Fried Onions, Big Feelings and Your 2026

 How ya doin' brave creator?!

The holidays brings sweetness. Yes, they do.

My daughter came home from her junior year so full of ease; my son so excited for a mid-year break from senior year of high school; my partner and my kids spent an entire meal together and even stayed to play a few rounds of dreidel.  AMAZING.  (The house still smells like fried onions).

So much to be grateful for! Roger that.

And as is human nature, on the other side of sweetness there will always be a measure of melancholy.  

Holidays are defined by the bittersweet.   

The grief for what has been lost during the prior year and the anticipation of the letting go that lies ahead finds its way in between courses and conversations.

My husband's birthday was on Christmas.  

And this year, for the first time since I started having Christmas dinner with his family in 1986 … and in the ten years since he died … my kids and I will be spending December 25th on our own. 

Bittersweet.

This paradox is an invitation:  slow down and honor what is here.  

Pay a little more attention to what is stirring in our hearts for the future we want to live. 

If you are like me, you have already begun to imagine how to re-calibrate, to shore yourself up and move in the direction you want to grow in 2026. 

And, if you are like me, you could use a little support to prioritize the time such reflection and contemplation requires. 

This past year, my goal was to show up in new spaces.  

So I attended many artist events and creative conferences. I traveled to three new destinations, I submitted a dozen applications to speak, and I went on a few retreats. 

And yet -- something isn't growing. 

Something inside me is keeping me from reaching the level of impact I want to experience in my business.

With the new year just around the corner, I've already blocked time to reflect on what  that “something” might be – and what actions I can take to bring it into the light.

If it's useful to you, join me in this exploration!

I’ve created an easy Creative Goals Map for 2026 that can be your reflection and contemplation guide.  

Download your Creative Goals Map here

And keep an eye on your inbox in 2026.  

There will be a few refinements here at Creativity Matters Coaching, and a few opportunities to put your good thought work to work.   

With gratitude and courage to create,

Naomi