You could say there are two types of people in the world; those who are very organised, keep meticulous diaries and plan and record everything in advance with highlighters and different coloured pens, and those whose gifts, er, lie elsewhere.

Most of my planning happens in my head {where everything’s lovely and flexible ;)}, often doesn’t get written down – except on post it notes that have a habit of disappearing – and then a whole year can speed by and I don’t really know what I did or where I’m going.

I have a wall calendar, but it’s usually pretty empty beyond my weekly appointment with my Tai Chi teacher {and I don’t know why I write that in as it’s etched in my bones at this point}, and anything that crops up and has been hastily scribbled in a day or two before. Living like this is a conscious choice – and I also don’t have children and am basically a hermit recluse, which obviously makes a huge difference.

But at the same time I love tracking my actions and experiences when it comes to my creativity; I love seeing that I’ve always done so much more than I think, getting to celebrate that, and then taking a little time to consider what I’d like to happen in the year ahead.

It’s an act of both rooting and freedom – a kind of self care that reflects back to me just how much I’ve achieved, while supporting me in the ways I’d like to grow creatively in the coming months.

Three years ago I knocked up a super simple three page document which would allow me to track my creative actions over the past year and into the next, so I could see it all at a glance. Although I made it for me, I suspected others might find it fun and useful, and they did, so I’ve been making one each year since.

So even if you’re more of a ‘wing it and see’ person like me, you can still get to acknowledge where you’ve been creatively, and look ahead to where you’d like to go in that area, without needing to feel constrained by plans written tablets of stone.

‘My Creative Year’ is very simple and doesn’t take long to fill in. Here’s what’s included:

• A brief introduction and ideas on how to use it
• A quick look back at the year just gone
• Celebrating what you achieved, learned, tried, loved
• Dreams and plans for the year to come
• A monthly calendar for roughing in ideas
• A creative encouragement poster 🙂
• A blank page for notes, questions, and inspirations

It’s also free, of course. If you’d like a copy you can download it by clicking the image below.

And if you’re on Instagram and would like to share how you’re using it and what your {super flexible and tentative} creative plans are for 2017, please feel free to use the #happyartistmovement hashtag.