Jan. 29, 2023, 11 a.m.

2022 Review & 2023 Goals

Soft Practice

Hello friend,

I hope the first month of this year has brought you peace and clarity. It’s my first winter in New York, and it’s grey and wet, but I still haven’t seen snow 🙀

I spent some time reflecting on 2022, which I share below. But I want to briefly talk about my intentions for this newsletter moving forward.

I want to share more with you in this newsletter in 2023. I don’t mean that I want to write more newsletters, necessarily. But I do want to share with you more about what I’m thinking about outside of building a creative practice, which is historically what this newsletter has been about. Don’t get me wrong, building a creative practice is still my #1 goal and something I regularly think about, but I have other things I want to share too. Like what I’m learning about leadership as I grow into a new role as a manager and how I structure my day to make time for all the important things.

In the world of email newsletters, the most pervasive advice is to write about a specific topic, i.e. “pick a niche and stick to it” and share writing that your audience will find interesting or helpful. Sometimes, though I think this advice isn’t actually what’s best for me (or for you either!). I want to share things that are helpful, sure, but oftentimes the things I’m thinking about are complex, messy, or still a work in progress. And I am coming to the realization that there’s so much value in sharing these half-baked thoughts.

I want this newsletter to be a space that is full of ✨ possibility ✨ I want writing it to feel energizing, and I want reading it to feel energizing too.

So, all of that to say, expect to see different kinds of newsletters from me in 2023. Maybe I’ll write about a piece of art I’m working on. Maybe I’ll write about something I learned in a coaching session. Maybe I’ll write about my favorite walks in New York City. My writing in these newsletters might not get nicely tied up in a bow by the end, and that feels good.

Below you’ll find my yearly review. This year in list format because my brain couldn’t handle paragraphs. I’m sure you understand.


illustration with a rainbow overarching text that says "the future is better than the old days"

  • Sometimes setting your life on fire is the answer. This year I moved across the country, deleted my Instagram and Twitter accounts, and started taking art classes in a new city. I was in a rut and moving away from everything familiar was the fastest way to reinvent myself.
  • I need hours of uninterrupted time in order to get into a creative focused state. Meetings kill the vibe.
  • I feel most like myself when I’m making art & when I’m dancing.
  • One of my favorite ways to travel is by visiting a friend’s hometown. This summer I met up with a friend who grew up in Buffalo. I loved meeting her family, eating at their favorite restaurants, and doing random suburban things. This is way more fun for me than visiting somewhere completely unfamiliar.
  • Birthdays can be hard. Going out of town makes it way more enjoyable. (Hayley Nahman wrote about this somewhere in her newsletter but I can’t find the exact post.)
  • Having house guests is lovely, but I need to figure out better ways to ensure I’m getting enough alone time/down time when we have visitors.
  • The two best purchases of the year: (1) This sonicare electric toothbrush and (2) This dyson vacuum.
  • I feel better when I do some sort of movement every day. 20 minutes of yoga or a walk are enough. Going to the gym is better.
  • I’m very good at keeping a home. Sunday cooking and cleaning are my favorite weekly rituals.
  • Big, lofty goals are great, but more important are consistent practice and tender discipline.
  • I’ve wasted too much of my life forcing myself to do things I don’t want to do. I’m currently exploring what happens if I stop this habit and do whatever I want instead. These are the questions that are guiding me:
    • What do I need to feel right now?
    • How can my art be in service to that feeling?
    • Where can I find flow?
  • Diet has a much bigger impact on my nervous system than I wanted to believe. Quitting caffeine and cutting back on dairy and sugar while eating more protein, fiber, and electrolytes has greatly improved my day-to-day functioning and mood.
  • Coaches and teachers are the key to staying on a creative and intentional path. I’m currently receiving leadership coaching from Lindsay Parker. Martha Bloom is my printmaking teacher. They’re my real-life fairy godmothers.
  • One year oftentimes isn’t enough time to see progress. But looking back three to five years, I can see how I’ve grown leaps and bounds. Four years ago I would have struggled to cook dinner for friends, but now I do it almost weekly and I’m usually proud of the food I put on the table.

2023 Goals

  1. Build an artistic practice
  2. Productive mornings
  3. Share & make friends online
  4. Make my partner feel special & loved
  5. Practice wholehearted leadership

I’ve started using Complice to track my goals, and I’ve made them public. If you’re interested, click that link and you can read a longer description of each one.

Thank you for reading & have a great day :)

Sam

You just read issue #43 of Soft Practice. You can also browse the full archives of this newsletter.

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