Amy, It's funny, I did notice when the comics stopped showing up and wondered if you had continued. With my own list of unfinished things, it was relatable. But seeing the image of the 52 weeks was so satisfying, what a fabulous visual of follow through and theme - congrats on this completion!
In 2025, my word is "consistency". As part of that, following and learning from you, you have inspired me to start a weekly project with the sole purpose of being consistent. Thank you for the weekly prompts/inspiration/guides provided. Very helpful.
I also want to say thank you for your words each week. I am thirteen years into my own grief of a love story where illness ended up as the main character and life was a series of crisis checkpoints with moments of joy sprinkled throughout until the end. I relate to many of the subtle though raw words you write. I hope you find comfort in knowing that the subtext is visible to those who have had similar experiences. You are understood.
May you decide that the Sunday post can be as long or short as you need each week. For us who read, we just value that you share an illustrated life. ~Karin
Karin - Thank you so much for your comment. I am sorry for your loss and experience with both illness and grief. Illness as a major player in a story is a good way to think about things. I really appreciate this comment and knowing that the subtext is there for those who know. It means a lot to hear that.
“Consistency” sounds like a great pick for your word for the year, and I am really glad to hear that trying something weekly is part of your plan! There is a lot to be said for weekly projects. I hope you get off to a good start with whatever shape the project takes.
I meant to comment, too, that I loved seeing your note about using Goodnotes. I kept a planner in GoodNotes in 2025, although I wasn't super diligent. I'm scattered across paper and digital and even a notetaking app. My mom fully switched to Goodnotes though and did an awesome job -- her planner is full of daily notes and images and really cool. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it, too. (Big fan of Goodnotes for lots of kinds of projects.)
It wasn't an easy transition (breaking up with paper), but my 2022-23 goal was to unscatter my planning and writing projects into a system that was "offline" yet digital. I purchased Scrivener - writing & journaling - with Goodnotes for planning. Procreate is next to learn and use, we'll see how that goes.
I found the hurdles to using Goodnotes effectively were 1) buying the right planner format/style (so many planner options on Etsy...), 2) deciding to use less stickers & add my own content, and 3) establishing a routine for logging. Since I use the planner for both work and personal, I prefer the AmethystGarnet system (Etsy shop I recommend!). The bundle contains a traditional planner that allows for flexibility in color/weekly/daily formats and has a robust template section for adding notebook style pages.
Like your mother, I memorialize life moments in a manner very similar to bullet journaling or scrapbooking, but so much easier and less expensive. It's part of my evening routine now to log the days activities/notable topics. Also, I love that on Dec 31, I export the year to PDF as my annual "yearbook" (after deleting all extra and unused pages).
There's definitely been a deleting of unused pages and PDF exporting happening this week! It's a wonderful export at the end, for sure.
I've been on a similar journey - although maybe not as successful (and I think I've complicated my plans a bit for 2025). That I keep an illustrated journal creates yet another kink when it comes to centralizing efforts. (Yes, I could do it all on iPad, but I'm still enjoying paper, pen, and ink for my regular art. I used Scrivener for writing for several Nanowrimo stints -- but its lack of portability was a problem (for me). I've also been a heavy Notion user. I've been really deep-diving into Obsidian this year, which allows me to work pretty seamlessly both on my computer and from iPad. It's a partial solution on the writing front (with a goal of bringing in years of work).
I love Procreate. If you have any experience with Photoshop, you'll find it makes a lot of sense. Have fun with that exploration. (So that tells me you are also making art!)
I already bought my 2025 Goodnotes planner -- but I'll take a look at the shop you recommend for the future. (While I think sticker-based "aesthetic" planners are pretty -- it's not my style. I'm definitely content first.... my digital planner is a scrawled mess. Lol.)
Congratulations on the year long comic series. They are truly amazing and inspiring.
Consistency is something I lack and have given myself the ok to be that way. I am consistent in basic everyday things. Perhaps so many demands over the last 20 years have finally allowed me to pick and choose what I do.
I laugh at the story of your Christmas dinner but I bet it was tasty. Also your escapades with the microwave! I had a spark and of course took it to electronic recycling immediately. I almost did not replace it as I hardly use it but to reheat my coffee. Many of my friends have gotten rid of theirs. Now the style is a big microwave/ fan over the stove. Can’t afford that. Having an older place we have a built in shelf that the microwave fits into. Friends now use their empty space for cookbooks or kitchen decor.
I noticed many glass plates for the inside of microwaves for sale at the thrift stores. Good luck on finding the answer to your sparks. Next time I have a spark I think I will just stop using it. Removing the shelf and adding a new set of cupboard doors would be another option. Hmmm! More to contemplate.
When my 30 year old dryer went POOF very loudly and I could smell smoke I got rid of it. During covid that involved months of waiting for a new appliance. Purchase was also complicated by a new door I had installed for the laundry closet as most huge new machines don’t fit inside these closets. Lots of ordering and cancelling took place before I settled on something that fit and did not involved replacing my doors again.
Again no Christmas tree for me and my stockings and most decor remained downstairs in storage. I was happy with some lights and a bit of the color red and Santa riding his chicken. Glad it is over for another year.
I bet that was a frustrating thing to be without during the pandemic, and what an ordeal with finding the right size! I do worry about someone managing to get what’s in the house out for the replacements. The way you are contemplating doing without a microwave is the way I’ve seriously contemplated the stove issue. lol. I hope that you have a good week as the year turns, Gail. I’m sure there is much art ahead for you in the new year.
I like the idea of a weekly project and I'm thinking about that now.
I did take some time to do a creative reflection in the year using your visual and writing prompts. The things that stood out to me:
1. I wasn't stuck like I kept saying, but probably refilling/refreshing after finishing a BIG (years!) project.
2. I found it really satisfying to do non-word-focused creative projects especially things that were tactile, like print making and wet felting and needle felting.
3. It was also satisfying to have a very quick, easy to finish project (I made a lot of needle felted stars in November — it took a few moments and I could make something every day — so each piece was finished by my idea of making a garland with them was not.
4. It was easier and more fun to create when I played and didn't get too caught up with the end point.
The felting sounds amazing! I like the attitude “to create and play and not get caught up in the end result!” My 9 year old grandson did needle felt a panda which I found quite amazing!
Sara - what a wonderful recognition to make…. That you are not stuck but are, instead, refilling. It can definitely take time after a big projects ends, but it sounds like you had some wonderful projects this year that carried you through. I really appreciate you sharing your observations about what worked for you. I think the more we are able to identify these things, the more fulfilling our creative time can be. Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
“The simple reality is if we don’t write these things down and don’t document our lives, the details tend to just go right out the window.” - this is so true, as is so much of what you write.
In Dec last year I took social media off my phone, which changed my art practice and what challenges I participated in as I didn’t see so many that I usually do with my weekly IG check in. It also didn’t decrease what my iPhone said my screen time was so I turned off screen time and poof a bunch of guilt left me. I also read less books. So for me all the things people say about deleting social media were just myths haha.
I like the idea of a weekly panel - maybe something in black and white in my journal. I often love to come up with new projects for the new year and treat January 1 as THE new start, this year I feel meh about it.
Looking forward to your next postcard prompt. I have been sending them to my niblings and my niece (10) made a point of telling me how much she loves them.
I’m sorry to hear that you are feeling meh about new projects for January. I often go ahead and start a number of things and see which ones have lasting power, but I really don’t have any “new” things planned (yet). I have so many existing things that I think most things just continue. I think adding a weekly of some form in your journal is a great idea.
I love hearing about the postcards that are reaching your nibbling. That’s so cool, and how awesome that your niece told you how much she enjoys them? Maybe she’ll send her own in response to yours?
I hope you have a good week as well close out the year and welcome the new.
I had sparking in my microwave when I tried using a thrift store plate originally from Delta Airlines. There was a little metal in the logo on the plate. If metal isn't the issue, toss the MW. You can get a new one for less than $100.
I've had it with goals and lists. Thanks for giving me the impetus to write about it! Doing either is a time sink, although often gratifying. And you did give me a great idea for the 75th birthday list!
I think we each do view things like goals and lists differently and differently at different points and in different situations. I hope you have a happy birthday today — and that there are good things ahead and many poems to be written in the new year, Fran.
Love the weekly panels Amy, and love that you enjoyed it enough to continue it! You are so right about locking down those observations in the moment. That is my main goal headed into more illustrated journaling in 2025. My biggest breakthrough this year grew out of ICAD! I did drawing from life (not my strong suit), nor was the tiny card my strong suit, but it got me more comfortable w/ bringing a small kit out and about with me to make art on the go-something I did continue post-index cards with the cheap little watercolor pocket sketchbooks I found. It’s been lovely.
I love hearing this about ICAD. I know you mentioned this yesterday, but I guess I hadn’t seen this comment yet. Having that experience be the catapult to doing more urban sketching is wonderful. I tried walking about with a field note a few years ago and standing and drawing on the spot, and it just didn’t quite sink in. I am sure someday it will. I hope you enjoy your illustrated journal exploration. Just day by day or week by week — it evolves. And it can certainly hold landscapes work, thumbnails, and more. Have fun!
"The next day is simply the next day." This should maybe be my focus this year. Or I could pare it down even further to the moment being simply the moment. I attach a lot of meaning to what I experience, and I don't think that's necessarily wrong. But it's a short jump to overthinking, and I'd like to find ways to limit that if I can.
It is hard to realize that so much has changed, Amy, and despite a lot of unfinished projects, I applaud you for how you've carried on with so much. There were other ways your attention needed to be focused this past year.
Your 52 Diary List Comics are, bar none, the most accessible journal entries I've ever had the privilege of seeing. Thank you for sharing them. Happy New Year!
Amy, It's funny, I did notice when the comics stopped showing up and wondered if you had continued. With my own list of unfinished things, it was relatable. But seeing the image of the 52 weeks was so satisfying, what a fabulous visual of follow through and theme - congrats on this completion!
In 2025, my word is "consistency". As part of that, following and learning from you, you have inspired me to start a weekly project with the sole purpose of being consistent. Thank you for the weekly prompts/inspiration/guides provided. Very helpful.
I also want to say thank you for your words each week. I am thirteen years into my own grief of a love story where illness ended up as the main character and life was a series of crisis checkpoints with moments of joy sprinkled throughout until the end. I relate to many of the subtle though raw words you write. I hope you find comfort in knowing that the subtext is visible to those who have had similar experiences. You are understood.
May you decide that the Sunday post can be as long or short as you need each week. For us who read, we just value that you share an illustrated life. ~Karin
Karin - Thank you so much for your comment. I am sorry for your loss and experience with both illness and grief. Illness as a major player in a story is a good way to think about things. I really appreciate this comment and knowing that the subtext is there for those who know. It means a lot to hear that.
“Consistency” sounds like a great pick for your word for the year, and I am really glad to hear that trying something weekly is part of your plan! There is a lot to be said for weekly projects. I hope you get off to a good start with whatever shape the project takes.
I meant to comment, too, that I loved seeing your note about using Goodnotes. I kept a planner in GoodNotes in 2025, although I wasn't super diligent. I'm scattered across paper and digital and even a notetaking app. My mom fully switched to Goodnotes though and did an awesome job -- her planner is full of daily notes and images and really cool. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it, too. (Big fan of Goodnotes for lots of kinds of projects.)
It wasn't an easy transition (breaking up with paper), but my 2022-23 goal was to unscatter my planning and writing projects into a system that was "offline" yet digital. I purchased Scrivener - writing & journaling - with Goodnotes for planning. Procreate is next to learn and use, we'll see how that goes.
I found the hurdles to using Goodnotes effectively were 1) buying the right planner format/style (so many planner options on Etsy...), 2) deciding to use less stickers & add my own content, and 3) establishing a routine for logging. Since I use the planner for both work and personal, I prefer the AmethystGarnet system (Etsy shop I recommend!). The bundle contains a traditional planner that allows for flexibility in color/weekly/daily formats and has a robust template section for adding notebook style pages.
Like your mother, I memorialize life moments in a manner very similar to bullet journaling or scrapbooking, but so much easier and less expensive. It's part of my evening routine now to log the days activities/notable topics. Also, I love that on Dec 31, I export the year to PDF as my annual "yearbook" (after deleting all extra and unused pages).
There's definitely been a deleting of unused pages and PDF exporting happening this week! It's a wonderful export at the end, for sure.
I've been on a similar journey - although maybe not as successful (and I think I've complicated my plans a bit for 2025). That I keep an illustrated journal creates yet another kink when it comes to centralizing efforts. (Yes, I could do it all on iPad, but I'm still enjoying paper, pen, and ink for my regular art. I used Scrivener for writing for several Nanowrimo stints -- but its lack of portability was a problem (for me). I've also been a heavy Notion user. I've been really deep-diving into Obsidian this year, which allows me to work pretty seamlessly both on my computer and from iPad. It's a partial solution on the writing front (with a goal of bringing in years of work).
I love Procreate. If you have any experience with Photoshop, you'll find it makes a lot of sense. Have fun with that exploration. (So that tells me you are also making art!)
I already bought my 2025 Goodnotes planner -- but I'll take a look at the shop you recommend for the future. (While I think sticker-based "aesthetic" planners are pretty -- it's not my style. I'm definitely content first.... my digital planner is a scrawled mess. Lol.)
Happy New Year (a bit early).
Dear Amy,
Congratulations on the year long comic series. They are truly amazing and inspiring.
Consistency is something I lack and have given myself the ok to be that way. I am consistent in basic everyday things. Perhaps so many demands over the last 20 years have finally allowed me to pick and choose what I do.
I laugh at the story of your Christmas dinner but I bet it was tasty. Also your escapades with the microwave! I had a spark and of course took it to electronic recycling immediately. I almost did not replace it as I hardly use it but to reheat my coffee. Many of my friends have gotten rid of theirs. Now the style is a big microwave/ fan over the stove. Can’t afford that. Having an older place we have a built in shelf that the microwave fits into. Friends now use their empty space for cookbooks or kitchen decor.
I noticed many glass plates for the inside of microwaves for sale at the thrift stores. Good luck on finding the answer to your sparks. Next time I have a spark I think I will just stop using it. Removing the shelf and adding a new set of cupboard doors would be another option. Hmmm! More to contemplate.
When my 30 year old dryer went POOF very loudly and I could smell smoke I got rid of it. During covid that involved months of waiting for a new appliance. Purchase was also complicated by a new door I had installed for the laundry closet as most huge new machines don’t fit inside these closets. Lots of ordering and cancelling took place before I settled on something that fit and did not involved replacing my doors again.
Again no Christmas tree for me and my stockings and most decor remained downstairs in storage. I was happy with some lights and a bit of the color red and Santa riding his chicken. Glad it is over for another year.
I bet that was a frustrating thing to be without during the pandemic, and what an ordeal with finding the right size! I do worry about someone managing to get what’s in the house out for the replacements. The way you are contemplating doing without a microwave is the way I’ve seriously contemplated the stove issue. lol. I hope that you have a good week as the year turns, Gail. I’m sure there is much art ahead for you in the new year.
I like the idea of a weekly project and I'm thinking about that now.
I did take some time to do a creative reflection in the year using your visual and writing prompts. The things that stood out to me:
1. I wasn't stuck like I kept saying, but probably refilling/refreshing after finishing a BIG (years!) project.
2. I found it really satisfying to do non-word-focused creative projects especially things that were tactile, like print making and wet felting and needle felting.
3. It was also satisfying to have a very quick, easy to finish project (I made a lot of needle felted stars in November — it took a few moments and I could make something every day — so each piece was finished by my idea of making a garland with them was not.
4. It was easier and more fun to create when I played and didn't get too caught up with the end point.
The felting sounds amazing! I like the attitude “to create and play and not get caught up in the end result!” My 9 year old grandson did needle felt a panda which I found quite amazing!
Sara - what a wonderful recognition to make…. That you are not stuck but are, instead, refilling. It can definitely take time after a big projects ends, but it sounds like you had some wonderful projects this year that carried you through. I really appreciate you sharing your observations about what worked for you. I think the more we are able to identify these things, the more fulfilling our creative time can be. Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
“The simple reality is if we don’t write these things down and don’t document our lives, the details tend to just go right out the window.” - this is so true, as is so much of what you write.
In Dec last year I took social media off my phone, which changed my art practice and what challenges I participated in as I didn’t see so many that I usually do with my weekly IG check in. It also didn’t decrease what my iPhone said my screen time was so I turned off screen time and poof a bunch of guilt left me. I also read less books. So for me all the things people say about deleting social media were just myths haha.
I like the idea of a weekly panel - maybe something in black and white in my journal. I often love to come up with new projects for the new year and treat January 1 as THE new start, this year I feel meh about it.
Looking forward to your next postcard prompt. I have been sending them to my niblings and my niece (10) made a point of telling me how much she loves them.
I’m sorry to hear that you are feeling meh about new projects for January. I often go ahead and start a number of things and see which ones have lasting power, but I really don’t have any “new” things planned (yet). I have so many existing things that I think most things just continue. I think adding a weekly of some form in your journal is a great idea.
I love hearing about the postcards that are reaching your nibbling. That’s so cool, and how awesome that your niece told you how much she enjoys them? Maybe she’ll send her own in response to yours?
I hope you have a good week as well close out the year and welcome the new.
Hey, Amy,
I had sparking in my microwave when I tried using a thrift store plate originally from Delta Airlines. There was a little metal in the logo on the plate. If metal isn't the issue, toss the MW. You can get a new one for less than $100.
I've had it with goals and lists. Thanks for giving me the impetus to write about it! Doing either is a time sink, although often gratifying. And you did give me a great idea for the 75th birthday list!
I think we each do view things like goals and lists differently and differently at different points and in different situations. I hope you have a happy birthday today — and that there are good things ahead and many poems to be written in the new year, Fran.
Love the weekly panels Amy, and love that you enjoyed it enough to continue it! You are so right about locking down those observations in the moment. That is my main goal headed into more illustrated journaling in 2025. My biggest breakthrough this year grew out of ICAD! I did drawing from life (not my strong suit), nor was the tiny card my strong suit, but it got me more comfortable w/ bringing a small kit out and about with me to make art on the go-something I did continue post-index cards with the cheap little watercolor pocket sketchbooks I found. It’s been lovely.
I love hearing this about ICAD. I know you mentioned this yesterday, but I guess I hadn’t seen this comment yet. Having that experience be the catapult to doing more urban sketching is wonderful. I tried walking about with a field note a few years ago and standing and drawing on the spot, and it just didn’t quite sink in. I am sure someday it will. I hope you enjoy your illustrated journal exploration. Just day by day or week by week — it evolves. And it can certainly hold landscapes work, thumbnails, and more. Have fun!
"The next day is simply the next day." This should maybe be my focus this year. Or I could pare it down even further to the moment being simply the moment. I attach a lot of meaning to what I experience, and I don't think that's necessarily wrong. But it's a short jump to overthinking, and I'd like to find ways to limit that if I can.
It is hard to realize that so much has changed, Amy, and despite a lot of unfinished projects, I applaud you for how you've carried on with so much. There were other ways your attention needed to be focused this past year.
Your 52 Diary List Comics are, bar none, the most accessible journal entries I've ever had the privilege of seeing. Thank you for sharing them. Happy New Year!