A Month of Creative Reflection: Questions to Guide You Into 2026 | By Becky Murdoch

As we head into the final stretch of the year, our theme, Reflection & Renewal: Looking Back, Looking Forward, feels fitting. This year felt especially difficult for me, and I’ve heard the same from many of you. 

For many, this is the season when we start taking stock: where we are, where we’ve been, and what’s next. Before we rush into plans, goals, or new creative projects for 2026, it feels grounding to pause and ask ourselves a few honest questions about the journey we’re on. As we head into the holidays, I want to use this month to look back with gratitude and look forward with hope. I want to reconnect with the creative spark that carries me through the year. I hope you’ll join me!

Every year, think I’m going to take New Year’s Day to sit with my journal and ponder the year ahead. That has never happened, not even once. So what if I take the month leading up to the new year and get a jump on the reflecting? These are some questions I’m asking myself, and I hope you find them useful in your journey as well.

What creative risks did I take this year, and what did they teach me?

Growth requires stretching, and every risk we take teaches us something if we look for the lesson. Did you try a new medium? Share your work publicly? Say yes to a project that feels way out of your comfort zone? Look back at the moments when you choose courage over comfort and journal about what those experiences reveal about your voice, your resilience, or your capacity.

Where did I surprise myself creatively?

So many of our best moments happen when we stumble into something new. Maybe you finish a project you aren’t sure you can pull off, or maybe an unexpected idea sparks for you. When you reflect on 2025, remember it’s not only about the challenges; it’s also about the delight of creating! What projects exceed your expectations? This might give you clues about what’s waiting for you in 2026!

What creative habit or rhythm supported me the most?

We all have patterns that help us flourish as artists. Maybe it’s those morning pages, weekly co-working, late-night editing, or getting out in nature to clear your mind. When you identify the habits that nourished your creativity this year, you also find the rhythms worth carrying forward.

What habits drained me or held me back?

Okay, we talked about the habits that are helpful, but what about the others? The habits that quietly drain our energy. Are you in a comparison loop or overcommitted? Still waiting for the perfect conditions before starting? This isn’t about feeling shame over the habits that slow you down; it’s about naming them and choosing a more life-giving path into the next season.

What themes or ideas kept resurfacing in my work?

Sometimes our creative work knows what we need before we do. Look back over your projects: what stories, images, emotions, or questions keep showing up? Let’s look at these recurring themes as invitations to recognize what you’re working through internally and what your art is trying to say.

What did I avoid creating, and what might that be telling me?

What we avoid often points to something important. Is there a project you keep putting off? An idea that feels too big, too vulnerable, or too unclear? It’s easy to judge ourselves for putting things off, but what if we get curious instead? Maybe the fear and avoidance are leading us to the work that matters most.

What do I want to release before stepping into a new creative season?

Sometimes a new season asks us to let go of something: a project that no longer works, expectations that weigh you down, or stories you tell yourself about what you can or can’t do. When we clear that emotional space, we make room for fresh ideas to flow.

What’s one bold, creative dream I’m ready to claim?

This is a big one. Sit with it for a while if you need to. Imagine without editing, shrinking, or apologizing. Do you want to record an album? Publish your first book? Launch a business? Create with more freedom? Name that dream — that’s the first step to living it.

As we move toward a new year, my hope is that these questions give you space to reflect, breathe, and reconnect with what matters most in your creative life. Take your time with them. Let them open something inside you. And may this season bring clarity, courage, and quiet sparks of renewal.