My 2024 highlights: prioritizing health, friends, and art.

As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to pause and reflect on everything 2024 has brought into your life—the joys, challenges, and lessons that have shaped you. Reflection isn’t just about looking back; it’s a powerful way to reconnect with yourself and create space for the future you want to build.

This week’s journaling prompt invites you to explore the story of your past year and turn those reflections into inspiration for 2025. Through creativity and self-expression, you’ll celebrate your growth, honor the journey you’ve been on, and set meaningful intentions for the year ahead. Let’s dive in and create something beautiful together.

Quick Note:

Don’t fear the blank page—your art journal is a judgment-free space just for you. Focus on the process, not the product, as you explore your thoughts, express emotions, and connect with yourself creatively.

A Year in Colors

Reflect on 2024:

Think about the emotions, milestones, and lessons you experienced this year. Assign a color to each major feeling or moment—whether it’s joy, growth, or challenges. Create a colorful timeline or abstract design representing these emotions and experiences.

Here is my entry. It was so therapeutic to simply paint out my emotions from this past year. I had a lot of ups and downs and I chose to symbolize the feelings with colors and simple faces.

2. Write a letter to your past self 

Write a letter to your past self as if you were talking to the person you were at the beginning of 2024. What advice would you give them? What did you learn? What are you proud of?

For me, 2024 has been a year of growth, marked by both challenges and rewards. I’ve grappled with relationship struggles and questions of self-acceptance, often finding myself wondering: Why am I the way I am? Why doesn’t anyone truly understand me? Why does life seem easier for others? These doubts weighed heavily on my mind. Yet, this year has also been a turning point. I’ve grown confident in my authentic self and learned to embrace who I am. I rekindled my passion for creating art and took the leap to start Hamletta Studios. Along the way, I’ve connected with incredible friends who cheer me on, and I feel a deep sense of gratitude and fulfillment. As 2024 comes to a close, I’m filled with optimism and excitement for the journey ahead.

My letter to my past self as I reflect on 2024 and look ahead to 2025.

3. Set Intentions for 2025:

Choose three words that capture the energy you want to carry into the new year. You can reference the list of words below in the word cloud. Pair each word with a color and illustrate how these colors might flow into your life in 2025—through shapes, patterns, or imagery that represent your aspirations.

Choose three words either from this suggested list or make up your own. Use it to define your intentions for the year ahead.

I chose Manifest, Consistency, and Balance.

• Manifest
  I trust in my ability to create the life I envision. I will nurture this belief, staying confident in myself and my power to turn dreams into reality.

• Consistency
  I commit to showing up with dedication and consistency—for myself, my kids, my partner, my family, my friends, and my business.

• Balance
  I will regularly check in with myself to maintain a healthy balance between meeting my own needs and fulfilling the expectations of others. Keeping this equilibrium will help me avoid overwhelm and stay grounded.

I have big plans for 2025. I’m transitioning from a season of life where my kids were my sole focus because that’s what this time called for. I’ve cherished every moment of being fully present for them, and together, we’ve built a foundation of trust and togetherness that I deeply value. As I move forward, I want to honor that bond while also enriching my life in ways that nurture my own growth and passions.

Now, I’m ready to step into a chapter where I prioritize myself. In 2024, I took the first steps by focusing on my health, recognizing that it’s the foundation of everything. By adopting a clean, balanced diet, walking 10,000 steps daily, and committing to a 60-minute workout each day, I made my well-being a priority—and I’m incredibly proud of that progress.

In 2025, I hope to extend this focus to my art. I feel a growing need to create and share my experiences, and this year, I’m determined to embrace that calling fully, balancing what I give to others with what I give to myself.

Taking the time to reflect on the challenges and joys of the past year is an act of courage and self-love. It shows your strength to face what has been, honor your growth, and embrace what’s ahead with intention and grace. Trust that every moment, both hard and beautiful, has shaped the incredible person you are today.