Following what was oddly both the most and least eventful year of our lives, 2021 brings with it a lot of hope. It’s hard to envision a life without a pandemic at this point, but I’m one of those who has grasped on to the notion that covid-19 is something we’ll all have to learn to live with, as the consequences of the pandemic are bound to be far greater than the virus itself. There’s no point in putting a pause on life, as we all must find a way to get by – if not for our physical well-being or finances, for our sanity. For many of us, lockdowns and regulations have been demotivating – 2020 felt like a never-ending Sunday; an accumulating restlessness that never found its release. And so, even if futile, I threw myself into working for greater things in 2021, because it will be a better year. It just has to be.
I’ve always been driven by resolutions. Working towards a goal keeps me thriving, and besides, I find great enjoyment in creating lists, neatly organised within my tiny beige moleskin. My dear friend Hannah recently pointed out that my yearly resolutions should be split into monthly ones, which I’ve found to be great advice as too many annual goals are long forgotten about once the year comes to a close. And so, I’ve created both yearly and monthly resolution lists, however I will only be sharing my annual goals below for some inspiration.
HAVE A NEW WEBSITE BUILT
This one resolution has already been ticked off the list, thanks to my dear boyfriend. I had long hoped to merge my old blog and portfolio into one, and he beautifully did, creating this website I partially designed, now home to both my personal creative endeavours and client work. I’ll also be adding a ‘shop’ section too when the time is right, so that’ll be exciting!
PICK UP CALLIGRAPHY
I’ve always been mesmerised by beautiful handwriting. My father was quite the calligraphy artist, and I remember the abundant collection of birthday cards I had received from him, primarily due to the stunning opening letter. Being a writer and stationery fanatic myself, I feel it would be a fun pastime to take up.
MOVE TO VALLETTA
The capital city is my favourite place to be here in Malta. While that might come as no surprise given its cultural and architectural beauty, most expats and those within my age group flock to Sliema instead. I’ll be moving from a bustling city in which my friends all live, to a quieter city where solitude is imminent. Valletta is where I tend to work on most photography projects, it’s a great spot for freelancers, and it’s also the city that best represents me and my love for all things vintage. There are a couple of peaceful parks and the nightlife is wonderful; thanks to a plethora of wine bars and cosy restaurants. Above all, it boasts several stylishly designed apartments, which can no longer be said for Sliema. And so, I’ll be moving in February – I couldn’t be more thrilled!
HEAD TO THE GYM
Back in December, I decided to sign up for a 6-month membership at a gym here in Tigné. My relationship with exercise has been very tumultuous; I danced ballet throughout my childhood, stopped due to the development of a tumour, began again on a more serious note in my teenage years and grew out of love with it a year later. I experimented with yoga on an on again, off again basis, before I ultimately decided it did nothing for me mentally and felt too slow-paced for my liking. I stepped into the gym shortly afterwards, and trained for two to three years until my trainer left the island and the pandemic happened. After lockdown, my motivation was at an all-time low, but with a little push I decided it was time to get back on track. My goal for 2021 is to head to the gym at least twice a week – which I realise is not much, but I don’t really train for my physical state as much as I do for my mental well-being. Exercise helps me focus; it also motivates me to kick off the workday on a strong note.
READ A BOOK PER MONTH
In all honesty, I could probably do with reading far more than one book, but I’d hate to overcommit to anything and fail. I was once an avid reader, but the start of 2021 has been busy to say the least; in between apartment hunting and signing on new client projects for the year, there has not been too much time to work on personal creative goals or sit down and read much. The book I’ve almost concluded this month has to do with obtaining an in-depth understanding of the female anatomy, as well as harnessing your hormones. In February, I plan to read a book consisting of marketing tips. Perhaps I’ll put together a recommendation list soon enough?
SPEND SOME TIME IN PARIS
It’s hard to really plan a travel-related goal in times like these, so while I have a list of places I’ve been meaning to visit since the start of 2020, I’m going easy on that and taking one travel-related wish at a time. In fact, I won’t even list the other places I’ve been hoping to visit as I would really hate to face more disappointment. With that said, if 2021 allows, I hope to spend weeks at a time in Paris towards the latter part of the year. Naturally I would be working from there, while also reuniting with friends and finding inspiration everywhere I turn.
SLOW THE SOCIAL PLANS
Much to my friends’ dismay, I’ve walked into 2021 with the hope of living a calmer, less social life. I do not want or need to be out every weekend, although I’ll probably still find the time to pop out for a glass of wine or chat over a cappuccino. The need to keep up with social plans has exhausted me. It’s expensive and demands much of my time, especially seeing as most of my friends are within different social groups and I’ll somehow end up with a nightly event if I let myself get carried away. So the idea is to focus more on work and creativity, and only head to events that I will truly enjoy. Less extravagance, more meaning.
LEARN BASIC SWEDISH
One slightly tougher resolution than the rest, learning conversational Swedish has been on my mind for some time. Seeing as my boyfriend is Swedish, and I do tend to hang around Swedes quite often, I figure this is a very sensible thing to do. It’ll also be fun to brush up on my language skills – seeing as I haven’t studied a new language in three or four years!
IMPROVE ON MY CULINARY SKILLS
This one goal was mostly inspired by the hope of spending less money and eating healthier. I’ve been ordering far too much food lately, so I bought myself a beautiful velvet recipe notebook to motivate me.
