Over winter break, I cleared my browsing history and was SHOCKED to see how much time I blew on Instagram or YouTube. So while it felt like I spent hours writing college essays, most of the time was surfing the web “for inspiration.” Once all of my essays were in, I decided to get a head start on my New Year’s resolution: To create more, consume less. After all, I was graduating this year and wanted to study to live instead of living to study.
Although I stayed at home and it felt like I did practically nothing, I picked up a few new skills and felt more fulfilled than ever before.
Here are some of the things I tried:
1. Reading
I had lots of books lying around at home that I hadn’t looked into. Currently, I’m in a nonfiction phase where I have the patience for good science writing and nothing else. I found Ways of Being by James Brindle and X+Y by Eugenia Cheng to be insightful. A few pages a day when there’s time to spare really compounds.
2. Coding
I will study computer science in college, so I refreshed my coding skills. If you don’t know how to code, W3Schools tutorials are a great place to start. I personally think that although AI can do low-level coding, it is still important to understand the logic behind programs.
3. Baking cookies
This was my first time baking without the help of my parents. I followed a Preppy Kitchen recipe. My snickerdoodles had too much flour in them so they were spherical, but they still tasted good. It felt nice knowing I won’t starve in college since I could follow a recipe.
4. Art
I haven’t drawn on paper in a long time, so I revived my creative muscles by sketching faces at various angles. Then I tackled a digital portrait on my iPad. It’s been a while, so I really needed to review how to shade and make my colors cooperate to convey value and form.
5. Origami
I especially love making 3D geometric shapes with modular origami. I could cut out 30 squares, fold them into units, and build a dodecahedron while watching a movie. It is very relaxing and rewarding to finish a polyhedron.
6. Physics
I was getting scared about AP Physics C Electricity and Magnetism, so I watched YouTube tutorials about electric fields and solving for voltage, current, and resistance in circuits. I hope that effort I put into physics now will pay off when it’s crunch time in April.
7. Starting a tutoring business
I’ve been teaching math with a company for a while, but I wanted to learn how to manage my own finances (and have emergency money for college). On New Year’s Day, I posted an ad into the city Facebook group and gained a client. I’m having my first sessions soon, so I’m excited so see how this goes!
Hopefully, my creative experiments will inspire you to try new things and dream big this year. Happy 2026!
