Between Drift & Direction
I came into 2026 with big plans. Clear intentions. A lot of energy.
I told myself this would be the year I finally push harder toward becoming a full time artist. For a moment, that motivation felt solid.
But as the weeks passed, I started noticing something familiar.
The excitement of the new year began to wear off.
Without realizing it, I found myself slowly slipping back into old routines.
Not suddenly. Not dramatically. Quietly.
That realization forced me to pause and look more closely at how I actually live my days.
It made me think about how easy it is to say what I want to become, and how quietly daily life can contradict it. For years, I repeated that I wanted to be a full time artist. The words came naturally. The reality did not.
I had been drawing, creating, and imagining a future version of myself, but the way I lived didn’t match the direction I believed I was moving toward. There was a gap between my intention and my routine, and I avoided looking at it for a long time.
Somewhere in that discomfort, I started to realize that who I become isn’t shaped by big plans or bursts of motivation, but by what I choose to do each day. Not in theory, but in practice.
That shift came when I stopped focusing on how motivated I felt and started paying attention to alignment.
To how I actually move through a day.
Where my focus drifts.
When I push things aside even though they matter to me.
Drifting doesn’t mean I failed.
The weight of everyday life carried me forward, and old routines made it easy to remain adrift.
That kind of movement lacks intention, and it’s what I’m trying to step away from.
This is where realignment matters.
Not through hype.
Not through discipline.
But through recognition.
If I want a different future, I need a different daily life.
A life where drawing isn’t something I squeeze into leftover spaces, but something that has its own place.
A life where showing up isn’t tied to inspiration, but to intention.
So I’m adjusting how I live. Not dramatically. Just consciously.
Not chasing the energy of the new year, but correcting my direction as soon as I notice myself drifting.
Choosing to draw even on days when I want to step away.
Sharing work without waiting for the perfect version.
Making small, deliberate choices to bring intention back into my everyday moments.
Who I become is shaped by what I choose to do every day, so I must live each day as the person I intend to become.
popodoodle