Happy New Year

I stayed in for New Year's Eve this year, for the quiet and the contemplation and the relaxing. It was lovely, and it felt like exactly the right thing to do.

2011 was actually a pretty good year. I spent more time drawing. I grew creatively, particularly at work, and received a completely unexpected promotion. I spent a lot more time reading, which made me happy (my 2011 favorites: A Discovery of Witches and The Night Circus). My jeans are still a little bit too tight, but they're looser than they were, and there seems to be minimal holiday damage.

Before we headed out to Ohio for Christmas, I spent my holiday weekends baking and decorating and wrapping to a background of Hallmark Holiday Countdown movies. It was cheesy and solitary and wonderful, and I really enjoyed the season. There was no snow, and no kitten, but it was absolutely perfect.

This year, my word of the year is 'Create' and my one resolution is to draw (and paint, IRL and digitally) as much as possible. For whatever reason -- probably just because this is the last full year in my 30's -- I feel like 2012 is going to be significant. I don't know exactly what that means, but it feels important.

Neil Gaiman always says it best, and his New Year's greeting for this year is as perfect and inspiring as ever:

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever."

In 2012, I hope I make lots of mistakes, and I hope you do, too. Happy New Year.