My best resolution for 2026 will probably surprise you

And there you have it.

Here we go again for another year.

And its usual share of “New Year’s resolutions.”

I don’t know why we put ourselves through this every year since, generally, we know they’ll only last about two days.

Well, it all depends on where you set the bar, of course.

Which will seem high for some and practically nonexistent for others.

Here are my New Year’s resolutions for 2026.

I’m sharing them with you, but I’d love to hear yours in the comments!

1- Stop aging.

I admit, it’s not going to be easy. You might suggest I try methods like cosmetic surgery.

Or cryotherapy.

But actually, it’s not so much the physical aspect that bothers me, it’s the disconnect between my physical appearance and my mental state.

Even though I’m in my late forties, have two children, a first career and then a second, I still don’t feel like an adult!

I hate being called “Madam”. You ?…

Maybe we never really feel like adults?

Or is it just me? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

In any case, I’d love to stop time, and we could even imagine bonsai children, right? I’d keep them in pots in the living room.

Not very realistic, this first resolution for 2026, I grant you.

So let’s move on to the second one, which is more feasible.

2- Stop worrying about what others think of me.

What do you mean by “Caroline doesn’t like you”?

Not easy for me.

I’m always in awe of people who couldn’t care less what others think of them.

I’m not talking about looks, though. I’ve always embraced my eccentricities in that area (my first career was in fashion, as I mentioned) and I’ve never had a problem with what people thought.

Like that time when, at 18, I dyed my hair Marlboro red (to match my pack of cigarettes) while my parents were abroad.

When they came back, my father sent me straight to the hairdresser to have it dyed a more conventional color.

My hair was a mess for a year, it cost me an arm and a leg, but I’d achieved my goal: annoying my parents and becoming the coolest girl in school in five seconds flat.

sorry Dad !

On the other hand, if people don’t like me, it throws me off. Not because I consider myself particularly likable, but because I don’t think I’m especially unpleasant.

And my self-confidence is rather limited.

I imagine that resonates with some of you.

3- Explaining the impact of AI around me to the point of being banned from all dinner parties.

I won’t lie to you, 2025 was a very difficult year for illustrators. The rise of AI is largely to blame, and many of my colleagues have also suffered.

Let’s be clear: when a company uses AI to generate an image—and I emphasize the word “generate,” not “create”—the AI ​​uses images scraped from the internet. It feeds on the work of others, whose revenue comes in part from copyright.

To simplify, when I create an illustration for professional use, my client “rents” this drawing for a specific use, duration, and territory. This is called a copyright assignment.

It’s the same principle for photography or music.

When you hear a song in an advertisement, the company pays the artist for the right to use that song in their ad.

In short, without going into too much detail, AI is a disaster for artists because when a company uses it to generate images it deprives not only a “real” person of work but also of remuneration linked to copyright.

I’m not saying that everything about AI is bad; some uses can certainly help optimize tasks, but generating images or music is something I veto.

When a company hires an illustrator, a photographer, or a writer, it’s not just hiring a visual technician or a specialist but a person with their own unique ideas, stemming from their life experiences, feelings, and personality. And in my opinion, that’s what will make an image, drawing, or commissioned text a unique work of art.

I sincerely believe that my added value as an artist is my humanity and my life experiences, imperfections and all.

As I mentioned in this newsletter, I want to share funny anecdotes with you, but also the reality of my profession—hence this little aside, so that the next time you’re at a dinner party (where I’m not invited!) and the topic of AI comes up, you can say: “I know this illustrator who was directly impacted by AI, etc...”

4- And finally, my last resolution, but certainly not the least:

To have no more resolutions.

Simply to follow my instincts, continue to work hard, believe in myself despite the challenges, nurture relationships with loved ones, and cultivate “the art of noticing”—I’ve practiced it for a long time.

It’s about marveling at the little “nothings” in everyday life. It sometimes annoys my children when, suddenly, even though we’re running late for school, I absolutely have to stop on the way to take a picture of a cloud, but I know deep down they appreciate it. In fact, they’re the ones now pointing out clouds or blades of grass to photograph.

Ultimately, their appreciation depends on how far behind we are…

I love to pause for a moment in this life that goes by so fast and take the time to look, not just see what surrounds us.

Perhaps that’s what it means not to grow old?

To never become jaded by the beauty that surrounds us, even in the smallest things.

I wish you a wonderful 2026. I hope you will give yourself the time to pause and reflect, and I especially thank you for giving me a little space to land in your inbox each week.

For now, let’s take off !

Happy New Year 2026!

Sincerely,

Your Flosch (&Fam of course)