So… I guess what happens when there’s a global pandemic and you lose all your work and you start a new business is that you don’t write a blog post for over two and a half years. Good to know!

Also good to know that some things don’t change, no matter what the universe throws at you.

Here I am, at the very end of 2022, looking ahead to make 2023 another Year of Making.

My creative habits need a tune-up. I could use a solid dose of getting out of my head, too. And honestly, I could use some time to connect with folks outside the realm of work.

(Sidebar: That business I started, in partnership with Kate Atherley, is a publishing company and it’s the best work I’ve ever done. I love it so much, and I love the community around the books and magazine we publish so much. I just need some creative fun that’s not related to work, you know?)

So. After a couple years’ hiatus, I’m going to do another Year of Making. And because it’s always more fun to do such a thing with others, I hope you’ll join in too!

What’s a Year of Making?

Glad you asked! A Year of Making is a commitment to spend at least a couple minutes making something every day for a year. Doesn’t matter what, and you get to decide how picky you’ll be (or not) about what counts.

That sounds like a lot of days. It does, but the great thing about days is that they only come one at a time. If you miss a day? Just come back the next day! This is not really about never missing a day. It’s about what we do when we inevitably do miss a day. We will get sick (hopefully not too sick). We will go on holiday or travel for work. It’ll happen, and we will miss a day or two, maybe more. It’s what comes next that matters: Do we give up and call it a failure? Or do we accept our own imperfection and keep going? Do you think it’ll really matter at the end of the year if we really only made stuff on 360 or 345 days? NO. That’s a huge number of days, y’all. THAT is what it’s about.

Updated Year of Making Ebook + Worksheets

Because I’m on holiday and had a couple hours to myself, I even updated the Year of Making Ebook. If you enjoy some tips and prompts and maybe some inspiration to set the stage for what this project is all about and what I hope you’ll get from it, grab a copy! It’s short and sweet, and there are worksheets! (If you have an older copy of the ebook, just ignore the dates and you already have everything that’s in the new version.) Also, yes. Buying the ebook helps to support me and the work I do. So thank you!

#YearOfMaking2023

While this is not at all (at all) a photography project, and it is 100% NOT about trying to make anything even remotely adjacent to perfect, it can be very helpful, motivating, and satisfying to connect with others who are also doing a Year of Making. Especially at the beginning of the year, as we are all establishing or refreshing our daily habit, this kind of connection can help to keep us on track. The more solidly we form the habit, the easier it’ll be for us to stick to it.

So please post about what you’re making! Use the hashtag #YearOfMaking2023 (note the camelcase—use caps at the beginning of each word in a hashtag to make them much easier to read).

I will try to post regularly on Instagram about what I make, but I will for sure not commit to keeping up with posts. I have a very love/hate with social media, and need to take a break sometimes. But when I’m there, I will be cheerleading you!