Karly

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that everyone hates resolutions until they’re the one who’s writing them down in a pink gel pen in a freshly unwrapped planner that still smells like paper and optimism.

We’ve all seen that post, the one about realistic goals and sustainability and the humble honour of surviving another trip around the sun, and look, there’s nothing wrong with a soft launch into January, I love a low-stakes ambition as much as the next girl, but sometimes you need to pretend to be That Girl in order to become That Girl.

This year, I’ve decided my resolutions are going to be aspirational, not because I’ll keep them all but because I like the idea of being someone who might, and isn’t that the point, to reach for something slightly out of grasp, something glittery and unprovable, like a more disciplined self or a consistent upload schedule.

So here they are, mine, for now.

1. Be a little more impractical
Buy the good moisturiser, pack the hardcover, say yes to an idea even if it doesn’t make sense on paper, because sometimes joy isn’t logistical.

2. Make the time
Not find it, not wish for it, not spiral about not having it, just make it, for the project, the call, the walk, the blog post, especially the blog post and yes, for the people who matter, because time is rarely about convenience and almost always about intention, and I’ve always believed in crossing oceans and borders for my friends, because I know they’ll clear a packed schedule just to catch up.

3. Romanticise the work
There’s no use pretending I’m a naturally disciplined person, but I do like scenes, I like rituals and mugs and playlists, I like being the main character in my own editing session, so this year I’m choosing to lean into it, because the work doesn’t have to feel like punishment.

4. Stay delusional
Delusion built this platform, delusion is why I write emails and DMs to people I admire and sometimes get replies, delusion is why there was an interview on here that changed my life, so yes, I will be romantic, hopeful, possibly unhinged, and I am going to believe things will work out until they do.

5. Make it count
If I’m going to write, let it be good, if I’m going to film, let it be beautiful, if I’m going to cry, let it be on my own terms with a soundtrack, because I want everything I do to be intentional, or at least have a story behind it.

And no, I’m not performative, I just don’t see the point in saving things for a special occasion when life itself is a special occasion, or at least it could be if we let it, and I still think there’s space for the spiral, for the slowness, for the days when nothing feels poetic or worth documenting, because nothing will ever be perfect, but I also know that the universe has a quiet and occasionally ridiculous way of surprising you, and I am choosing to stay open to that.

Let 2026 be romantic, impractical, excessive and artful.
Let it be full of whimsical plans.

Happy New Year,

Karly