Hey There!
Happy 2025! Unfortunately, the construction oustide my office window has started back up! So there’s no video this week. It’s not as bad now as it was before the holidays. I think all they’re doing this time is repairing the little stretch of sidewalk they had to demolish to replace the Columbia Gas pipeline. But it’s still a little too loud to record.
As the new year gets started, it’s natural to think about the positive changes we want to make in our lives and our creative work. And that’s a good thing! But I’ve decided not to make resolutions because all too often, those good intentions turn into self-criticism. Rather than taking small, manageable steps toward positive change, it’s easy to get caught in the trap of wanting to make huge, sweeping changes all at once and then judging ourselves if we don’t follow through 100 percent. I mean, of course a lot of resolutions fail — because that’s not how we humans actually create positive change in our lives!
So instead of resolutions this year, I’m trying just to establish general guiding stars for myself. Lighthouse beacons. I’m trying to determine what are the adjustments that would make my life more fulfilling and enjoyable, and keep them in mind as I make day-to-day choices in my life.
For me, one of those beacons is allowing myself more room for fun and play. As a creator, it’s easy to want to work all the time, and to feel guilty if I don’t. I’m sure a lot of you can relate! But as I’ve learned through experience, that just leads to burnout. So making a conscious effort to allow myself to relax a bit more is at the top of my list.
Enjoying the present is another one. I have a tendency to believe that life will feel the most rewarding once I’ve accomplished certain goals, both personal and creative. And that leads to the feeling that what I’m experiencing now is, in some ways, a dress rehearsal for the real thing. But when you live your life that way, you miss out on a lot. So my second beacon is present-mindedness.
And for all of you lovely readers, I want to encourage you to give yourself a break. You don’t have to make resolutions. It really is ok — and often preferable, actually — to just allow yourself to enjoy and appreciate your life right now. That doesn’t mean you don’t set goals. I think goals are important, too. But the trick I’m trying to figure out how to pull off is to allow myself to relax and be in the moment, even if I haven’t reached all of my goals yet.
I’ve got a bunch of exciting comics projects coming up this year, and I can’t wait to tell you more about them! So stay tuned, more info about all of that will be coming soon.
As far as stuff I’m reading, I’ve been catching up on my pull list and I just finished Batman #155. No spoilers, but how many times has someone tried to make it look like poor Jim Gordon has broken bad!?
Well, that’s it from me for now! Happy New Year! As always, you can find me on social @sarahccomics, and I hope to connect with you there!
Best,
Sarah