Hi everyone, as 2025 begins, many people set goals or resolutions. They can seem pretty overwhelming or rigid. It has been found that the second Friday in January is the day most people quit working on their resolutions. Did you know it has been termed Quitters Day? If you manage to survive Quitters Day (10 January 2025), along comes Ditch Your New Years Resolution Day (17 January 2025) where you might give up on those resolutions that no longer serve you. Instead of setting resolutions, the concept of One Little Word as coined by Ali Edwards, might be something to try this year. Choosing a single word to guide your year is a simple but powerful practice that has helped many people stay focused and inspired, and it can be a wonderful tool for crafters.
Why choose a Word of the Year?
A word for the year acts as a compass. It’s not about strict rules but about setting an intention. Your word can inspire your crafting projects, influence how you spend your time or remind you of what matters most. For example, choosing a word like “Create” can remind you to prioritise time in your craft space, while a word like “Balance” might encourage you to find harmony between crafting, family, and other commitments. You might choose a word which is related only to your crafting journey or one which relates to your life as a whole.
My Word of the Year
This year, my word is Journey. I want to embrace and enjoy the process, not just the outcomes. During 2024, I was burnt out with crafting and creating. Nothing was inspiring to me. I did very little at all. I didn’t know what to create and felt generally lost. On the few occasions I did sit at my craft desk, I merely pushed my craft supplies around. I missed it but I just couldn’t overcome the burnout. This year, I want to regain my love of creating. I want to enjoy the journey. I want to see where it leads me. I want to try different crafts and mediums. I want to appreciate every step of my crafting adventures—from brainstorming ideas to experimenting with new techniques and celebrating finished projects. I’m excited to see where this mindset takes me both in creativity and life.
Words to Inspire You
Are you thinking of trying something similar but don’t know where to start? I hear you! I’ve vacillated between a few of them before decided that Journey truly encompassed what I wanted from this year. If you’re thinking about choosing a word for the year, here are some ideas to spark your imagination:
- Joy: Embrace the happiness crafting brings you.
- Simplify: Focus on decluttering your craft space or honing your favourite techniques.
- Connect: Use your creativity to strengthen relationships, for example, by sending handmade cards.
- Learn: Dedicate time to mastering new skills.
- Kindness: Create with the intention of spreading positivity, perhaps through donations or thoughtful gifts.
How to Choose Your Word
It can be hard to settle on a word. Take time – there is no need to rush the process. Here are a few prompts that might help:
- Reflect on the past year. What went well? What would you like to change?
- Think about your goals for crafting and beyond. What do you want more of in your life?
- Look for inspiration in your favourite quotes, books, or even the themes of your recent craft projects.
Putting Your Word into Action
Once you’ve chosen your word, think about how it can influence your crafting journey. For example:
- If your word is “Learn,” you could set a goal to try a new technique each month.
- If it’s “Joy,” focus on creating projects that make you smile.
- Display your word in your craft space as a visual reminder. You could even create a card or journal page featuring your word!
I don’t have a specific plan but I have put a few things in place to start the ball rolling. For Christmas, I received some Diamond Dot paintings, some Colouring Books, and some Paint By Numbers kits. They are all quite different from cardmaking and stamping but they all will teach me new skills and hopefully refine some others. For example, I might learn more about composition, or colour choices. It may help me turn off the overthinking, self-critical part of my brain and give space for new ideas! As a former kindergarten teacher, I used to say, “children learn through play”. I think I had forgotten this! Playing and exploring will take me on a creative journey and hopefully rekindle my passion and love of creating. It might even improve my skills too. I’m looking forward to enjoying the journey of 2025.
Share Your Word
If this has inspired you to adopt a word for the year, please let me know. What word have you chosen and how will you plan to use it to inspire your year? Please share in the comments, or on social media using #StampersWorkshopWord.
Let’s make this year a creative and meaningful one—one word at a time!
My journey kicked off with the above – colouring a page from the Artmaker™ ANIMALS Creative Colouring Book. I pulled out of retirement my set of Bruynzeel Pastel Pencils. I’ve had the pencils for years but have never done anything with them. I’ve been playing around with the different colours, how they blend and move, and how to shade. It’s early days but it has been fun. I finished the page by adding some Posca Paint in white in some highlight areas and then some Wink of Stella covering the whale and the moon. Is it a perfect page? No! Was it fun? YES!! I can’t wait to colour more!
Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a great day!
