My Word of the Year: Creativity

For the past five or six years, I’ve been choosing a word of the year. This practice really helps me focus on what I want to embody throughout the year instead of setting resolutions that I don’t end up keeping.

This year, my word is “creativity.” I’ve realized that while my work involves some creativity in helping people dress, I’ve been missing creative self-expression in my personal life. I’ve been making an effort to bring that back as a way expand my thinking and to grapple with the the challenges of the world.

I want to approach both my personal and work life with a creative mindset and be open to different opportunities. The way I’ve been expressing my creativity artistically is through collages, and I recently created a self-portrait that I feel reflects my journey.

I want to emphasize that this process is not about perfectionism. It’s about using art as a meditative practice, a way to de-stress, and to explore my creative side. Apart from the self-portrait, I created another collage inspired by things I found in magazines and catalogs. It all started with a little woman on a bike, and I just went from there.

It has been really enjoyable – and therapeutic – to take time for myself and let this side of me come out more. I encourage you to think about what you want to achieve in 2026 and come up with a word of the year for yourself. It can serve as your guiding principle and help you show up the way you want throughout the year.