Practicing Risk in 2026
If not now, when?
The start of a new year is marked by resolutions, goals, and big plans.
In the past, my husband Alex and I have tried setting resolutions with multi-step goals and progress trackers. They rarely last the full year…or even past a few weeks if I’m being totally honest. So this year, we decided to keep it simple and each picked a single word as a theme and guide for the year.
My word for 2026 is…drumroll, please:
Risk.
Not just in my personal life. This one very much bleeds into Practice.
Why “Risk”?
I wouldn’t describe myself as risk-averse. I put myself out there. I try new experiences. I overshare (here). Heck, I’m an entrepreneur, consultant, and miniaturist pursuing a multi-hyphenate life, which means I can barely introduce myself at a party. Risky, right?
But I also wouldn’t say that I naturally embrace risk. I think through outcomes, other people’s experiences, and second- and third-order effects. Any risk I take is calculated and rooted in what some might call overthinking or perfectionism—choose your pejorative.
I like to think of it (more gently) as thoughtfulness. And this thoughtfulness has served me well. It is a superpower. But even superpowers have their kryptonite.
Co-founding a company is risky, but I felt so compelled to do it and so bullish about the idea, that it was a risk I was willing to take, regardless of the outcome. I’ll admit that I didn’t fully recognize how consistently it would push me outside my comfort zone.
I’ve found myself thinking:
It’s risky to go out to my network and directly ask for support/investment in Practice.
It’s risky to release an app to more than a few people that isn’t beautiful and buttoned up.
It’s risky to talk directly about Practice to my 20K Instagram followers.
And as I’ve calculated potential outcomes and imagined how my actions may make people feel (including myself), I’ve made excuses, like: ”we’ll add more people to the Beta once we have xyz features,” and “I’ll wait to go Instagram public until we get seed funding.”
None of this is irrational. But it is cautious. Too cautious.
So that’s why 2026 will be all about risk.
Because if not now, when?
Let’s GO!
Earlier this week, we sent out our first email newsletter in a while. And the giant headline is: “Join our private beta!” with a link to our beta invite request form.
We still have items on the punchlist. We’re still editing the beta FAQs. And we still need to hit send on the Testflight invites.
But, like: let’s f-ing go.
Because we want more people to have creative hobbies! And any risks we take to make that happen, as soon as possible, seems immensely worthwhile.
2026 is the year of the hobby
It’s also reassuring to see that this isn’t just us wearing Practice-colored glasses. The broader zeitgeist seems to agree: 2026 is shaping up to be a big year for creative making.
Every day there are more posts, podcasts, and articles about the benefits of hobbies. Stories of GenZers and Millenials seeking out analog experiences and conversations about how to make time for hobbies as an adult.
The Guardian recently published an article by Daisy Fancourt titled Art could save your life! with the very Practice-y subtitle: “Engaging in creativity can reduce depression, improve immunity and delay aging – all while you’re having fun.”
Fancourt writes:
“If you can dedicate between 30 and 60 minutes once a week to engaging in the arts, studies suggest you can expect to see improvements in your wellbeing within around six weeks…
Remember that failure is essential to building a sense of accomplishment, so if your pottery collapses or scarves unravel, practising dealing with such failures can build your sense of resilience.”
Creative hobbies improve wellbeing, build resilience, and help us get more comfortable with trying, failing, and trying again. So us taking a few risks in service of making crafting the next wave of self-care feels more than worthwhile.
On that note: if you’ve been thinking about starting a creative hobby, maybe this is the year. And if you’re ready to take that risk, you’re welcome to request a beta invite and come join us.