the art of one (pt. 2)

new year, same focus

It’s that grey area in between Christmas and New Years where no one knows what day it is but everyone has a rush of “new energy” and “new goals” they want to take into the “New Year.”

I too used to be one to create all these new goals for the new year but this time, I am opting out. Not because I don’t have goals, but because I know myself well enough to know my bandwidth, capacity, and habits.

In my previous newsletter, I talked about how my word for 2025 is “follow through” which is the perfect segue to this week’s newsletter.

All about following through with one thing in each area of my life. Let me explain.

I wear many hats in this little life of mine and while all of them are equally important to me, there’s only so much I can fulfill within each of these roles within a matter of time. I can’t afford for any of these roles to take a backseat to the other BUT what I can do is prioritize one thing in each role and make sure I follow through to completion.

This is what is looks like.

Marriage

In 2025, we will be coming up on 11 years together and 7 years of marriage. We’ve navigated so many things in a short amount of time (moving states, infertility, auto immune disorders, layoffs, childbirth … life), but the one thing I am focusing on within my marriage this year is increased communication. Naturally, I am conflict averse and hate the site of potential conflict. I avoid it at all cost but have gotten to the point where I can see the adverse effect of having piss poor communication skills within my marriage. This is a key area of growth for me and I am being intentional with leaning into my communication skills. That is not to say other areas of my marriage will be neglected because I am prioritizing communication, but I do believe other areas of my marriage will reap the benefits of healthy communication.

Parenting

I am a mom of two only children. What do I mean by that? I have a 2-year-old and a 15-year-old. Having children with such a large age gap means my brain is always in two different places. Two different worlds. But one area that I want to focus on with both of my girls is uninterrupted and phone free time alone. I try to force multitasking when I am with my kids and I have somehow convinced myself that I am good at it. Quite the contrary. My oldest constantly takes my phone out of my hand and puts it facedown when we are together. My youngest already knows how to work a phone which isn’t inherently bad but I want her initial response to create fun without a digital tool.

Work

Now this one is a little tricky because TECHNICALLY it is more than one thing (it’s 3) but I am still following through with the intentions I set this year.

My Documentary

I began production of my second documentary this past July and I am planning to have all of production complete by the Spring of 2025. This is my primary project that I am prioritizing over the next two quarters. This includes completing remaining interviews and applying for grants to go towards post-production.

My Podcast

I haven’t officially made this public yet (I consider y’all family at this point) but a friend and I are launching a podcast called, The Halfway Grown Podcast - A podcast for everyone figuring out life, bills, and parenting—one ‘new adult’ moment at a time. Ironically, whenever I would do speaking engagements and people would ask me “what’s next” I would always say “documentaries today and maybe podcast tomorrow - whatever it is, I just want to tell stories.” Now look at us. We’ve already batched quite a few episodes and plan on launching January 14th with a new episode releasing every Tuesday. While this is a “new” project, I also consider this lead gen for my primary work (photography, filmmaking, and consulting).

My Agency

My husband and I are in the beginning stages of launching our creative agency titled Rare Co. Collective - a digital creative agency dedicated to producing high quality visual assets, docu-style stories, and social-first media. Technically, we aren’t in the beginning stages as we’ve been working with clients throughout the year but we haven’t formalized anything as of yet. This is my MAIN thing and prayerfully, we have a successful launch by the end of Q1.

My Health

I actually joined a a gym December 18th of last year and had been regularly working out on and off for the past year. My body has also endured illness way too many times to count (thanks to my baby and her daycare germs) but I plan to reintograte fitness back into my daily habits. Through the year, I learned that I actually do really well by working out at home - that will be my one thing. Prioritizing at home workouts. Anything else will be extra but I know once I build momentum, it’ll keep growing. As long as I don’t get sick again.

Creating Content

As someone who has been creating content on the internets for well over 10 years now, I can honestly say I’ve been all over the place with it. While I have seen success over the years, I desire more control than chaos. More ease and pace than random posting. My goal for the upcoming year is to prioritize my youtube channel and post with intention. I’ve learned that my community really resonates with my video-based content so I want to lean more into that. I will still be active on IG and Tiktok (if it’s still around), but the priority is YT.

___________________________

Just going back and reading all of this, I feel like I have a pretty full year ahead of me. By reducing everything to one major tasks and simplifying my process, I believe that will be the magic sauce to me following through with the goals I’ve set for myself.

2024 was no highlight reel in the slightest. But it grounded me and humbled me in a way that actually has me excited for simplistic success next year.

“Simple Success” - I am going to do something with this concept in the new year. Idk what it is yet, but the way this just sparked something in me, I know it’s going to be special.

What I am Watching

I came across a thread of someone watching Get Mille Black on HBO Max and
I binged it over the course of two days. It’s a Jamaican folklore centered around a detective returning back to her roots to save her sister and others that reminded her of the sibling she thought she lost in her youth. It’s quite the intriguing fictional crime series.

What I am Reading

I purchased the audible version of The 12 Week Year last year but never finished yet. I was recently listening to The Freelance Friday podcast with Latasha James and she was just talking about this book and how effective its strategies are so I decided to give it another go. Essentially, the book talks about treating every 12 weeks like its own year. The 12 Week Year creates focus and clarity on what matters most and a sense of urgency to do it now.

Scripture I am Clinging to

“Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.” - Matthew 11: 28-29

I hope you all have an easeful transition into 2025.

Happy an amazing week and Happy New Year!

-Alana Marie