Why I’m Skipping a “Word of the Year”

Questioning the “Word of the Year”

As I head into 2026, I’ve been thinking about artistic goals and the idea of having a “word of the year.” The more I think about it, the more I realize I can’t seem to define a word or a clear set of goals, and I’m not convinced I want to.

A Quiet Month That Reset Everything

December of 2025 was a quiet month creatively. Early on, I put a lot of time, money, and effort into an art walk that ultimately fell flat. After that, I barely did anything artistic for the rest of the month, including painting. Part of that pause came from family visiting from Australia for the holidays, which meant a lot of couch time, conversations, and simply being present. No pressure. No agenda. Surprisingly, the pause felt good. It gave me my hunger back, not because I felt like I should be painting, but because I actually wanted to. Stepping away didn’t stall anything, it sharpened the urge to return to making art.

Too Much Advice, Too Little Instinct

Looking back on the year, I think I may have been holding the reins too tightly, trying to micromanage my artistic trajectory instead of letting things unfold a bit more naturally. I spend hours every day on long commutes listening to artistic and entrepreneurial podcasts, reading articles, and researching how to “make it” as an artist and build a brand, all focused on building an art career. There’s no shortage of advice about what artists should and shouldn’t do, yet most of it feels regurgitated and open-ended, offering guidance without any real solutions. At a certain point, taking all of that in started to drown out my own instincts. It began to feel like conformity, which is ironic, considering I started painting in the first place to escape the conformity of Corporate America.

Choosing My Gut Over the Playbook

I could be entirely wrong for not listening to all the “professionals” who seem to have the answers, the formulas, and the secret sauce for making it as a professional artist. Maybe they’re right. But my gut has a pretty good track record, and it’s usually louder than anyone selling certainty. At the end of the day, I’d rather be wrong on my own terms than right by someone else’s playbook. And if nothing else, I can at least say, like Frank Sinatra famously said, I did it my way.

An Artistic Walkabout

So maybe what I need for 2026 is a kind of artistic walkabout, a period of creative exploration without a fixed destination. A time to let curiosity lead, step off the paved path as an artist, and blaze my own trail, trusting that along the way the right opportunities will reveal themselves. That idea reminds me of Bruce Lee’s philosophy of water: “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put it into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. Water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” It’s a reminder that flexibility and adaptability are what allow forward movement in an art career.

Still Moving Forward, Just Not Forcing It

This doesn’t mean I’m backing off or losing momentum, and it doesn’t mean I’m closing myself off to exhibits, art walks, or new opportunities. I still intend to push and strive to stand out in an oversaturated artistic landscape. I’m just realizing that pushing doesn’t always mean forcing. When I let go but stay engaged with enthusiasm and intent, things tend to work better than when I try to control every outcome.

Letting the Year Take Shape

I don’t want to define the new year before it has a chance to unfold. I’m not interested in labeling it, framing it, or setting a precedent I’ll feel obligated to live up to. I’d rather let things move as they will.

This new year, at least for now, is about paying attention to what feels right, following my instincts as an artist, and ignoring what’s prescribed, preached, or expected. I’m not abandoning effort or ambition. I’m just done forcing direction before it has any reason to exist.

Being True Without Performing It

In 2026, I don’t want a word, resolutions that will break by February, or short-term goals that quietly fall apart. Instead of naming the year in advance, I’ll let it define itself as it unfolds. I’ll respond to the work, the ideas, and the moments as they come, letting clarity emerge through motion, not planning. Everyone seems eager to declare 2026 the “year of authenticity,” a buzzword that’s become exhausting to hear about. While everyone else is busy performing authenticity, I’ll focus on being true without needing to announce it. No set goals, no word of the year, just hoisting the mainsail and letting the currents carry me where they may.