Join 31 Days of Creative Resilience 2026

Starting January 1st, 2026: Daily practices to embrace creativity and build resilience

After emerging from simultaneous frenzy and lethargy of the holiday season, I crave a gently invigorating routine to connect with my creative force at the start of the year.

I’m an introvert who relishes going inward and staying at home, so winter is my most productive season. Yet for many years, I’ve pushed myself to forge ahead with projects and goals without considering winter’s softer, slower pace.

My wish for us this winter is to begin the new year by tending and expanding our creative practice, through a month of daily prompts that ask you to explore your inner and outer world.

This January, I invite you to join 31 Days of Creative Resilience in 2026. This is the second time I’m running this journey and I refresh the themes and prompts every year. You'll receive:

• Daily prompts and reflections delivered to your email

• Simple exercises to explore in your journal or sketchbook

• Community chat and comments to share prompts

Free subscribers receive the first prompt of each week's theme. Paid subscribers get the full 31-day experience.

Join now for 15% off an annual subscription (offer ends Jan 3), or upgrade to a monthly subscription.

How it works

WHEN DO I GET THE PROMPT? Every week in January, I will send out a newsletter with the week’s topic and prompts. The first prompt of each week will be unlocked for all subscribers, and the rest will be available for paid subscribers. The prompt length will vary by day, ranging from 5 minutes to 30 minutes.

CAN I SKIP DAYS? If you skip a day, no worries—just jump back in the next day. If you don’t resonate with a prompt or week, skip it altogether.

DO I NEED EXPERIENCE? ARE YOU SURE I CAN JOIN? You do not need any creative credentials or background! This journey is for everyone who yearns to connect to their creativity. You can practice any medium or format, whether it’s drawing, writing, crafting, or whatever else interests you.

I do ask that participants be comfortable with using pen/pencil and paper and be willing to explore their inner self.

HOW DOES THE COMMUNITY ASPECT WORK? Comments for each weekly post will be open to paid subscribers. I’ll also prompt folks to share their responses and reflections through Substack’s chat feature. We can use both spaces to connect, share our work, and support each other. Both are totally optional!

HOW LONG CAN I ACCESS THE CONTENT? All past 31 Days of Resilience content will remain available for paid subscribers.

Themes we’ll explore

After a gentle introduction and intention setting exercise to start the new year, we’ll dive into the four themes of the creative resilience journey.

Each weekly theme is related to one of four creative archetypes. Don’t know your archetype yet? Take the quiz here.

WEEK ONE: Documenting (January 4-10)

Our journey together starts with grounding in our perceived reality and experiences, piecing together fragments of our daily life and observing how we see the world.

This week maps to the Voyager archetype’s growth area.

WEEK TWO: Experimenting (January 11-17)

In the second week we move into experimentation, remixing different techniques to branch out of our comfort zone and spark curiosity in novel ways.

This week maps to the Shapeshifter archetype’s growth area.

WEEK THREE: Imagining (January 18-24)

We trek into our inner world during week three, riffing on memories and feelings to generate new ideas and get a better sense of our authentic style.

This week maps to the Visionary archetype’s growth area.

WEEK FOUR: Sustaining (January 25-31)

Our monthlong journey culminates in preparing encouraging structures to nurture us for the long haul. We gift ourselves structures and reminders of how we can flow with our natural rhythms and sustain ourselves without burning out.

This week maps to the Strategist archetype’s growth area.

Materials needed

I encourage you to work through the daily exercises on paper, by hand. You'll encounter writing prompts and drawing exercises for your own creative exploration. You can use as many or as few materials as you’d like. At minimum, I suggest:

• Paper (loose sheets or sketchbook)

• Pens or pencils

Some of the prompts will require sourcing additional materials from the outside world.

Sign me up!

To join 31 Days of Creative Resilience, upgrade to a SEE YOU paid subscription. You can get 15% off an annual subscription through January 3.

Want to support others on their creative journey? Give a gift or donate a subscription.

I can’t wait to see what we create together. Happy new year, and SEE YOU in January!