Setting Intentions for 2023

Written by Colleen Snell

Artistic Director, Frog in Hand

January 3, 2023

Hey pollywogs.

As one year turns to the next, it's a time for reflecting. This is helped along by long winter nights, fireside chats, slow promenades through the snow, mugs of mulled wine... Yes, it is a time for mulling... it's a time for digesting.

On CBC radio recently, hosts discussed their plans for the New Year.

"A resolution is resolute - it's unchanging and firm," one said."Many people are choosing to set intentions instead."

The Lost Letters. Image by Noelle Hamlyn.

I liked this idea, so I wrote 12 intentions for Frog in Hand for 2023. I wanted to focus on the journey ahead, the process. I wanted to share these to see what resonates with you, maybe some of these match with things you are working on. These might be interesting to revisit next year.

Without further ado, here are 12 intentions for Frog in Hand for the New Year:

1. Nurture and grow our human-centered approach. Foster a culture of care, listening, empathy, reflection and learning.

2. Make plans that include time to rest and recover. We know artists and arts workers need more support than ever to do their work: mentally, physically and emotionally.

3. Hold space for opportunities beyond performances.

4. Invest in wisdom exchange and mentorship.

5. Continue to trust embodied wisdom as a powerful way of knowing.

6. Work in public spaces to make the arts more visible, a more "normal" part of everyday life. Welcome questions, interruptions and comments from passersby.

7. Work outside as a way of remembering we are part of the earth, not apart from the earth (especially when the weather is just... awful).

8. Develop a bolder understanding of intersectionality, while keeping anti-oppressive practices and anti-racist approaches intentional & top of mind.

9. Find active ways of making people aware of their existing connections to one another.

10. Make sustainable choices while holding the next 50 years, the next 100 years in mind.

11. Imagine, but also do. Often doing something is harder. Both are needed.

12. Remember it’s always about the people.

All the best to you and yours in 2023! We've got lots of exciting things on the horizon, so as usual, be sure to stay tuned. Up next, our Frog in Hand intern Maya Gale-Buncel will be taking over the blog to share her reflections on working with us. Welcome, Maya!

2021 Summer Company performs "Caretakers." Image by Andrew Gaboury