notes on becoming the muse for your own life

2025 was a year of growth for me. I’ve learned so many things this year that pertain to my health, my mental well-being, the type of woman I aspire to be, the type of mother I aspire to be, the type of wife I aspire to be.

I have found ways to stop being so hard on myself, accept what is, and create a life that I don’t have to run from anymore.

There was a time where I used social media as an escape because I hated my home life so much. I was depressed, lost, and felt like there was no way out of the situation I was in.

But then something hit me — I spent so much time feeling sorry for myself, wanting to be a victim, scrolling instead of soul searching, and allowing other people and influences to take over my mind. I had no mind of my own. Was I opinionated with a voice? Absolutely… but I could no longer tell if the voice that I had was my own or from things that I picked up along the way being chronically online.

This is my advice for people who suffer with severe anxiety, FOMO, and overthinking: you cannot create the life you want by being chronically online. you cannot become the muse of your own life by comparing your life to someone else’s life. Now, maybe if you don’t suffer from these things, this advice still applies — however I can only speak from experience of being someone who does.

Even though this year was a year of growth for me, I am not at the place I want to be yet. Why you ask? Because — yes — I am that person that is on Youtube watching the “How to” videos, plan with me’s, get my life together with me, etc. All that content, I was a major consumer of. It feels good to watch someone else do all of the things that I want to do, but not yet doing.

As the year comes to a close, I’ve reflected back on my year and the moments where I spent consuming more than I created. Sure, I published two books this year and posted quite a few blog posts – but my creativity and curiosity has lacked in so many ways because I spent more time watching and consuming rather than actually doing. I haven’t been able to draw much inspiration from myself because I spent my year in front of my computer, getting shit done, but also scrolling and watching as little moments passed by.

I give myself grace for that, though. Because I accomplished so many things this year, I’m not mad that I consumed more than I may have wanted. But 2026 will be different for me in a creative way.

I hit milestones this year. That’s amazing. I have stopped feeling sorry for myself and I have started practicing gratitude — learning to be appreciative of the beautiful family that I have and that I was able to manage moving back to Louisiana this year with limited funds (something that I really wanted because life in Texas sucked) and now I wake up everyday thankful for everything that God has given me. Thankful for the growth this year even if I’m still not at the place I want to be quite yet.

I now live a life that doesn’t make me want to run away. Cutting out major social media platforms helped with that because I stopped comparing my life to others online as much. I started touching grass and listening to music more, reading more, and journaling more. This has helped me love my life and see it from a different perspective. Just those little things. I know it sounds cliché but it really did help. Seeing the joy and peace in the mundane and not feeling like I need a trip across the world to feel better or special.

Now? It’s time for some real soul work. The kind of work that you don’t really know you need until you sit with your thoughts and realize that bits and pieces of the way you think and how you create is directly related to the content you’ve been consuming.

Yes — I’ve cut back on my social media time in the last two months and my video watching and I’ve already started seeing a difference in the way I find inspiration. I started self studying which has been a joy. I’ve even had more ideas for essays on Substack come to me while I was in the shower, or cooking dinner — just out of thin air… because I’ve been working on filling my brain with substance and now I have so many ideas. This upcoming year will be me kicking that into a higher gear.

becoming the muse

In order to be the muse of your own life, you have to ask questions, wander, experience, and discover. You have to be the creator more than you are the consumer. You have to be the person asking more questions rather than the person sitting by idly waiting for answers without the curiosity first.

For me, becoming the muse of my own life means turning my attention back toward myself. It means treating my mind like a place worth exploring instead of a place I’m always trying to escape. It means letting my curiosity lead instead of my comparison to other people. I become the muse by creating inspiration by living, by asking questions, by trying new things, by paying attention to my own thoughts instead of everyone else’s. A muse is someone who collects experiences, emotions, lessons, and turns them into something meaningful. Becoming the muse is choosing to be influenced by my own life first — not the internet, not trends and certainly not strangers on a screen.

I don’t want to just think about life anymore — I want to actually live it in a way that I’ve always wanted to but never made the time to. So here’s what that looks like for me moving forward:

• Building my Soul Anthology Encyclopedia
If you read Sunday’s Chronicle you know a little bit about this. If not, I’ll link it below! But instead of scrolling for answers, I’m creating my own. Studying culture, music, wellness, history, and philosophy and turning it into something that belongs to me. My curiosity becomes my curriculum.

• Exploring my city with fresh eyes and a curious mind
Little adventures around town like going to coffee shops I’ve never been to, bookstores, parks — you name it, it’s on my list of places to visit. I don’t have to fly across the world to experience something… I can discover magic right where I live.

• Trying new recipes and foods
Letting my kitchen be a creative space instead of a space for survival. Cooking from scratch which has been super fun and eye opening. Experimenting and making meals feel like art instead of chores. Romanticizing the everyday life as I move through it with grace.

• Drawing my days when journaling feels too heavy
Some days words don’t come — but pictures can be another way I document my day. Sketches, doodles, and visual memories. Art becomes my second language.

• Painting more just because it feels good
Letting painting be messy and fun — a few hours to myself to learn more about the way I express my emotions and creativity when I’m living in it instead of just being a passenger in my own car.

• Studying new philosophies and big ideas
Asking questions I never had time for. Learning how other people think and expanding my mind beyond my bubble. Becoming a student of life again if you will.

• Taking a free online class outside my comfort zone
Something random or weird. Something I’d normally scroll past just for the sake of a new experience.

Becoming the muse of my own life means living a life that inspires me and I am 100% ready to be the source of my inspiration. Using what I see, what I taste, where I go, what I learn and who I become while on this journey of becoming to be the root of where my creativity comes from.

So in 2026, we will be becoming the inspiration instead of constantly chasing it. If inspiration comes from other sources, that’s great, too! We can’t do it all on our own. But being well rounded in a way where you could sit with yourself for days straight — no socials, no outside world, just you and your thoughts and still being able to find inspiration and creativity — that’s the goal.

So strap up my little muses — let’s make 2026 be an unforgettable, soul searching, creative, and passionate year. Where we lean into our creative side and child-like curiosity and build a life that’s worth living in every single day.