Should You be Choosing Word of the Year?
A quick watercolor painting of my 2023 word of the year.
A few years ago, I didn't even really know what a “word of the year” was. Now I can't seem to live without one. If you're not sure what a word of the year is, it’s one word you choose as a mantra for the entire year. It would be a word that inspires you and lifts you up. Something that challenges you and helps you move towards your big dreams. Yeah, that's a lot of responsibility for one word, right? But I’m here to say it really works. Words are actually really powerful, and you can harness that just by focusing on them.
Many creatives and online professionals do this avidly, but Bonnie Christine was the first to introduce me to this concept. Her heartfelt and nurturing teaching style really pulled me into this practice in 2020. We were on lockdown while I was taking her big course called Immersion to learn how to create surface pattern designs (aka designs for fabric, wallpaper, and any other surface). Since then, I have seen so much transformation from doing this, that I’m kind of addicted. There are healthy, addictions after all!
So what exactly has my word of the year done for me?
An example project from my course Easy Watercolor Collections featuring a powerful one word watercolor project.
I first did this at the beginning of the lockdown, and I really needed some healthy things to focus on. I was saving lots of motivational quotes on Pinterest, and they were helping. I still use quotes on a daily basis, but a one-word focus for the year is just so potent and drilled-down. I really did some soul-searching and came up with the word “rest”. I was working a 40+ hour per week management job and I've been working full-time for several of decades. Once I started slowing down to smell the roses, I really felt my exhaustion. I realized that I've been working way too hard and doing way too much. I needed that break, because it helped me get some perspective that was invaluable to me.
I took that word, and wrote it down. Then I hung it up on the bulletin board, and wrote it in my planner and journal, so I was looking at it every day. I took it to heart, and reflected on it. I examined my everyday habits and how I could incorporate more rest into my routine. It didn't come overnight, but I started to shift into someone who was feeling more rested. It made my thought process sharper, my ideas brighter, I slept better at night, and my perspective changed. It did take a full year to really shift, but it was more than worth it, because I still enjoy those benefits to this day.
You could call it changing your life one word at a time.
Journal image when my word of the year was Space, meaning making space for more of what I wanted to do, and less of the other.
Since 2020 have come a long way. I quit my day job later that year, I ramped up my creative business, and I feel like I have something worthwhile to share with the world. I have learned how to get mentally tougher when battling imposter syndrome, which can be so debilitating. I’ve learned how to dig deep and align my brand with what I want and need to share. And much of it is thanks to Bonnie Christine and her heartfelt approach to creative business growth. I feel as though I can do anything I put my mind to. Because of this I’ve started my own Live Painting Sessions where I get the joy of painting with students in real time, I have improved my Skillshare classes (I won an award on my latest), and I’ve even licensed a course to an online school for kids in San Francisco. I did lots more besides this, but the point is, I saw a notable shift in what I was able to accomplish after starting this practice.
I've done a lot of learning and growing these past three years, and I feel like I am ready to do some new things and get myself out there more. So this year my word is “intention.” This pertains mainly to the intention to do all the scary things I’ve been putting off. Like marketing my classes and courses more, pitching my art and surface design portfolio once it’s finished, and a few other things. I'm in the process of completing my first three-hour course, and it's exhilarating. It's called Easy Watercolor Collections and it's all about teaching creatives of all types how to build good solid, cohesive collections that really work and help them get noticed more. But I need to get it out there and visible so others know they have it as a resource. How many artists and designers can I help with this one course? For me I have to be intentional about sharing those things.
I have found my passion in the learning space, while I get to do lots of watercolor painting in the process. It’s my happy place!
My post for Martin Luther King Day. One word descriptions are so powerful, and this is the word seemed to describe his core message for me.
Maybe you are starting a creative business of your own, or want to. Or maybe you just want to enjoy, making art and learning how to do it well. Either way, having a word of the year to pull you forward is so useful. If you were doing some deep thinking about your life and your work right now, and are you thinking of choosing a word of the year? If you've never done it before, here are some things to think about:
What word immediately comes to mind without thinking about it too much?
In reflecting on this word, does it lead you down a path that inspires you?
What do you hope to accomplish this year?
What is your BIG dream, and how does this word fit in?
What does this word make you visualize about your life in the future?
These are the kinds of questions I ask myself when choosing my word of the year.
Sometimes I come up with a few words and then drill it down until I get one that really resonates deeply with me. It’s ended up being a fun process, and one that I think I’ll practice for years to come. After all, my creative life has been revolutionized over the last three years, and I know these words had a lot to do with it.
I have even created a free Art Planner PDF where you can place your word of the year on a worksheet and your big dreams underneath. It's a resource I created to take my word of choice and expand on it, based on what I want to see happen for the year. Now I’m sharing it with you so you can do the same. Just click the button below to download and use it.
How do you feeling about having a word of the year? Is this something you do already? If not, would you consider doing it? I'd love to see your thoughts in the comments below!