JANUARY NOTES
2022 has been quite the year with its ups and downs. Now we can put that behind us, focus on the new year and what it will bring. Having a fresh new start means that I can make list of goals and work towards them. I feel rather optimistic and the need to create is higher than ever. As life can be distracting in various manners, having a flexible schedule is a must for myself. The trickier bit is to create the schedule in such way that it does not make me more anxious nor let procrastination kick in.
CREATING A SCHEDULE
Over the years, I have tried various planners and did my best to make use of my time in the most efficient way. That meant that I would schedule everything down to the hour. I did not take into account that human things can happen: getting sick, fall in a funky mood, plans change and so forth. In case those sort of things happened I would shift everything in the upcoming days and worked myself harder to get them done. That was not the best idea as soon enough I got tired, burned out and depressed that I wasn’t productive enough.
That cycle kept repeating itself and I couldn’t understand why I just can’t do everything as I was so organised. Only recently, I have told myself that I need to take a different approach and it also became one of my goals for this year.
As I am a visual person, I have bought a dotted planner and started creating my own structure for the entire year. The most important thing I had to keep in mind when I was creating the structure was to add only the most necessary elements. That way the structure would be as clean and simple as possible. In case there is interest I can write up a different post about the full structure of my planner, so feel free to let me know.
By keeping the structure simple and not assigning too much space for each category meant that my list of goals for each week/month would need to be kept shorter. This would not allow me (if tempted) to add a bunch of tasks that might or might not get done.
CREATING ART
One of the goals for this year is, of course, to get back to creating more art, but this comes with specific conditions that hopefully will make the process more enjoyable and smoother.
Being a perfectionist and procrastinator, that means that putting ideas on paper can be challenging as sometimes it doesn’t come out as I expected it. This can create an array of feelings, such as dread of looking at a blank page, not wanting to start a new piece, leaving artworks unfinished and so on.
The main advice I need to make myself follow is to have fun and not judge the outcome in a harsh way. It’s more important to put something on paper rather than nothing at all. Also, not all ideas have to become fully fledged artworks and be “worthy” of posting it online. Some can stay just as a sketch or doodle for your own eyes. It is a difficult advice to follow as there is so much pressure coming from online platforms that make you believe that you are behind if you don’t share your progress.
More and more creatives encourage the community and other peers to not cave in under this pressure (if possible) and share their experiences. It is a nice feeling to know that you are not alone in this and everyone has their own struggles. With a bit of help and support (even if it’s only from yourself), slowly but surely you can get where you wish to be.
MENTAL HEALTH
Another big goal for 2023 is to prioritise my mental health and get into a better mindset. Being in a good and safe headspace means that you can tackle any obstacles that come your way in a healthier way. With a new perspective and the necessary tools, life can be a little bit easier and reaching desired goals seems closer. Living inside your head with your demons can be tiring and everyone deserves a break from it in order to experience life in a nicer way.
MISC.
On a more fun note, as I am trying to spend less time scrolling aimlessly on my phone, I am replacing it with reading more books, playing video games and watching movies/shows I have meant to enjoy for a long time. My current ones are:
Video Games: Recently, I have played “Luxor” on my Nintendo DS, which I used to play when I was a kid on the family’s old PC. It can be both a fun yet challenging game to play, but it can bring so much satisfaction when you finish another level. I am also planning to start “Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective”, as I have recently got the amazing opportunity to get my hands on a physical copy of it for the Nintendo DS. I have heard amazing things about it and am eager to dive into the story.
Movies/Shows: Started watching “The Last of Us” on HBO Max and curious to see how the story will evolve and be presented. For the time being, I do like how most of the characters have been portrayed, however there are also some things I am not that happy about. Keeping an open mind and trying to separate the game from the show.
On the movie front, in case you are in the mood for a horror set in outer space then “LIFE” can be an interesting choice. I must warn you, next to tense situations, there are quite some graphic scenes. You never know what will happen next and the twists and turns are horrifying.
Books: “Strange The Dreamer” has been on my TBR list for ages and now I have finally picked it up. It’s a rather big book with a slower start, however I got hooked to the story and it’s characters after a few chapters. On the Kindle front, I am reading “The Phone Box at the Edge of the World”, which is a slower paced story about a young mother navigating the loss of her daughter and own mother to a devastating tsunami.
Music: When traveling by car, Don Diablo’s Hexagon Radio is playing in the background and for at home when I am working or illustrating, I am listening to various video game soundtracks.
That about wraps it up for January! I will be back with at least one blog post each month and, if time allows, additional posts about various themes ranging from art, books, video games to random silly things. Until then take care and stay safe ✨