Happy New Year my creative friend!

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions but I love to choose a special, single word, and create a page about it in my art journal. Choosing a "word of the year" (or "woty") is such a lovely, useful practice. It's like an anchor and a guide to help & inspire me month after month.

Why not choose a woty of your own for 2024? And even better: explore it creatively through art journaling! I'm sharing all about this magical practice in my online workshop "New Beginnings" and I'd love to see you there!

Here are some of my Woty pages from previous years:

how to find your word?

Maybe you've been thinking of choosing a "woty" too, but you're not sure what it could be? Here are some of my favorite ways to find it:

• Taking a walk in nature, paying attention to any little clues I might find on my path.

• Opening a favorite book at random and noticing what words will catch my eye.

• Paying attention to words that might show up repeatedly and unexpectedly in songs, books, conversations...

• Journaling intuitively and trusting what shows up... plus this makes a great first layer for your art journal page!

There's no right or wrong way to do this. You can choose what you feel you need the most right now, or just pick any word you like and trust that it will unfold beautifully throughout the year.

This year I didn't have my word yet when I started my page, but I trusted that it would show up along the way, and it did!

I love having a special word to guide, and often surprise me all year long. It never fails to bring me wisdom and unexpected gifts. Sometimes you can deliberately choose your "woty", but in my experience it's often better to let it show up in its own good time. When it does, you will just “know”.

This year I was hesitating between two words, two nuances of an idea, but something in me felt stuck and I couldn't decide. It was starting to bother me and because I knew I wanted to create my page and share it in my New Year newsletter, I felt like I was running out of time... not an ideal frame of mind!

So I decided to start working on my art journal page anyway. Like I shared in my previous post about my gratitude page, the end of the year has been very busy so I knew I needed to make things easier for myself. Which is why I decided to use pages that were already in progress as my starting points (I always have pages at different stages in my art journal).

One morning as I was sitting at the end of my bed right after waking up, feeling a bit fuzzy. I started thinking about my woty again and the feeling of stuckness came rushing back. I was overthinking again and I thought to myself: "I wish it could be simple..."

"Simple"? Yes! That's the one! I instantly knew this was meant to be my new word. And the funny thing is, had I not been overthinking for weeks, I might not have received it with such clarity. Wotys work in mysterious ways, but if you trust the process, yours will no doubt show up too!

Below are some in-progress pictures of the page with its many layers. I love that a lot of the process involved “simplifying” what was already there…

and the finished page:

Have you found your own special word for 2024?

If so, please share it with me in a comment at the bottom of this post! If you need some more inspiration, or if you're wondering if this lovely practice is for you, you can also read my blog post from a year ago, where I share more about it.

If you create a word-of-the-year page of your own, I’d love to see it! You can post it on Instagram and tag me @lalymille. And of course, I would love for you to join me in the New Beginnings workshop so we can do it together! If you’re already a member of the class, now is the perfect time to revisit it (that’s what lifetime access is for!).

join the journey!

Through 5 art journaling demos and a whole variety of styles, mixed media techniques and wellbeing processes, I will guide you to create:

• a gratitude page to honor the blessings of the past year and close it with love

• a “word of the year” page to make wishes & welcome new beginnings for the year ahead

• or combine the two ideas into a single page!

More than just lessons, these are intimate, creative sessions with me and my art journal. You'll be right by my side in my personal, authentic process, and we will even do a sweet gratitude ritual together (bring some candles!)

The New Year is a wonderful time to think about what you really wish for, and what you want to let go of. When I take the time to explore these thoughts and feelings in my art journal, I always find that it has the best ripple effects for the rest of the year.

Whenever I go back to my “woty” page in the months to come, I know it will act as a gentle reminder and a positive anchor, sometimes offering new guidance and support whenever I need it.

If you’ve been thinking of starting an art journal, there’s really no better time than now your word of the year will be the perfect theme to explore on your first page!

My foundational and beginner-friendly art journaling course reopens in just a few weeks! In “The Artist & the Journal”, I share everything I know about art journaling, so you can make it a creative practice for life.

Express your feelings and emotions, grow your artist wings like never before and create a completely unique, magical book that tells the stories of your soul. This beautiful practice is for everyone, no special “talent” or drawing skills needed!

Join the waiting list to enjoy a super sweet early-bird offer:

Leave a comment for me!