But first, a little haiku from prompts “last” and “endings”.

Last day, year gone by
Cold morning, sunrise shy. Hopes
Tomorrow onwards

 

What was and what will be – a year in review

 
Endings are often times of reflection,
a little pause before again it all begins.
What a beautiful year of creativity
2024 has been for me.

In a world that has gone mad,
riddled with wars and genocides,
exploitation and competition,
where what matters is to be efficient
in destroying the essence of life.
Still within the last hopeless convulsions
of a system on the verge of collapse,
I managed to find solace.

In January, with a dear friend of mine,
a fellow procrastinator and creative mind,
we committed to a weekly rendezvous.
In a café every Sunday, an afternoon to just do.
Do the thing, no more excuses,
“I'm not good enough”-s and “who am I to”-s.
Don't I have anything better to do?
With no chasing results and no expectations,
a little pocket of time of joyful creation.

In just a year I have written more
than I had ever done before.
By the hundreds, poems and haiku,
writing challenges, drawings and of course dance.
Finally letting go of perfectionism,
things I'm proud of, some things not so,
but no matter what, I feel content.

So in whatever shape or form,
and with no AI involved,
into our days let's try to insert
those, even tiny, creative pockets.
“Joy is an act of resistance.”
Because when we find joy,
we say no to what fools us
into an artificial happiness.

Living is not about dreams of grandeur
or sensational bucket list must-dos,
that we buy with our life and time,
throwing ourselves into the grinder.
Maybe living is about things insignificant
making up the fabric of the existence.
Those little moments that can become,
within the boundless realm of imagination,
an entire magical world that opens in front of us.
 
 
I wish you all a fulfilling year, full of little pockets of creativity, turning insignificant moments into joyful magical worlds.

Note: “Joy is an act of resistance.” is from a poem by Toi Derricotte
 

2024 in numbers

125 poems and haikus
1 month-long writing challenge: Writober
1 short story written over 25 days: The Cave
130+hrs of dancing and about 50 choreos learnt
200+hrs of voice acting for 1 project, definitely not enough and hoping for more new projects in 2025 (demo updates coming in 2025)

I don't know what 2025 will bring but I will be sure to keep this weekly or even daily creative practice alive. I will keep writing, dancing and will try to draw more, practice calligraphy more and to go back to a more consistent Chinese study.

And if you're in Vancouver, BC and want to join in on our Sunday creative session, give me a shout. The more, the merrier.
 
 
 
 
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