

Dear Friend,

January always seems to arrive with a kind of urgency, doesn’t it? The blank calendar pages, the promise of new beginnings—they whisper that we must become something better, something more. It’s tempting to lean into that energy, to set big, bold goals and imagine a version of ourselves that feels somehow more worthy. I’ll admit, I’ve fallen for that pressure too.

I’ve made lists so long they felt more like anchors than wings, filled journals with resolutions that only left me feeling exhausted before I’d even begun. There’s this quiet shame that creeps in when the weight of those expectations begins to press down, whispering, “Why can’t you just do it all?”

But here’s the truth I’ve been learning: there’s strength in stepping back, in resting, in allowing yourself the space to breathe before rushing toward change. The world already asks so much of us, and if you’re anything like me, you might feel the heaviness of it all—the collective grief, the endless demands, the uncertainty of what’s ahead. It’s okay to feel that. It’s okay to hold that truth in one hand and your hope for something better in the other.

This month, I want to offer you a different kind of invitation: to imagine instead of achieve, to play instead of perfect. What if January didn’t have to be about fixing or improving, but simply about being curious? What if we could give ourselves permission to explore gently, to create for the joy of it, to rest without guilt?

When I think about creativity, I don’t think about grand masterpieces or perfect outcomes. I think about the way it feels to get lost in a moment—your hands shaping clay, your body moving to music, your mind wandering as you write. Creativity isn’t about being productive; it’s about being present. It’s a way to meet yourself where you are, to say, “This is enough.”

So as you step into this new year, I hope you’ll let yourself rest. I hope you’ll let yourself imagine. I hope you’ll remember that you don’t need to have it all figured out. You’re already enough, just as you are.

Thank you for sharing this space with me. I’m so grateful to be on this journey with you, and I can’t wait to see where your curiosity takes you.

With warmth and care,
Amber