Brooke Shaden

I say “super motivating” because I believe that holding yourself accountable to change is taken up a notch when you tell others what your resolutions are. But of course, that is not the only reason why I feel motivated. Nothing gets me going more than change. I spend a fair amount of time thinking about how I can change for the better, and thinking about what traits I could do without. I think about how to best use my time in the future, what is worth spending time on and not, and how I can live a more fulfilled life. The end goal is always the same: to feel fulfilled, and to allow others to experience that same feeling.

So, without too much babbling, here are my new-years resolutions…

1. Slow down with some of my image-making. I will take my time with the new series I am working on and will not shoot an image until I feel that every detail has been accounted for.

2. Create a new space (website is in the works) for inspiration to flow with like-minded creatives, and even for those who have not found their passion yet.

3. Create more video content. I think that recording videos is a really engaging way to pass on information and to simply feel connected to a community, so I will be sharing a lot more video content this coming year.

4. Invest money wisely…I want to create lasting images that have the locations, props, and wardrobes that feel “right”. While I won’t be dishing out an arm and a leg to pay for these things, I do want to invest where it is wise in order to reach what I feel is the next step in my image-making.

5. Travel less…but with more impact when I do. This past year travel was a little bit crazy for me…I saw so many new places and met amazing people, but I rarely had more than half a free day wherever I went because I was always off to the next location. I want to travel less, but spend more time in the places that I travel to. As much as it pains me not to visit every city with my workshops, I need to be a little more selective and only choose cities that are easy hubs to get to…my health depends on it.

6. This new years resolution is a bit of a cop-out, but nonetheless, I will continue to live a vegan lifestyle, not just this year but for the rest of my days. I am utterly smitten with the vegan way of life and feel so happy to have made the change. If you are thinking about going veg, don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like advice :)

7. To have a book published in 2013, and to begin work on a second one.

8. Begin work on a documentary. This one is the most “up in the air” but also one that I feel very strongly about.

9. Create an app, which I have been planning for a while now and work has started for…I can’t wait!

10. Become more involved in giving back to others.

11. To live a more peaceful, less stressful, and most importantly, less competitive life. If you’ve read to this point, thank you…this is the most important one, and one that I am dead set on accomplishing.

Try this with me…imagine yourself in 5, 10, or 20 years. How do you envision yourself? The first thing that pops into my mind is someone who is completely at peace with the world in every way, loving all that she encounters and feeling true happiness. I think most people would want that. I know that for me, the key to getting there is to be confident in who I am, personally and as an artist, and the only way to get there is to continue to grow. I look forward to making changes this next year that I think will help me personally…and when I feel personally fulfilled, I feel more alive than ever…creatively, and beyond.