THE kind of energy for 2026

No New Year’s resolution is ever truly lost because it’s energy that makes follow-through feel effortless and genuinely exciting.

It’s the energy that fuels what you’ll create in 2026.

So… Happy New Year!! 🥳
May this be THE year of breakthroughs, unapologetic alignment, love for what we do and where we are, and of course… health!

For me, 2025 was the year of meeting myself again.

Purging moments, things, and mindsets that reflected the old version of me, 
and eventually coming into full alignment with what the next step in my journey actually is. 

And after reaching that alignment, THIS is exactly where that big energy is born. THIS is how we make our goals not only achievable BUT effortless and receptive, because the energy we send into the world comes from love and a desire to change it through our work.

And no, it’s not about sitting on the couch and meditating all day until long-awaited success knocks on our door.

And here, I actually have a few things that helped me find that missing element and reconnect with my passion after I lost every spark in my work to the point of seriously considering moving back to my parents to start over.

Spoiler: wherever we go, we take ourselves with us.

So instead of running, I chose to rebuild, piece by piece, determined to reconnect with my drawing energy, purpose, and the reason I wake up every morning (not in a dramatic way 😉).

Step 1️⃣ Radical honesty with myself

First step in reconnecting with that energy was listing what I love and don’t love in my current work. Easy. So I made a simple list.

What I love about my work:

Love: the freedom and abundance of digital drawing: undo, endless pencils and colors, no mess, allowing me to create anywhere in a neat way.

Love the fresh look and bright colors.

Love seeing how my ideas, emotions, and present feelings translate into a tangible piece of art that instantly reconnects me with that moment or project.

Love connecting with like-minded people who share the same visions, ideas, and even struggles.

Love how drawing makes life more beautiful.

Love how calm it makes me feel.

What I didn’t love:

Overly polished technical projects where one sketch took me 10+ hours and realism took over (which is what clients sometimes wanted).

Didn’t like the pressure of delivering picture-perfect content on social media.

Didn’t like tracking every like and comment to the point where if a video didn’t get 1k likes, I thought my art got bad (successfully got rid of that toxic behavior - Instagram no longer dictates what I create, let’s talk if it affected your mental health too).

Step 2️⃣ Purging & prioritizing

Anything that drained me had to go or at least be softened.

If something couldn’t be removed immediately, I searched for a lower-pressure alternative. Meeting myself halfway changed everything.

Step 3️⃣ Mindset (this one was crucial)

Reading the right books. Working with the right mentors who understand exactly what you’re going through. NOT generic advice like “follow your passion and you will succeed.” NOPE.

Every detail matters, even childhood.

Which brings me to this…

Remember who you were as a kid and teenager and what you were madly in love with doing. Maybe no one even knew about it.

Step 4️⃣ Remember who you were before expectations took over

Okay, confession time 😄

I was OBSESSED with being on stage.

I used to sing at school and university events, participate in all kinds of performances, and feel SO fulfilled being on stage.

Filming spontaneous radio episodes (I used to be a journalist too - I have a BA in journalism).

I loved photoshoots with my girlfriends.

Loved quick scribbles during boring classes to illustrate ideas for my magazine (wild, I even had one self-edited edition).

And that’s when EVERYTHING clicked.

Overly technical interiors, overly edited videos, scripts… they felt wrong for a damn reason. BUT - and this is where many get it wrong - those phases ALWAYS lay the foundation for the next breakthrough.

Just like in a game: you’re stuck on one level, you try again and again, until something new finally works. But without the previous levels, you wouldn’t be where you are at all.

So instead of “I wish I had done things differently,” it’s actually: damn, I am exactly where I need to be.

And THAT is the energy of alignment I want you to take into 2026.

You are exactly where you need to be.

Enjoy your weekend, my creative friend 💛

I’m spending mine with my mom, she’s visiting me in Munich, and I thought… why don’t we sketch together? She’s an architect who loves quick sketching too, using it first as a student to capture buildings on the go, and later to develop ideas before moving to renders (the opposite of my journey, once I started sketching, I never went back 😄).

By the way, don’t forget there’s a super inspiring and joyful book on creativity and drawing written by me and waiting for you HERE - perfect weekend reading to spark your own ideas. And we’ll stay in touch :)

With big drawing energy,
Anna at @andshedrawsbig