Looking Back, Looking Ahead 2025

2024 was a big year for me. It was my first full calendar year as a mom, which was obviously huge. I designed my first movie poster, wrote a blog post (my second!) for the National MS Society, saw a concert (Arcade Fire) at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, hosted my first Thanksgiving, and kept my cool many, many, many times. Here’s what’s on my mind as I look back on 2024 and look forward to 2025. 

Two Things I Learned in 2024

I am strong as f*ck

It feels so obvious and unoriginal to say that I never appreciated how incredibly strong mothers are until I became one, but this is something that cannot be said enough. I kept a whole human alive – literally feeding him FROM MY BODY – healthy, thriving, and happy… if his gleeful clapping and laughing is an indication. 

Not only have I been raising my baby, I’ve also kept my business going and growing. My gross income stayed relatively steady, and I started working with more subcontractors to offset the added demands on my time. I also collaborated with two new clients, in addition to taking on new projects with previously existing clients.

And… I have done all of this without fully losing my mind. This is HUGE. I am awesome. Sometimes it feels a little silly to say that because so many people do it, but it’s amazing. It is incredible what we are capable of, and we need to celebrate these achievements rather than talking ourselves down with “everyone does this, you’re not special” negativity. 

My support system is amazing

Of course, I would not have been able to achieve what I did this past year – especially the sanity part – without an incredible support network. 

For starters, I have Nate – my husband and my partner in crime raising this goofy baby of ours. He has been by my side and willingly walks through the fire with me each day of this journey.

Nate and I are fortunate to have family living nearby – my parents, Nate’s mom, and my sister are all about an hour away. As well as a wonderful community of local friends. They were all hugely generous when it came to babysitting, meals, hand me downs and moral support. One of the most impactful things, my friend Megan told me: “Even when you’re not taking care of him, you’re still managing the whole ship. You’re the CEO of this household.” That was a good reminder to be kind to myself when I’m feeling overwhelmed.

On the countless days I felt like I was hanging on by a thread, or completely dropping every ball, there was someone who could watch Grayson for an hour, or a quart of chili in the freezer, or extra onesies after the third spit-up incident of the morning and no time for laundry, or a friend I could text who would tell me about their own troubles with babies who refuse to sleep through the night, or reassure me I’m going a good job. If you ever think it’s too much or unnecessary to tell a parent they are doing a good job, you are wrong. All the times anyone has said that to me this year are etched onto my soul forever.

We do not take any of this for granted. We know many parents aren’t surrounded by so much love and support. Hand on heart, I cannot fully put into words how grateful I am to our village.

Three Things I Want to Learn in 2025

How to rebuild my self-care practices

I definitely thought I was super good at self care. Living with chronic illness kind of demands that of me. But having a kiddo has changed all of my rhythms and habits around self care. It’s tough to stick to 10 a.m. yoga when my son has a 9:58 meltdown or a 10:07 diaper blowout. Babies have no respect for schedules. Okay, they have no respect for our schedules. Also, when it comes down to it, it’s hard to choose to spend time with myself when I can spend time with my adorable child, or checking things off my never-ending, forever growing to do list. But I’m trying to really let it sink in that if I want to take care of my family and my business, I have to take care of myself. I’m no good to anyone else if I’m too stressed and exhausted to think.
I’ve started dabbling with where my yoga and meditation practices might fit into the ways my days look now, and I want to continue that into the new year. 

How to engage with community (and leave the house!)

We spent a lot of 2024 at home. I understand this happens for a lot of new parents, but I have to admit it took me by surprise. You think ‘tiny human… easy to transport….’ No. No no no. Little babies have big things. All the STUFF. I was not emotionally prepared for how much I was going to need to carry for a simple outing. I think I take more crap with me now to spend an hour at a coffee shop than I used to take for a weekend away. Which is to say, navigating the world with Grayson can be a lot. But feeling isolated and disconnected is also draining. In 2025 I’m looking for ways to engage with my community again. In particular, I’m looking for ways to connect with other creatives and other new parents. 

Leaving / making room to laugh 

One of the things I struggled with the most this past year was feeling overwhelmed. When this happens, I get frozen and become very seriously focused on how to get things accomplished. As you can imagine there’s not a lot of room for silliness and fun when I feel that way. But laughing with people is one of the ways I feel most connected. And there is nothing cuter than my baby when he laughs – I need to leave room to fully feel that joy. So making room for laughter is a big goal for me right now.

Fellow parents, moms, creatives, working moms, solo business owners, moms with disabilities, life-loving humans, etc.: If you have any tips on how I can work on my goals for 2025, I warmly welcome your insights.