10 Comments
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Sue Kusch's avatar

A lovely post, Becki. I love your project on the 12 days of Christmas. Though I participated in Janisse's Journey in Place year-long course, I am doing it again in 2026.

Becki Clifton's avatar

Thank you, Sue. I started the year-long course but fell off about half way through and then finished that year. I truly enjoyed your guest exploration. You reside in my favorite part of the country...other than my home place.💜

Deb Bowen's avatar

Oh Becki, your first newsletter of the year is lovely, and I feel your angst about writing and space and time.... In my last newsletter, I discussed our participation in Janisse's Journey in Place course and reminded folks how they can get the book. It truly is a treasure. Sending you lots of creative light for the new year! Blessings, Deb

Janisse Ray's avatar

ROUSED, RESOLUTE, & ROBUST! You found the perfect words! And I'm sooooo glad you're teaching in Journaling Place. See you soon!!!

Mule's avatar

🥰❤️❤️❤️ thank you for the shout out and looking forward to what the new year brings you. Sometimes it's drawing season and sometimes it's writing season! I hope you enjoy your Sunday before a return to the "real world" tomorrow!

Becki Clifton's avatar

Ughhh...the real world...please keep it away to the very last second. Thanks for reading! And keep the postcards coming. I promise one will be headed your way soon!

Jeanne Malmgren's avatar

Becki, I love your art but also am delighted to see your words again. I share your love for silence and solitude. Happy New Year and see you soon in class with Janisse!

Cathy R. Payne's avatar

Congratulations on your role in the Journaling Place class this year! I can't wait to see what you bring to it. I've enjoyed seeing your 12 Days of Christmas art. Your motto: I like the second and fourth choices, each beginning with Creativity. Let us know what you choose. Keep sharing the art!

Benthall Slow Travel's avatar

Becki, this feels like a deep exhale made visible.

I love how you let the season lead — the weather, the body, the moon, the hesitation — instead of forcing yourself into performance. There’s so much permission here: to circle back to words slowly, to let paint come before sentences, to honor silence as productive rather than something to fix.

Your motto made me smile, but ROUSED, RESOLUTE, & ROBUST genuinely landed. It feels embodied, earned — not aspirational in a brittle way, but sturdy in the face of what’s been carried. The way you describe solitude and silence as friends (not escapes) is such a quiet reframe, especially right now.

And the invitation at the end — to put color on paper, words on paper, to create without witnesses — felt like a blessing in itself. Thank you for modeling a way into a new year that’s grounded, intuitive, and mercifully unhurried. 💛Kelly

Sarah Kelsey's avatar

Thank you for the shout out and kind words about my work. I love you twelve days of Christmas project and really liked the one with all the colored rectangles. I keep the ebony jewelwing watercolor you sent me on a shelf over my writing desk with my insect field guides. I'm looking forward to the course this winter!