Dec 1st: Create Your Year - Make a Calendar

Make 2025 your year of making by making a daily visual reminder of your creativity.

Seek to Make is an exploration of creativity and making. Each month, I share a monthly theme around making, showcase inspiring makers, share tips, tools and encouragement. Together let's get curious and immerse ourselves in the art of making!

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December: CALENDARS

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Photo by Rahul Pandit on Unsplash

Hello makers,

It’s December. A month most of us think of as the end of the year. A month where Christmas is a deadline for all things to be done by - we must be in the new house by Christmas, we must have finished the big work project by Christmas, we must fit all the school activities in before Christmas, we must send Christmas cards by Christmas, and on it goes.

So as we wrap up this year and think about the next one, I thought it would be a good time to do a little reflecting, a little planning, and of course some making!

And what better way to go into a new year, than with…

A Handmade Calendar!

Calendars can be great organising tools, but they can also be a great visual reminder of what you love, of what your values and intentions are. Being reminded on a daily basis of what is important to you helps when the busyness feels like it’s taking over.

And because it is a crazy busy time, what with sending all those Christmas cards, (haha, yeah right!) making a whole calendar might be a bit too much to think about right now (it is for me at least). So I’m thinking of just making one month at a time. I hope this will help me to slow down and be a little more present. I want to take some time to think about the month I’m in and maybe the month to come.

I also like the idea of creating a calendar that changes as my ideas evolve and as I try new things (the whole point of creating this newsletter was to follow my curiosity!)

But if making one month at a time seems too much in this moment, maybe you could think about creating a mid-year calendar, e.g. June 2025 - May 2026. That way the pressure is off getting it done this month or even in the next few months. It would allow you time for ideas to slowly percolate. It might even allow you time to dream about what you want going forward.

Of course you can just admire the calendars and art I’ll share throughout the month. Or support a maker by buying one of their calendars! That would all be lovely too :)

In the meantime, here are some ideas for making a calendar:

1. Function: Think about how you use calendars. Do you love a little bespoke desk calendar or do you like big wall planners and looking at the big picture? I’m the type of person who messily writes all life’s events, from school activities to work events to birthdays, on my monthly wall calendar.

   

   Hand-lettered 2024 Desk Calendar by Annie Aqua Studio

2. Craft/Artform: Think about what materials you want to make your calendar with. You might want to experiment with watercolours or ink. Or maybe you have a big piece of wood and a wood burning pen you want to try out! Or try creating images with something like stickers or stamps each month. Doodle art, eco-art, collage, thread, there are so many things you could do! (If that feels too overwhelming have a read of this article I wrote on setting boundaries.)

3. Think Seasonal: Maybe making 12 individual pictures or pieces of art is too much. Maybe you could go seasonal and make four pages that each represent the time of year in some way. This could be a nice way to feel a little more connected with what is happening around you. When we are more connected to our natural environment we are more relaxed and more healthy.

4. Use Words: Each month you could find a way to showcase an inspiring quote, or your favourite poem, or even funny things your family have said over the years. Or you could use a “word of the year” or theme to guide how your calendar will look. Maybe you have always wanted to learn calligraphy or fancy lettering, or cool graffiti art!

5. Pick Colours: You could try picking a limited colour palette and seeing how far you can push yourself with it. Or if you love colour, maybe you could pick 12 different colour palettes! Or just one colour a month.

   

   2025 Wall Calendar by Lisa Congdon

“The best thing about the future is it comes one day at a time.” — Abraham Lincoln

That’s it for today but as usual, I’ll be sharing posts with lots of inspiration, more ideas for ways to make your calendar and some lovely art from around the world.

Let me know if you have any questions, ideas, calendars to share, or just want to say hello.

Happy making,

Esta