Resolutions EVERY Creative Should Have For 2026

I’m not going to pretend like New Year’s Resolutions are something that I frequently lean into each year.

In fact, I typically believe that you should make resolutions throughout the year as crossroads and transitional periods in your personal and professional life arise, rather than waiting until an arbitrary deadline to begin making those same changes.

That being said, I can understand the value in giving yourself a finite amount of time to begin making drastic lifestyle and mental changes, especially if that timeline aligns with many others in your vicinity who are also looking to utilize New Year’s Resolutions to improve themselves.

From my own standpoint, I have a few transitions and goals for the upcoming year that are a bit personal.

I, therefore, am going to keep them to myself until they’re manifested.

That being said, I also have several lifestyle and mentality shifts that I believe are not only useful life-lessons and changes for myself, but for almost every creative looking to or currently making a living from their craft as well.

Confidence & Boundaries

Far more often than most of us would care to admit, we make exceptions to our personal code of ethics to justify fulfilling the needs of the people and projects that we pour ourselves into, be that anything from taking on a low-paying project to meet the needs of our clients (…or landlord) to relinquishing a previously-outlined boundary to our significant other because we don’t have any desire to cause further volatility over a disagreement.

Therefore, I challenge every creative reading this to, in the upcoming year, maintain a firm understanding of what your personal and business-related boundaries are, as well as to convey them properly when the need arises.

Life is far too short and precious, and you are far too creative and ambitious, to justify relinquishing the code of ethics you have spent your life slowly accumulating and adapting to suit your needs.

Sure, everyone’s upbringing and instinctual mentalities are different, and there are going to be times in your life where your words and actions may need to be challenged and justified, but having a firm understanding of what your own fundamental needs are, as well as how you like to see them implemented, is an incredibly valuable trait to have, no matter what your goals in the upcoming year are.

Discipline, NOT Motivation

We’ve all been there before… a wave of inspiration and energy washing over us, propelling us to take action over our circumstances and make the necessary changes to take control of our lives and fulfill our dreams, only for the temporary steam to eventually wear down until we begin making excuses and justifications for not taking action to the same degree that were until very recently, if at all.

The reason for this is that motivation, however valuable it can be to propel us into taking the initial steps, is fleeting, and we can’t rely on this feeling to carry us throughout the entire process of evolving aspects of ourselves.

Thankfully, where the instinctual and initial sense of motivation falls short, discipline and consistency can carry us the rest of the way.

One of the greatest strengths about being human, at least in my opinion, is our incredible ability to adapt ourselves to situations, and the real key to mental, physical, and financial success is through disciplining ourselves with intentional routines that transition into instinctual habits over time.

I think that the easiest example of this I can reference for you is the reason behind why so many people show up to the gym for the first week or two of the new year, only for the majority of those same people to begin showing up less and less consistently, and then, eventually, not at all.

This is because these same people rely on that initial sense of motivation to carry them for the rest of their journey.

Sure, the first day or two might feel great, but what happens the morning after a night where you didn’t get enough sleep?

What if you stayed up late socializing, or you’re on a tight deadline and won’t have as much free time for yourself if you decide to go to the gym with that time instead?

Slowly, but surely, you’ll make justifications to yourself why doing something you know you need to be doing for yourself is no longer easy, or fun, or convenient, and you’ll fall short of yourself.

Appreciate the sense of motivation as it comes, sure, but focus your energy instead on implementing disciplined structures that will carry you the rest of the way.

Networking & Word-Of-Mouth

I don’t care who you are or what your creative niche is… your ability to surround yourself with the right people and insert yourself into relevant spaces is almost always going to trump your actual creative ability, at least when it comes to your desire to monetize your skillset beyond keeping it as a hobby or pastime.

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is a tried and true approach for a reason.

8 years into my craft and counting, I’m confident that, for however many thousands of cold outreach emails I’ve sent, the strongest method of client acquisition I’ve ever had has come from a previous client, close friend, or even acquaintance that referenced my name and my business in a positive light.

More and more these days, in a world filled to the brim with artificial intelligence and manufactured moments, people crave authenticity and relatability, and they are far more likely to trust you with their time and financial investment if your work is showcased to them through the form of a reliable source.

Spend this upcoming year being intentional with your time and interactions, as well as authentic and well-meaning in your actions towards your current and desired clients, and life will find a way of providing you with the opportunities and mentality shifts that you desire the most.

If you’re interested in hearing and learning more about my mentality and approach to my workflow and clientele, feel free to reach out here to set up a time for us to chat in the near future!