“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ― Maya Angelou
My Life is Being Rewritten
This year, I’ve been thinking a lot about my high school and college self. I used to be enraptured by all of the Great American (and International) Novels we read in our literature classes… The Joy-Luck Club by Amy Tan…, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald…, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe…., and countless of other works that had me longing for the day I could have a novel of mine sitting in a library or bookstore among classics. My biography would be called Children of Queens, a story that tells the legacy of not only me, but my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents who have survived countless years of hard work before the younger generations got to reap the fruits of their labor and maintain the survival winning streak.
Today, however, I am far away from any of that legacy. With this Brave New World of artificial intelligence, content slop, and social media addictions, I have had to rethink my life because what I grew up with (as an older millennial) now just ceases to exist. I remember the days of privacy, but I no longer have it due to mass surveillance and facial recognition technology. I remember the days of using our precious brains to research and write an essay; now research can be done with a learning language model that comes with an accompanying essay. I remember when media could be owned and enjoyed at home; now, everything is a subscription model. What happens when our entire model of humanity and purpose is made irrelevant because of anti-human technocrats? Rather than soak in despair, this new attempt to remove humans from Earth’s equation has me inspired to double down on my existence because my existence is a unique one. Instead of crafting for monetization, clicks, views, and affirmation, I will be creating for fun in 2026. This fun will include self-expression, learning a new skill, exercising free artistry, and pure enjoyment. This is solely a human experience, and no one can take that away from us.
Careful and Slow Creative Process
At one point I wanted to join the ranks of content creators, but the speed at which I would have to crank out content got the better of me. I do not enjoy slaving away for a finicky algorithm and search engine optimization. I feel for those who have unstable channels and accounts where virality is the goal to stay relevant. However, as a consumer (ew) of online content, I honestly get overwhelmed when content is cranked out at such extreme speeds that I don’t get a chance to just process the information or even the art.
I want to bask in my mind, carefully think through a potential project, then work on it through experimentation, trial and error, and genuine love. I want to have fun choosing colors, scrutinize the quality of my materials, find random objects that give me joy, and see what I can imagine in the end.
Start 100 Projects First and Finish Them Later
In reality, a hundred projects is overkill. It is probably going to be more like ten. In addition to being experimental and fun this year, I want my projects to also be somewhat useful and functional. Creating for the sake of content earns us a room full of unusable fast fashion or handmade items that could turn into “junk.” I do not want to create clutter: I want to create fun with a side of function. Life is unwritten, but the fun part is writing an autobiography.
Cozy Crafting and Art 
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