A Different Kind of January: Releasing & Honoring Your Season with Stacie Martinez

It’s easy to assume January should feel energizing, motivating, and full of clarity, but that hasn’t been the reality for everyone. In this episode of The Tillage Podcast, I’m joined by Stacie Martinez of The Lucky Bandana for a deeply honest conversation about what it looks like to move through January when your body, energy, or life circumstances are asking you to slow down. This is a gentle reminder that there’s more than one “right” way to begin a year.

A Different Kind of January
January often comes with pressure to reset, set goals, and hit the ground running. But what happens when you’re navigating uncertainty, healing, or burnout instead? Stacie shares her experience of entering this year without clear goals, not because of a lack of ambition, but because her body demanded care and attention. We talk about how disorienting it can feel when the usual January energy isn’t there, and why that doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong.

Listening to Your Body Without Guilt
So many creatives are used to pushing past warning signs in the name of productivity. In this conversation, we explore what happens when you can’t ignore those signals anymore and why listening sooner can change everything. We talk about redefining productivity, honoring physical limits, and releasing the belief that rest equals failure.

Letting Go of the “Right” Timeline
January has a way of amplifying comparison and urgency. We unpack the pressure to be further along, to move faster, or to look like the people we admire online without seeing the full picture of their support systems or seasons. This episode invites you to step out of someone else’s timeline and into your own, trusting that slower doesn’t mean behind.

Redefining Success and Creative Freedom
Stacie reflects on how this season has reshaped her relationship with work, identity, and success while letting go of external expectations and focusing on what actually supports a meaningful, sustainable life. We talk about finding freedom in smaller rhythms, rediscovering joy outside of output, and allowing your version of success to look different from what you once imagined.

• An Invitation to Go Gently
  This episode is an invitation to meet yourself where you are right now. If January feels heavier, quieter, or more uncertain than you expected, you’re not alone. You don’t need to force clarity or rush into goals. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is slow down, care for yourself, and trust that growth is still happening.
  
  KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• January doesn’t have to rush you. If this month feels quieter, heavier, or more uncertain than usual, you’re not doing it wrong. Not every January is meant for big goals or fresh starts; sometimes it’s meant for gentleness.

• Your body is trying to care for you. The signals it sends aren’t inconveniences or failures; they’re invitations to listen. Slowing down sooner can protect the creativity and energy you want to sustain long-term.

• Your worth doesn’t disappear when your output changes. You are still an artist, a business owner, and a creative soul even when your hands, energy, or capacity need rest.

• Rest can be a form of progress. Healing, recalibrating, and tending to yourself aren’t detours from your path. They are part of building a creative life that lasts.

• You don’t need someone else’s timeline. The people you admire may have support systems you can’t see. Your path is allowed to look different and move at a pace that honors your life.

  You’re allowed to go slower. You can set fewer goals, step back from the noise, and protect your energy without guilt. This season doesn’t need to be optimized; it needs to be lived.
  
  Stacie is an illustrator and pattern designer based in Santa Monica, CA. She began her career as a Marketing Director then returned to college to obtain a Masters Degree in Art History. From there she worked for museums and as a director of prominent galleries in Los Angeles, all the while never losing interest in making her own work. In 2019 she launched her creative business, The Lucky Bandana, so that she could share her love of pattern and design with others.

  https://www.instagram.com/theluckybandana/

  Substack: https://staciemartinez.substack.com/

  Website: https://staciemartinez.com/

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