Below you'll find
Do you make resolutions for the New Year? Many years ago I stopped making resolutions ("I will do this... I won't do that..."). Resolutions are just so easy to break. You make one misstep and, next thing you know, you're saying, "Well, that was worth a try. Moving on." Instead, I've been choosing a word to reflect upon in the New Year. The very first word I chose, many years ago, was "Act"-- as in "stop dreaming and planning and start making moves". It was an idea I visited frequently that year and I ended up quitting my full time job and opening my first business. Not all words have to lead to drastic actions of course! One year my focus was just being more present in the day to day. Another year it was make-- to get in my sewing room, get over the fear of project failure and create.
Choosing a word reminds me a lot of the directive I hear before most yoga practices to “set an intention”. I love the idea of an intention. It means you are committing to working towards something. That you are going to use your mindset and actions to set things up for a certain outcome. Not that you are necessarily going to achieve that outcome, but keep making advances toward it. I also love that halfway into the practice the instructor asks you to revisit your intention.
Think about that! Just half an hour after setting an intention and they already know you need to remind yourself to check in and recommit to what you're doing. Half an hour! Similarly, instead of dismissing your new year's goal as a failure after a few days, a week or even a month, with a new year's intention you are constantly renewing your pursuit. It gives you an opportunity to try new approaches, to refine your purpose, to allow yourself space away from it when needed, and to afford yourself a kindness when you don't quickly achieve the goal. Focusing on an intention is not as black and white as succeeding at a resolution or flunking it, but ultimately I find that the journey is more fulfilling and substantial in the long run.
This year my intention is to "Play". I make A LOT of stuff and it is easy for me to get bogged down in my making to-do list: samples, new clothes I want, gifts, etc. I finish one project and it's on to the next. I don't regularly give myself time to play around with fabric and thread and just see where it takes me. And when I do give myself time to play, it's brief and put aside in favor of the to-do list. This year my intention is to make time and space to playfully create with greater frequency and priority. I'm sure you'll see more of this on the Hartford Stitch or my personal IG account! And if you don't, please remind me to check in!
So what is your intention this year? Try something new? Make more? Create space in your schedule for your artistic endeavors? Whatever it is, I hope it brings you to the studio so we can all work towards it together!
Happy Stitching!
Laura