Hi Everyone,
Few transitions are seamless, and we encountered some technical challenges sending out the first issue of the new Zenspirations® “Live Zenspired” Newsletter. Please accept my apologies if you didn’t get a copy– or if you received more than one. I’m hoping that the second issue, and this accompanying blog, will reach everyone in a timely manner. If you are a regular blog subscriber (which means you’ve been getting an email with a link to the blog every Tuesday morning), I’d appreciate your letting me know if you don’t get this week’s email on Tuesday morning. I made the piece below for to thank regular blog reader Patricia Bruneau, who was the first person to let me know that she hadn’t received hers last week– which is when I realized we had a deliverability problem. Patricia kindly let me know when she received her newsletter, which gave me hope that everyone would soon get their copy.
If you missed the first issue of the new newsletter, I’d be happy to send you a copy– just let me know by email or comment. CLICK HERE if you’d like to subscribe to the newsletter to take advantage of the free downloads, discounts and exclusive content.
WORD OF THE YEAR
2019 is almost here, which means its time to start thinking about our individual and Zenspirations communal words for the new year. This is a group project we started doing in 2016. Everyone in the Zenspirations community is welcome to share the word(s) they are considering for the year ahead, and then we vote on a guiding word (or series of words) for the group. We also encourage one another to think through what word really calls to our souls.
One year (not sure which!) I lettered all the words which were suggested by members of the Zenspirations Create, Color, Pattern, Play FB Group in one of my morning journals:
In 2016 I narrowed my personal Word of the Year options down to words which began with the letter “C”: caring, community, cultivate, clarity, connectivity and compassion. I ultimately chose CLARITY as my word for 2016.
The words suggested by the Zenspirations community for 2017 which made it to the ‘finals’ really resonated with me: aspire, grow, reach, renew, transform, believe, heal, pray, sanctify, sparkle, connect, give, love, share, create, discover, imagine and hope– The image below was my way of sharing that HOPE got the most votes.
Last year I included as many Word of the Year possibilities as I could into my Prayer for the New Year:
This has been a challenging year for many of us, myself included, and some of the words I’m considering for next year come from the depths of my desire to promote hope and healing, and to personally grow in AWARENESS, ACCEPTANCE & APPRECIATION. When I start my Word of the Year selection process, I usually do it alphabetically by writing down all the positive, uplifting words that I can think of which begin with the same letter. Here’s an example:
Some of the words on my ‘short list’ for 2019 are understanding, delight, discipline, love, persistence, pleasure, practice, stillness, sanctification, and trust. What’s on your list? Leave a comment with the word(s) you are considering for 2019– I will pick three people randomly, and letter their 2019 Word of the Year in their favorite style!
I know a lot of people really like my Dangle Monograms, and if you are a Newsletter subscriber you won’t want to miss the December special– 25% off the Dangle Monogram Alphabet in the ZenspirationsDesigns Etsy Shop! You’ll find the discount code in the second issue of the Newsletter.
Best of all, there’s a bonus– Don’t miss — plus a bonus– a set of LOVE designs– one a finished print, the other for you to color.
One of the most exciting parts of the new newsletter format is that I get to shine a spotlight on some of the many talented ‘Color & Creativity Enthusiasts’ in our group. Our first Creativity Spotlight features Elizabeth Motyka and her awesome hand-crafted cards.
This is one of Elizabeth’s many beautiful creations.
Elizabeth put together a step-by-step tutorial for making a beautiful stamped and die-cut Christmas ornament. You’ll find the tutorial, and more info on Elizabeth in this week’s Live Zenspired Newsletter.
Before closing tonight I want to share a ‘sneak peek’ at the Christmas Collaboration Mojis which should be available in the App store any day now. Thank you to the following Color & Creativity Enthusiasts for submitting designs for this collaboration: Aliyah Zeitler, Debbie Anderson, Elizabeth Motyka, Ha Nah, Jill Abernathy, Jill Hatcher, Kyle Yanezawa, Leitha Hunt, Terri Burket Brown, Toni Popkin, Wanda Smith Radler and Wendy Leech. I will let you know as soon as they launch.
I just had a thought– how about a collaborative Word of the Year 2019 collection? I’d be willing to letter 25 words– when you leave a comment with your word, please let me know if this is something you’d be interested in.
Stay Zenspired,
Joanne
Comments are closed.
Wow – how exciting that the Christmas emojis are going to be launched soon. I can’t wait to share with my friends and family that I contributed to these!! I love your A word of the year ideas. I may try Accept and Achieve as my 2019 words. I am going to try to start a crafting blog and website in the new year so Achieve would be a great motivator.
Dear Joanne, got this! Yea it worked!
Only one glitch-couldn’t click on your lovely download
I have adopted a phrase for the New Year, “Remember What’s Going Right”. It’s been a hard year for many of us as you said and I personally often get lost in thinking of all of the things happening that are troubling. I made a framed sign (in a Joanne’s frame of course) that’s hanging by my bed where I see it first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening. I’m not sure if I shared it in the FB group but will post it today.
Thank you for including my design in your latest Moji Collection. I’ve loved using all of the ones I have and have received much positive feedback about them!
My hope for you my friend and all of the Zenspirations friends I’ve made is that 2019 is CALMER than this year.
My suggestion for a word of yesterday year – CALM
Love
Toni
Thank you so much for the beautiful Thank You Joanne, I love it!! I also love the words Awareness, Acceptance and Appreciation as a guide to living in a joyful way. Thanks again for all the ways you inspire us!
Actually, I have a word and a phrase for 2019. My word is “Optimism” and my phrase is “Just breathe.” The way things are nowadays, I find that I need to focus on the good in the world and just breathe through the negativity.
Joanne –
Congratulations on the launch of your new newsletter. ou may want to know that I am finding it is taking much longer to load some of the graphics. Have you changed their resolution?
All the best to you,
Linda
Hi I was happy to get the newsletter today since I did not get last weeks. I got both today and the format is great. I loved the dangle video and the downloads! I appreciated being your first spotlight community member and i look forward to seeing what other community members are up to in the upcoming weeks. I have really enjoyed the word of the year project since I first read about it on your blog in 2017. For the community- what I have found here and really cherish is the generosity and kindness that is so unique, so I would suggest those words. For myself I am looking at acceptance, surrender, awaken, and realize. I tend to favor verbs for my word of the year I am wondering if I could get to the spiritual point were doing was less of a focus and a noun would work, like awareness, presence, consciousness,synchronicity,or aliveness. I would like to let go of the narrative and the needing to do, but that might be a stretch for 2019!
The words of the year I need are peace, hope, and acceptance. I am feeling alot of turmoil within myself because of an issue I am trying to control and cant accept the outcome may not be what I want with my tee age daughter and her acting out behavior.
Thank you, Joanne, for including my Christmas ornament in your Christmas Collaboration emojis. How fun!
I thank God this year is better than last year. 2017 was so dark with Larry’s cancer and my intense anxiety. I am sending hope to the people in this community that are struggling this year. I pray for hope for you as you walk through this forest.
Believe became my word mid-year. I was slow to awaken this year. I think 2019 is about living out my life mission statement: Giving from God’s Creative Abundance. I think Abunance will be my word. It will remind me to be grateful for all I have. I forget that amidst my self-pity when I focus on some things I wish I had.
Thank you, my dear Joanne, for inspiring me to focus on the positive even amidst pain or disappointment. You shine a bright light. I pray you receive God’s light and love right now.
Joanne, you inspire me! So much so that I am sharing this post with my community.
I vote for “stillness” as your word for 2019; it seems to fit your personality, at least from my perspective as a virtual friend.
My word for 2019 is “Energy” and my theme is “energetic, strategic enthusiasm.”
Love what you do and your tagline “Live by inspiring others to fly.”
Connie Ragen Green
Hello from Montreal
Joanne, you really are an inspiring lady and a wonderful artist!
The word that will inspire me in 2019 is ” GRACE”.
May you have a wonderful time during the Holidays.
Keep inspiring us to be better human beings and, last but not least, to stay zen.
Namaste.
Nicole
I don’t know if I have just one word. But my motto for 2019 is: Forget the mistakes and remember the lessons… It is truly about forgiving oneself.
My word for 2019 is Steadfast. My husband and I are in a huge transition period as we are both currently unemployed missionaries and are living in AirBnBs until we land jobs and can find a permanent housing solution. Things could easily draw us away from God, but we are determined to remain steadfast in our faith and trust in God. I love your work, Joanne. It always makes me smile.
My word for 2019 is wisdom. I am seeing how vital it is for me to have wisdom in every part of my life, and I know God’s wisdom is so much higher than the wisdom of man. I’m looking forward to studying about His wisdom and growing in it.
This is great was looking to use just the year 2019 for my word for my vision board, Delight in the Lord. 2018 was a difficult year so 2019 no matter what I want to focus on the Lord and his word, blessings for 2019☺️