I’m not super into goal-setting and new year’s resolutions. Each December, I do some lowkey reflection exercises and daydream about the coming year. It’s not very rigorous. I don’t do SMART goals. And I rarely revisit or even think about my goals throughout the year.
But I do pick a word for the year, and this year’s word is whimsy. Back in March, I wrote about how mere days after selecting this word, I attended a birthday party where a balloon artist spent an hour delighting guests with his whimsical creations: A monkey! A cow hat! A sword! A corsage!
I’ll be honest, my word for the year doesn’t always… mean much. I don’t write it at the top of my planner every day. I don’t use it to guide every decision. In fact, I can’t even remember what my 2025 word was. But picking a word for the year does help me notice things I might not have otherwise, and I think it subtly influences me more than I realize.
So, while I usually don’t reflect on my word until the end of the year, I decided to do a little mid-year(ish) check-in. Here’s where I’ve seen and embraced whimsy so far:
I made a hot air balloon suncatcher in a fused glass class at the library
I added some stamps to my stamp collection
I got a puppy in March (more work than whimsy, tbh)
I learned a new board game, Harmonies
I went ice skating and bought my own skates
I participated in a doodle-a-day challenge called Mart May (I only did about half of the prompts, but that’s better than nothing!)
I did some Procreate lessons to practice making digital art on my iPad
I made a succulent fairy garden in another class at the library
I’ve designed, printed, packaged, and shipped lots of stickers and goodies for Snail Mail Summer!
I’ve started experimenting with some LEGO printmaking
I made my first zine
I got two Richard Scarry tattoos
I’ve collected several Inciardi Prints from mini print vending machines in Minneapolis and Portland
When I list everything out, it seems 2026 has been pretty damn whimsical! And I didn’t even include the most recent, and possibly most whimsical, development: I bought a mini print vending machine.
I love everything about the trend Ana Inciardi started with Inciardi Prints. I love the whimsical images and the accessibility of a $1 piece of art and the collaborations with small businesses.
I’ve often thought, “Oh, wouldn’t it be cute to have my own little vending machine, but I’m sure I won’t be able to find one for sale in rural Saskatchewan.” Well, God or the patron saint of whimsy or some other agent of fate stepped in, and I found one… immediately. Just a few hours away. Brand new. Beautiful.
My current vision is to create some Saskatchewan-themed mini prints using a printmaking technique like linocut or LEGO relief printing and take the vending machine to craft shows or station it in a local gift shop or gallery.
Full disclosure: I wasn’t planning to really talk about this until after I did it. It feels vulnerable to share my plans because what if I don’t follow through or my art is bad? It feels cringey to say “I’m gonna sell my art,” when I’m barely comfortable calling myself an artist.
But OH WELL. I’m talking about it anyway! And I’m planning to post updates on Instagram — follow @wishful_working if you’re interested.
See you next week,
Kara
Out of Office
What I do when I’m not at my desk
Reading: I recently revisited a book I first read a few years ago, The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion by Elle Luna. It’s about bravely pursuing the thing(s) you feel you must do while breaking free of the shoulds that hold you back. A very quick read full of lovely art and illustrations. Highly recommend if you’re a creative person and/or if you’re facing a “crossroads” in your life.
Watching: We just watched season 1 of The Four Seasons on Netflix. The cast is great, and it’s pretty funny but also pretty awkward 😂
Doing: We (read: my husband and brother-in-law) finished painting our house!! We painted the front and back last summer and finally did the sides last week, so it’s now 100% green, not 50% green and 50% awful, peeling off-white.
Kara Detwiller is a writer and creative based in small-town Saskatchewan. She specializes in long-form content writing for enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and manufacturing clients. She is also working on her first novel, among other creative pursuits. To connect, reply to this email or find Kara on LinkedIn.
Why Wishful Working? I want to help people thrive in a world obsessed with work and productivity. Together, we’re expanding the definition of productivity, rediscovering life balance, and exploring the many kinds of work that make life possible.
