It's 2026 And I've Been...
It feels, and as my personal tradition would have it, important to wrap up one year and welcome the next. But as 2025 ushered in 2026, the days turned into weeks, and then slowly and all at once, we’ve found ourselves knee-deep in February. There’s much to say and not much at all, and somehow too much white space on the page to begin.
So, in an effort to cross off the lingering to-do list of my mind, this check-in will serve as a small marker that time has passed. That goals were met, missed, or gently adjusted. A pause to take stock of what I’ve been up to and a little proof that I was here for it all.
The dust of December, the holidays, and the anticipation of the end-of-the-year has settled. And, as a whole, 2025 good to me. It was productive, stimulating, and creative. A year that, professionally, granted me the runway to explore new themes in my work, develop new series, and weave fresh ideas into the foundation of my existing style.
After a pause from painting in the late weeks of 2025 (and, for that matter, the first weeks of 2026), when I reintroduced myself to the paintbrush last month, I was surprised to find that the still life was still top of mind. Late January, I completed two paintings (my favorites to date) for Well + Wonder’s COLOR show. Now, ideas for potential compositions and color recipes are swirling more and more in my mind. There is still so much runway to explore. There is so much more to set on these tables.
The Olympics have been the only curb for my Bravo craving. My ongoing critical exploration of the masterpiece Southern Charm is very much in full swing. Rest assured, these still waters are not that deep.
He’s been called a prodigy and/or the second coming of Bob Dylan, and maybe he’s both? I’m not the one to ask - over after last month, or I’ve googled “who is Cameron Winter and what is Geese?” many times. Sometimes he is wailing, and almost always he is mumbling. That said, I’ve found myself humming Love Takes Miles throughout my days and choosing Cobra to play first in the car.
My favorite way to absorb Taylor Swift mythology is letting the true experts dumb it down for me on Instagram. So when a reel of someone giving a college-level dissertation on the lore behind Guilty As Sin, y’all know, worked its way back into the rotation.
My discovery of Girl Talk in middle school has lent a lasting love of remixes. Nice For What by Drake is already a forever favorite, and this remix has only made it more so. If this isn’t the song that will wake me from the grave, at the very least, I know it’ll be on the playlist.
It could be my mindset, something in the air, or the fact that January insists on fresh starts, but everything I’ve read recently has felt weighty, deep, and meaningful.
And it all made me weep (positive).
Heart the Lover by Lily King. The first book I finished in 2026. Sentimental and searching and perfectly short, it felt exactly right for the moment. I could not recommend it more.
A sleeper hit but still caught me by surprise was a few lines from Alison Roman on her Substack, A News Letter. Her words have lingered longer than expected.
There is such promise and anticipation in a sparkly new(ish) year. And I feel that more than ever in 2026. I have goals as laughable, yet functional, as re-memorizing my times tables, and others that I’m choosing to hold close. At its core, this time is a tender new beginning to be filled with plans and dreams, and there is so much white space on the page.
So, because there is so much to do in this life of ours. I’ll hop to it.