Long Live New Year's Prompts

On new you, more of you.

It’s a sticky time of year—stuck between the siren song of a fresh start and the very immediate, sometimes stifling, nostalgia of the holidays. In undergrad, I’d practically heave my overweight checked bag into my basement bedroom, text my two remaining friends from high school, and watch movie after movie for weeks on end. It was magical. At the time, it felt like slipping into sinking sand. Really, it’s a portrait of seasons of life—how they feel eternal, until they simply change.

This year was a YEAR. When I wrote these prompts exactly a year ago, I had high hopes for my post-MFA life. I’d sell a book in a minute and have an easy breezy wedding. I had ideas about how the year would play out. Some of them, like this newsletter, came true.

I made a vision board and hung it in my closet. Fashion girls get it! I worked with a few of the brands on it, wrote for most of the publications, and found an agent. I made new friends (hi Lily + Tori) and delighted in old friendships that feel like family. Plus, I married Christian, which, especially considering solo wedding planning, feels like something worth celebrating all on its own.

MVP of 2022—my husband Photo Cred: Freda Banks

Unforeseen events that would never make a vision board included, but weren’t limited to: losing my full time job in tech, breaking up with shitty clients, a complicated relationship with New York City, ample therapy, and ongoing body “stuff.”

In writing this year’s prompts, I was inspired by this ancient book (sorry, from the 80s, not a literal scroll) on self-work through journaling. “When we spend time writing without judgement,” it offered, “we can become more of who we really are.” Instead of the transformations resolutions encourage or unrealistic goals that come from some ego self, what if we started the new year as close to our true selves as possible?

Here I am, two espressos in, at the Brooklyn Museum with one of our favorite couple friends, asking the age-old question, “How was the Egyptian Collection Assembled?” Kidding, and you can find these fab overalls for under $50 here, but what this photo really represents is the wide-eyed, cheeky optimism we can all carry into 2023. Bad things will happen. Good things we couldn’t have planned for will happen, too. We’ll have each other. We’ll wear great outfits. Maybe we’ll even cry on the F train! But life, even when it’s horrible, can be so sweet, and setting intentions is about as hopeful as we can get.

Ev 2023 Prompts

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Honorable Mentions

Be sure to email back your prompts/comment your favs below. I’ll be filling mine out with a hot chocolate.

On Being Blue—A philosophical study on the color. Read if you loved Bluets.

Token Black Girl—Much-anticipated memoir from Danielle Prescod! I’ve loved following her work since she separated from fashion.

That’s it! Long Live is wrapped for 2022. I’m headed on my honeymoon, and will be back with many stylish dispatches in the new year. Thank you for subscribing 💌