New Year’s resolutions are a lovely tradition, if honored more often in the breach than in the observance. But if you’ve already slacked on some of your intents for self-improvement for 2017, maybe it’s time to pick up on a less pressured approach to looking ahead. The Japanese like to visualize good fortune to come by making their first calligraphy of the year an auspicious Chinese character called a kanji, encapsulating the particular flavor of positive energy that one next wishes to embody. The practice is called Kakizome, meaning “first writing.”
Intrigued? You can pick out your own lucky kanji for 2017 and bring it to life in ink this Saturday afternoon at Arts Mid-Hudson in Poughkeepsie, with a little guidance from knowledgeable volunteers from the Mid-Hudson Japanese Community Association. The event is free and open to the public, and brushes, paper and ink will be provided. The Kakizome workshop will run from 2 to 4 p.m. on January 7. Stop in and try your hand! You might just get luckier.
Arts Mid-Hudson is located at 696 Dutchess Turnpike (Route 44) in Arlington in the Town of Poughkeepsie, just east of the city limits. For more info, call (845) 454-3222 or visit www.artsmidhudson.org or www.facebook.com/artsmidhudson.
Join the family! 
