The Creativity Potluck
Our warm and cozy space to slow down, reflect, and start the year together.
We did something new on New Year’s Eve this year and I’m still thinking about the feeling it left me with two weeks later. So, it’s officially time to do something about it!!
A group of my friends went on a ski trip and we decided to stay in and make pizzas instead of going out. Nothing groundbreaking so far. But then, after a toast with surprisingly excellent wine (purchased next to a gas station in Bozeman—it’s the little surprises), we did one small thing that shifted the entire night.
We went around the table and each shared:
What we were most grateful for from the past year
What we were most excited about heading into the next one
Which is funny because as I’m writing this it sounds SO simple. There is nothing groundbreaking about sharing your “rose” and “bud” for the year.
And yet somehow, forty-five minutes later we were sitting in happy tears, belly laughing, and sharing stories and memories that wouldn’t have come up otherwise. It was the kind of conversation that leaves you walking away feeling genuinely so much warmer.
The next morning, as we debriefed over pancakes (Ingrid brought our favorite pancake mix from Salt’s Cure with her from LA), we all kept coming back to the same thing: how rare it feels to have the chance to slow down together to actually name what we’re grateful for and what we’re hoping for to come. And to have the chance to say things out loud to people who are really listening and genuinely rooting for you.
And that’s when we had the idea:
What if we did this together with the I Have This Friend community to kick off the year??? A creativity potluck, of sorts.
We’re curating a space to set intentions for the year together in the warmest way (totally informal and non-performative, I promise). Just a few hours to slow down, reflect together, and start the year in the best company.
Here’s how it works: This will be the first IHTF gathering where our talent are guests instead of hosts, and everyone in our community brings their unique gift to the table. A chef friend might share a nourishing or nostalgic dish. Our astrologer friend Michelle will help offer insights for the year ahead. Artists may guide us through some moodboarding. Florists, photographers, stylists, color analysts—whoever wants to contribute—will weave their creativity into the space.
We’ll gather in a cozy living room on a Sunday afternoon (or maybe in the backyard if this LA weather keeps up???), and spend a few hours doing the thing that shifted our New Year’s Eve: going around the room to share what we’re most grateful for from 2025, and sharing our intentions for 2026. In a space that’s warm, creative, and authentic.
Why This Feels Extra Important Right Now:
The start of a new year often feels like a lot and not enough all at once.
There’s so much pressure to reinvent yourself overnight with new habits, new routines, new goals, new versions of you that are somehow supposed to snap into place on January 1st. And while we love reflecting, dreaming big, and setting intentions, there’s sometimes also a quieter undercurrent of shame that can creep in — about what didn’t happen last year, what’s taking longer than expected, or what maybe just doesn’t fit anymore.
It sounds like so many of us are entering this year a little more honest, a little more tired of being constantly attached to our devices, and much more aware of what we want to carry forward into the new year. What we’ve been craving (and hearing echoed back again and again) is something more grounded and real and connected with people we want to be around. If you are too, please come join us!!!
Who’s invited? Whoever you want to come with. Our IHTF community, the talented creatives we’ve featured, friends of friends—if you feel called to be in a room with people who care about intention-setting and community, or literally just want to hang and laugh together, there will be a seat for you.
When: Sunday, February 1st — 2 to 5pm
Where: Santa Monica!
To secure your seat: Register here. Entrance will be $5 if you are an IHTF directory access member, and $35 for non-directory access members.
So excited for this time together!!!! Cheers to embracing creativity, choosing community, and building your dream life on purpose in 2026 :)
And to our east coast friends, I’ve been looking for a reason to book a flight, so let me know if you’d attend and we will make it happen!!
xx,
Emily
RSVP'd !!! can't wait
I seriously can't wait for this! It's going to be so magical & cozy & beautiful.