2024 is taking me a new direction: it’s lighter, more spacious, it’s natural, it’s opening. After two years of dark paper with metallic ink (“The Magic within You” and “Ignite!”) even my paper choice is different: it’s pink! It wasn’t intentional but my green ink this year matches the paper I used last year (I always use whatever the printer has in stock.)

My word “Bloom” came to me pretty early this fall (developing a “guiding force” is once of the things we work towards in the Fall version of Mapping Your Path into the New Year). There was a period of time where I thought I was going to go with imagine, but I didn’t want ideas stuck in my head, I wanted these dreams out in the world. I realized I was really drawn to the natural, opening of bloom. It linked all of the ideas I want to embody and explore in the year ahead in a more organic form.

For the first time I plotted out my past guiding forces which allowed me to see just how different (in a good way) “Bloom” is for me. I also love that it can involve simple reminders like buying a small bouquet of flowers for myself. It’s funny, ever since I chose the word, I’ve been seeing visual representations of bloom in unlikely forms from street art to dress to words in the world around me.

Bloom means to me:

Opening
Trusting the timing of life
Pollinating and cross-pollinating ideas
Nurturing and nourishing what grows
Knowing the roots are part of a bigger network and foundation
Planting seeds
Experiencing the fruits of my labor
Blossoming and brimming with joy
Celebrating natural processes and beauty
A colorful life
Awe around nature
A softness
Flowering and creating bouquets
Growing and imagination
Natural growth
Wonder and delight

Bloom also felt right because there is a project I’ve been nurturing for over a year and a half which is nearly ready to enter the world. There’s a lot up in the air for the year ahead, but I wanted the think of my map for the year ahead as a world that invites possibility while also having room to breathe. I love that there’s a community element, and bees (BEE ME :) ) who cross-pollinate. I imagine my world of bloom as all the seeds I’ve planted over the past few years as taking root and taking me new places. I’ve got the stream of support and trusting the flows.

My maps often have little homages to to inspiration that happens inside the MYP community. This fall nourish was a big theme. May, one of the mappers in New Zealand chose “unfurl” for her Guiding Force, so I added a nod to that—allowing life to unfurl one step at time. Tami in Atlanta chose “inJOY” for her Guiding Force, and I want people to enJOY my orchard of fruitfulness. A garden theme has come up repeatedly in MYP in the past, and it was being around those influences that definitely sparked and inspired this “new” direction for me.

Noteworthy too is how much more “white” space there is on my map. It can be so easy to fill one’s life, or fill the page, that I wanted to leave intentional room for some magic to happen.

For the 5th year I had my map Riso printed by Studio Fidèle in Paris (how I can get the colored ink) and I’ve sent nearly 200 notes of gratitude to those who helped shape my year. It’s a long process but one that I enjoy doing. It helps me gain perspective and continue to celebrate the year that has just passed while putting good energy into the world for the year ahead.

For all my past maps, you can check them out here. Since 2021 I’ve created each one inside Mapping Your Path along side the most inspiring humans.

The next 3-mo cohort of Mapping Your Path: Another Way 3-mo workshop + community is currently enrolling and kicks off Feb 2nd! Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to be part of this experience that may just change your life. You can learn more about MYP here, and sign up to be notified about future cohorts.

2024: Bloom