Hi Sarah, I love your perspective and list especially the part about your dead mother and your humor—when we can be funny on something—it's a good sign. You have inspired me as I was focusing on "what I didn't launch" It's a long list (humorous as well). I'm told I'm a generator.
I'm so glad Prajna! It's been a long haul with my mom but it's a relief to finally let her off the hook. :)
And I too have that self-improvement tendency where I'm always looking at where I still have to get rather being present in the moment. Also, achievement stuff is a shadow thing for me, so it really helped me to shift my perspective there to perceiving my passionate activities as simply the way I engage with the world...because I do often accomplish a lot but that's not *why* I do it...and I can forget that--societal priorities can haunt us in the most personal of ways I find.
You have me daydreaming about stepping into your artist life—especially in the southwest!! 🤣 At the same time, I’m looking out the tall glass windows around me to see light glinting on the snow-covered mountains and my present moment is good too. Sliding door moment…
what makes me feel like myself?...well, I close my eyes and 'have' to go pretty far back to when I was a child to 'know' a possible 'who' I am, to get close to answering that...and I find a 'who' that felt most happy stolen away by itself in a creek under the trees trying to catch a bullhead...now, I learned lately that fairies can incarnate as humans if they want to...so I believe now that I am a traumatised Fairy Human trying to remember something .... funny you should mention the mother thing, I was just wondering about that myself 'again' it is much more interesting when you can detach from it and contemplate freely, as that is where I also am at now...thank you for the list idea, I will set about making one :)
Dear Sarah what a wonderful new ritual to start the New Year, I am in! After reading your list I immediately wrote my own.Your such and inspiration. My list was rich and enduring for my soul. Surprisingly, creativity and joy sung out from my list and balanced the challenges that 2024 offered me. This year was my hardest so far. Reflecting on what brought joy was a bit healing for me. So, thank you. I am going to create a special bookfor this ritual. I can see myself at 90 reading entries with my morning coffee and smiling at what a good life it was.
I love that you immediately tried it yourself and felt the same kind of benefit--and I LOVE your idea about creating a special book for this ritual so you can, at a ripe old age, read over your entries and marvel at your own life--that plan is inspired! Thank you for sharing that!
I loved this post, and I'm almost glad I tuned in so late to these comments, they are all so rich! What I have found is that in 2024 I formed a heartfelt intention to be creative daily, in any way that was calling to me that day. And I didn't have any rules around what constituted being creative. And this came forward as a theme: "Share The Joy". Some of the vehicles I used for sharing the Joy of being creative were Facebook posts mostly photography of the natural world around me, Touch Drawing workshops and practices, Lorian's Playground, writing small poems to go with photographs, taking up calligraphy again after 50 years, sewing projects, experimenting with oil paints, pastel paints, and watercolor paints as a beginner, teaching myself to utilize spiritual card decks for exploration, and developing scripts for meditative use. I don't know how many days of creativity were sacrificed to the Chore Goddess who insists on check-off lists to fill my day, but I think I am being pretty realistic when I say my tally of creative days is about half a years worth. So I am going to start a new practice: at the beginning of each day I will write my creative intentions for the day, and then at the end of the day write down what actually emerged for me creatively. I received a journal for Christmas that will be christened the Creativity Journal.
I love the range of creative activities that you explored Lissa--especially for some reasons, writing small poems to accompany photographs. Maybe because we all do so much photo sharing online that I like this addition of something time consuming and personal. And your 2025 Creativity Journal sounds like such an amazing personal documentary project. I definitely want to hear about how this unfolds! TY for the rich share!
You inspired me to make a list too, which was longer than I expected. Though Taos Cow plays too big a part. I remembered the birds I watched and forcing myself out of my comfort zone for rewarding social visits.
Remembering the birds and taking the risk to have rewarding social visits. I love that. And I also love that your list was longer than you expected! <3
What a great list! This is my favorite: “Experienced my newsletter as a creative outlet in its own right.” Sorry it took me so long to read this, but I’m so so glad I did!!
Thank you Lyns! Yes, that was a surprise to me, as for years when I wrote to 'my list' it was mostly just about getting the word out about a show or an event or sharing new artwork. I like this newsletter life on Substack so much better!
Loved your list of 'feel good' activities and aspects of 2024. I have something similar that I call Highlights.
For me, creating and connecting are most biggest 'feel good' activities. Writing, imagining, drawing (which I'm creating more time to experiment with) or being with those who lift me up.
Look forward to seeing what you create and bring to life in 2025!
Highlights is so nice. And I'm working on remembering my dreams more in 2025--bought a notebook and just got a pen with a light in it after reading one of your posts where you mention that--I didn't even know they existed!
Pilot pens! My husband had purchased it for me. Let me know how the dream recall goes.
I'm trying adding my dreams to my new IPad I just purchased. Using Notability so that I can add in illustrations. That's how I'm learning to draw. Tried sketching in a notebook as well but this feels more fluid to me. Will see how it goes!
When my kids were little, instead of prayers, we did "what are you thankful for today." I know that is a habit I want to get back into. It's easy to complain - hard to be thankful. Maybe that's why negative comments hurt us so much. Wonderful piece, Sarah.
That's such a nice ritual and interesting secular version on prayers to teach your children! And yes, just as we forget to be thankful, we so often focus on the negative much more than on the positive...although aging has made me better at focusing on the positive, I must say.
I wonder if lack of positivity makes us more vulnerable to negative comments. I know it is human nature to put more weight on a negative than a positive, but I wonder If that can be mitigated by looking at the positive -- and ignoring the negative.
That's interesting--like receiving harsh criticism as a stab in the heart because it reinforces an existing belief about the world so our brains just suck it in like a drug to feed the neural pattern....
I love this! I had already done an exercise to appreciate my accomplishments and things I tried in 2024, particularly around my business, but I like this framing better — focusing on what makes you feel good. So I went back to my list and added some things — like doing an ocean mile swim (yay!) — and added some nuance to others, such as how some things I tried in my freelance business opened up new ways for me to earn money doing work I really enjoy. And even better, I like the focus on "what makes you feel like yourself". Doing an ocean swim definitely falls into that category for me! So does hiking and going to the beach, and I did less of those last year than I normally do. It's a good reminder to do more of them this year. :)
Thank you! This resonated with me in more ways than one. 1st, 2023 was a very difficult year for me, too, but in spite of cancer rearing it's ugly head again in 2024, it was a much better year. 2nd, I love that you made such a comprehensive list of the the things that make you feel good and feel like yourself (it's an impressive list!). I didn't make a list, but I did put together a photobook of the entire year that helps to me to remember and revisit so many great experiences with my husband, family and good friends.
I feel best and 'normal' when I'm with family and friends, seeing beautiful art and just BEING in nature (walking, breathing hard, hearing the various sounds, smelling the earth, and visually taking in all that surrounds me). I'm so grateful for those stimuli and experiences. ❤️
I think a photo album of the year is a great way to remember and revisit--a visual list if you will! I too feel best being immersed in nature. And I hope 2025 is a a healthy year for you--or even uneventful on the health front, sometimes, just that is so nice--so that you can do, be and experience all these things you list that make you feel connected to everything and most like yourself. Love having you here!
Hi Sarah, I love your perspective and list especially the part about your dead mother and your humor—when we can be funny on something—it's a good sign. You have inspired me as I was focusing on "what I didn't launch" It's a long list (humorous as well). I'm told I'm a generator.
Inspired by you!!!
I'm so glad Prajna! It's been a long haul with my mom but it's a relief to finally let her off the hook. :)
And I too have that self-improvement tendency where I'm always looking at where I still have to get rather being present in the moment. Also, achievement stuff is a shadow thing for me, so it really helped me to shift my perspective there to perceiving my passionate activities as simply the way I engage with the world...because I do often accomplish a lot but that's not *why* I do it...and I can forget that--societal priorities can haunt us in the most personal of ways I find.
Good for you Sarah. Agree, have a relaxing creative day.
Sarah, you are a legend!
Thanks for sharing.
You have me daydreaming about stepping into your artist life—especially in the southwest!! 🤣 At the same time, I’m looking out the tall glass windows around me to see light glinting on the snow-covered mountains and my present moment is good too. Sliding door moment…
what makes me feel like myself?...well, I close my eyes and 'have' to go pretty far back to when I was a child to 'know' a possible 'who' I am, to get close to answering that...and I find a 'who' that felt most happy stolen away by itself in a creek under the trees trying to catch a bullhead...now, I learned lately that fairies can incarnate as humans if they want to...so I believe now that I am a traumatised Fairy Human trying to remember something .... funny you should mention the mother thing, I was just wondering about that myself 'again' it is much more interesting when you can detach from it and contemplate freely, as that is where I also am at now...thank you for the list idea, I will set about making one :)
Love that you are going to make a list Phyl and look forward to hearing what you learn from it! And I hope you can remember that something...xo
Dear Sarah what a wonderful new ritual to start the New Year, I am in! After reading your list I immediately wrote my own.Your such and inspiration. My list was rich and enduring for my soul. Surprisingly, creativity and joy sung out from my list and balanced the challenges that 2024 offered me. This year was my hardest so far. Reflecting on what brought joy was a bit healing for me. So, thank you. I am going to create a special bookfor this ritual. I can see myself at 90 reading entries with my morning coffee and smiling at what a good life it was.
On Tue, Jan 7, 2025, 6:38 AM Sarah Bush <sarahbush@substack.com> wrote:
I love that you immediately tried it yourself and felt the same kind of benefit--and I LOVE your idea about creating a special book for this ritual so you can, at a ripe old age, read over your entries and marvel at your own life--that plan is inspired! Thank you for sharing that!
I loved this post, and I'm almost glad I tuned in so late to these comments, they are all so rich! What I have found is that in 2024 I formed a heartfelt intention to be creative daily, in any way that was calling to me that day. And I didn't have any rules around what constituted being creative. And this came forward as a theme: "Share The Joy". Some of the vehicles I used for sharing the Joy of being creative were Facebook posts mostly photography of the natural world around me, Touch Drawing workshops and practices, Lorian's Playground, writing small poems to go with photographs, taking up calligraphy again after 50 years, sewing projects, experimenting with oil paints, pastel paints, and watercolor paints as a beginner, teaching myself to utilize spiritual card decks for exploration, and developing scripts for meditative use. I don't know how many days of creativity were sacrificed to the Chore Goddess who insists on check-off lists to fill my day, but I think I am being pretty realistic when I say my tally of creative days is about half a years worth. So I am going to start a new practice: at the beginning of each day I will write my creative intentions for the day, and then at the end of the day write down what actually emerged for me creatively. I received a journal for Christmas that will be christened the Creativity Journal.
I love the range of creative activities that you explored Lissa--especially for some reasons, writing small poems to accompany photographs. Maybe because we all do so much photo sharing online that I like this addition of something time consuming and personal. And your 2025 Creativity Journal sounds like such an amazing personal documentary project. I definitely want to hear about how this unfolds! TY for the rich share!
You inspired me to make a list too, which was longer than I expected. Though Taos Cow plays too big a part. I remembered the birds I watched and forcing myself out of my comfort zone for rewarding social visits.
Remembering the birds and taking the risk to have rewarding social visits. I love that. And I also love that your list was longer than you expected! <3
The part about prioritizing the private art just hit me so hard, thank you for that. Can't wait to read more!!
Wow, I'm so glad that resonated. <3
What a great list! This is my favorite: “Experienced my newsletter as a creative outlet in its own right.” Sorry it took me so long to read this, but I’m so so glad I did!!
Thank you Lyns! Yes, that was a surprise to me, as for years when I wrote to 'my list' it was mostly just about getting the word out about a show or an event or sharing new artwork. I like this newsletter life on Substack so much better!
Many many wonderful things filled your 2024.
May your 2025 be equally blessed 💞
Ah thank you Teyani. And I hope you experience some ease in your physical health in 2025...
Thank you for these kind wishes. I’m hoping for that as well.
Love your list and your way to review the year. I definitely need to get AI to do math for me!
Thank you and--hahaha--yes, AI is quite willing!
Loved your list of 'feel good' activities and aspects of 2024. I have something similar that I call Highlights.
For me, creating and connecting are most biggest 'feel good' activities. Writing, imagining, drawing (which I'm creating more time to experiment with) or being with those who lift me up.
Look forward to seeing what you create and bring to life in 2025!
Highlights is so nice. And I'm working on remembering my dreams more in 2025--bought a notebook and just got a pen with a light in it after reading one of your posts where you mention that--I didn't even know they existed!
Pilot pens! My husband had purchased it for me. Let me know how the dream recall goes.
I'm trying adding my dreams to my new IPad I just purchased. Using Notability so that I can add in illustrations. That's how I'm learning to draw. Tried sketching in a notebook as well but this feels more fluid to me. Will see how it goes!
I'll keep you posted--and let me know how you like using Notability and how it goes adding or creating illustrations!
When my kids were little, instead of prayers, we did "what are you thankful for today." I know that is a habit I want to get back into. It's easy to complain - hard to be thankful. Maybe that's why negative comments hurt us so much. Wonderful piece, Sarah.
That's such a nice ritual and interesting secular version on prayers to teach your children! And yes, just as we forget to be thankful, we so often focus on the negative much more than on the positive...although aging has made me better at focusing on the positive, I must say.
I wonder if lack of positivity makes us more vulnerable to negative comments. I know it is human nature to put more weight on a negative than a positive, but I wonder If that can be mitigated by looking at the positive -- and ignoring the negative.
That's interesting--like receiving harsh criticism as a stab in the heart because it reinforces an existing belief about the world so our brains just suck it in like a drug to feed the neural pattern....
I love this! I had already done an exercise to appreciate my accomplishments and things I tried in 2024, particularly around my business, but I like this framing better — focusing on what makes you feel good. So I went back to my list and added some things — like doing an ocean mile swim (yay!) — and added some nuance to others, such as how some things I tried in my freelance business opened up new ways for me to earn money doing work I really enjoy. And even better, I like the focus on "what makes you feel like yourself". Doing an ocean swim definitely falls into that category for me! So does hiking and going to the beach, and I did less of those last year than I normally do. It's a good reminder to do more of them this year. :)
Thank you! This resonated with me in more ways than one. 1st, 2023 was a very difficult year for me, too, but in spite of cancer rearing it's ugly head again in 2024, it was a much better year. 2nd, I love that you made such a comprehensive list of the the things that make you feel good and feel like yourself (it's an impressive list!). I didn't make a list, but I did put together a photobook of the entire year that helps to me to remember and revisit so many great experiences with my husband, family and good friends.
I feel best and 'normal' when I'm with family and friends, seeing beautiful art and just BEING in nature (walking, breathing hard, hearing the various sounds, smelling the earth, and visually taking in all that surrounds me). I'm so grateful for those stimuli and experiences. ❤️
I think a photo album of the year is a great way to remember and revisit--a visual list if you will! I too feel best being immersed in nature. And I hope 2025 is a a healthy year for you--or even uneventful on the health front, sometimes, just that is so nice--so that you can do, be and experience all these things you list that make you feel connected to everything and most like yourself. Love having you here!
Thanks, Sarah. It was so lovely to meet you!
And you laugh at how much I do???
Hahahahahahahahahaha