My 2025 Goals and What Comes Next
As we race toward the end of the year, I’ve been revisiting the goals I set for myself in January. I remember sitting in front of my computer thinking deeply about what I wanted my creative life to look like in 2025. I dutifully listed my creative achievements from the previous year, successes, lessons learned. I sorted what to carry forward and what to leave behind. I even set my word for 2025: MOMENTUM. And the I set some goals.
I didn’t want broad wishes; I wanted commitments—tangible tasks that would help me grow both as an artist and as a creative community builder.
Here’s what I set out to do:
- Engage in a daily art practice even if it was just a background or a tiny doodle.
- Hold bi-monthly art gatherings to grow community and explore reuse/recycle in an art practice.
- List two pieces of art for sale each month on my website.
- Create a cohesive collection to show at Aslan Brewing by September 2025.
Every one of these goals felt important when I wrote them. They represented the commitments to the version of myself I wanted to become. And as I look back now, I’m proud of the ways those intentions shaped my year.
Where Things Stand Now
The biggest success by far was the goal of building a creative community.
Though bi-monthly turned into monthly classes, I would count each as a great success. Gathering people around a table with paints, recycled materials, and playful prompts reminded me of why I love teaching so much. Watching people light up when they realized they could make art—that brought me so much joy.
Another huge win: I ended up having two shows this year. One in Montana, and just yesterday, I hung a brand new show at Aslan—the exact place I had written down as a goal. Standing in that brewery surrounded by my work felt like a moment of alignment, like stepping into a dream already lived in my imagination.
(I also got the wordle in 2, so it was a really good day!)
But not every goal unfolded the way I expected.
Selling my art online turned out to be the hardest part. I didn’t accomplish that, and honestly, feelings of inadequacy and impostor syndrome crept in. Selling is vulnerable. It’s hard to know what people want or if what I make will resonate.
One thing I’ve learned this year is this:
I need to make art for me.
Not for trends or algorithms or imagined expectations.
Some people will connect with it and some won’t—and that has to be okay.
What I’m Looking Forward to in 2026
I’m carrying all of this into the new year with a hopeful, expanded vision.
In 2026, I want to:
- Hold more shows in breweries, cafés, and local spaces.
- Continue offering art classes and deepen the community connection we’ve created.
- Move more fully into my studio and cultivate a regular, joyful art practice.
- Step more fully into my art career—financially, emotionally, and creatively.
I’m not ready to choose my 2026 word yet… but I can feel it forming. I’ll have a goal setting session in early January and find my word. My goals will also take on a SMART appearance so I know the milestones I’ll need to make to accomplish them.
If 2025-me could whisper advice to 2026-me, it would be simple:
Stop being so hard on yourself. You’re growing. Let that be enough.
A Message for You
I hope, as you read this, you feel a little spark inside yourself.
A reminder that creativity isn’t reserved for the “talented” or the “confident” or the people who look like they know what they’re doing.
You are creative if you let yourself be creative.
Don’t let self-doubt or feelings of inadequacy keep you from making something that brings you joy. And if you’d like a gentle nudge or a creative companion in the coming year, I’d love to make art with you. We are putting the final schedule together now!
Here’s to the year we’ve lived, the dreams we’re tending, and the art still waiting for us.
