FEBRUARY NOTES
February came and went. A lot of things happened behind the scenes and life can force you to adjust to the new challenges that are thrown your way. Nevertheless, I am trying to take everything as it comes and tackle the obstacles one by one. Because of this the sketchbook as been collecting a bit of dust and no new creations came to life. Except for one project that has been on my mind for quite some time and had a lot of fun making it.
VALENTINE’S DAY
Next to being the shortest month of the year, February is also known for its celebration of love. Regardless of form, way or magnitude, everyone deserves love especially from themselves. I am not necessarily one to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but I am a big fan of celebrating love at every occasion I can. Which brings us to the project I had in mind since the end of last year.
CASSETTE TAPE PROJECT
The Cassette Tape project is still ongoing and it will pop up throughout the entire year as it comes in different themes. The inspiration came from seeing a few pictures of transparent cassette tapes on Pinterest, that were filled with flowers. From there I came up with the idea to create a cassette tape for each season and two additional special editions. For one of the special edition I wanted to have as main theme love, thus the perfect time to show it off was Valentine’s Day.
After finishing up the illustration for the love themed Cassette Tape, I wanted go further on and try animating it. As I am in no way an experienced animator, I took the easiest and simplest path I could to make the illustration come to life. That meant drawing each frame for the short animation. I choose to animate the tape and the hearts as they were the most impactful to see moving. It was quite fun to draw all of the frames separately, decide which elements would need to be animated and how they would interact with each other. In the end, a small looping animation was created, which brought me a lot of joy.
HEART DICE
Another idea that I had for this month was to create dice out of clay that had hearts on them. I managed to get all of the materials that I needed, sadly I did not get to actually create them. As life took a turn and other things had to be prioritised and taken care of, I had to post-pone the creation of the heart dice. That does not mean I am giving up on the idea.
I was a bit disappointed in myself as I did not get to create this project in the month of February (as I planned), however I am trying to remind myself that the idea is not lost and that it will come to life soon enough.
MISC.
I thought it would be fun to keep this section of the post for each month to share what new things I find out. This is actually included in my goals list for this year, to read more books, watch more movies/shows I have had on my list for a long time, play more video games and so on. It might sound like a silly goal, but I think it is important to take time for such activities that bring you joy. It not only recharges your energy, it can also help your creativity when you are feeling stuck.
Video Games: Only a few hours in, but “Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective” has been such a fun game. The gameplay mechanics are interesting as it makes you explore and try out different ways of tackling each level. The characters, animation and story are so unique and fluid. I must say that the pixelated animation, even if on a Nintendo DS, looks so satisfying and brings its own charm. The way the characters move and each of their personality shows really well through the animation. Oh and let’s not forget about the amazing soundtrack this game offers.
The best thing is that recently it was announced that a remaster of the game will be launching for the Nintendo Switch. In case you have the opportunity and are interested, I would definitely recommend trying the game out
Movies/Shows: Next to watching a lot of YouTube gaming videos, one of the shows that I have wrapped up this month was “Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure”. I was a fan of the funny (and relatable) Gudetama character and I was rather excited when the show was announced. It is only 10 episodes long and it shows the fun adventure of Gudetama and his friend Shakipiyo that are on the search of their mother. Along the way, they meet all sorts of characters that either help them out or make their adventure a bit more challenging. A fun and relaxing animated series that can bring a little bit of joy.
On the movie side, I have watched ”Bullet Train” which was a quirky experience. It was engaging and brought quite a few twists and turns. Some of the characters I have enjoyed more than others and the plot was fun to follow. I actually missed seeing this type of movie, that is a bit chaotic and you never know what else will come up and I am a big fan of action taking place in a train. I might read the book as well to see the difference and to further expand the experience.
Books: At the beginning of the month, I managed to finally finish “Forgiving What You Can't Forget: Discover How to Move On, Make Peace with Painful Memories, and Create a Life That's Beautiful Again” and oh boy what a ride that has been. I picked up the book in hope of learning more about moving on from painful things from which you did not get closure. There are a few helpful tips and tricks that are shared and you can relate to some of the stories which the author shares. That being said the author relies a lot of the theological aspect throughout the book with which I cannot relate to and sometimes the book feels more like a memoir rather than a self-help book. If you are interested in this subject and also in a theological approach then this book could be more fitted for you.
Moving forward with the self-help books, I also picked up “Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?” which is a great book that introduces the basic concepts of psychology together with helpful exercises and tips. I would have loved for it to be more in-depth and a bit more complex, nevertheless this book is a great starting point in self-help that offers a good structure and easy to follow writing style.
Lastly, we have “Muse of Nightmares” the second book in the Strange the Dreamer duology. I adored the first book, even if the beginning was a bit slower and confused me with all of the introductions and world building. The second one is an even slower burner, which at some times I do not mind, but 200 pages in and not a lot has happened in order to further progress with the story. In the end, it still remains a good book with complex characters and a lot of twists and turns that create tension and unexpected solutions.
Music: The song that was rather suited for this month is “Our Love” by Curtis Harding ft. Jazmine Sullivan from the “Arcane” series. This song brings so much joy to my soul when listening to it. The entire soundtrack for “Arcane” is really good, but this track specifically is my go-to when I am in a swooning mood.
Next to that I would like to share a mix of songs entitled “lazy summer afternoon vibes 😴 | lofi hip hop radio”. This playlist has been quite on repeat this month as I am longing for those warm summer afternoons, where you can just relax, lie and bask in the sun.
This month’s blog post is a short one, but you never know what the next month has in store. I am excited for spring and for the warm weather to come. Some flowers are already blooming, which brings a nice splash of colour during to the grey days. I wish everyone a lovely March and a happy spring ✨