Hello everyone! It’s just been one of those weeks, where you seem to be running the entire time, but when you get to Friday, you look back and are not really sure what you did, since nothing seems to be checked off of your list, and yet you know that you were occupied with something during that time. . . Here it is already Friday, and I haven’t even had a chance to get a blog post up until now!
The past couple of months have really seemed to be very busy for me, for some reason. My photos from the past couple of months, when I looked through them, are mainly of a few things: snapshots of my artwork in progress, photos where I was testing out new photography techniques and playing with my lenses, and lots and lots of photos documenting this changing of seasons from Winter to Spring.
It feels like I am going through a bit of a “change of seasons” right now in my life too. Lately it seems like I have been running around in circles, trying to do everything, but not getting much accomplished. I seem to have lost my rhythm somewhere along the way, and in pouring more of my energies towards my artwork, (and starting a creative business) I have in turn been neglecting other areas of my life, like this blog, and my sewing and other crafts, and even, dare I say it, fashion.
I am finding it difficult to balance my all of my interests and responsibilities. By focusing more of my time into my artwork, I have taken my focus away from other things, like reading blogs, sewing, and crafting. I have tons of ideas of things I want to do- blog posts, clothes to make, illustrations to paint, hats to create, work to do, and the list goes on, but- alas- there are only 24 hours in the day. Finding the balance between all the things I want to do, and all the things that I can realistically do is hard. I’ve never been good at multitasking! I think I need to take some time to refocus and narrow down what is really important: the personal things I should be prioritizing, like studying my Bible, focusing on my health, being a good employee at my paid job, and even taking time for simple things like reading books (remember those things???).
Maybe I’m just feeling this way because I am tired and it is 11:30 at night and I am trying to get this blog post published before the clock strikes 12! So, before I risk rambling on ad naseum, I will just end this now. 🙂
Do you have a difficult time balancing all the things you want to do and don’t have time for? How do you find a balance between prioritizing the important things, and yet still enjoying the less important things?
Spending time on some new artworks, and a happy sight: a brand new pack of pens!
Always make some time for some tea and letter writing.
We got a Spring snowstorm, then a few days later saw these crocuses popping up at my Grandma’s house.
Testing out my 1.8 f/stop with a pencil box and Barbie. That blurred background is making me all heart eyes 🙂 ❤
It has been a while since I shared a “link round up”, so I thought it was about time for another. I love the posts that other bloggers put together, sharing things that they’ve found interesting and have been inspired by. Isn’t that the whole point of the internet anyways- sharing information? So, here are some posts and other internet finds lately, that I thought you might find interesting too.
Fashion Revolution just put out a fanzine called Money Fashion Power. You can read it here for free. There is seriously so much good information in here. I read through it once- but I know that I am going to be referring back to it over and over again.
Fashion Revolution Week is also coming up soon- April 24-30, 2017. Fashion Revolution has set up an entire page with ideas for how bloggers and vloggers can join in to help create awareness and promote change in the fashion industry this April. I’ve already started thinking about how I am going to take part this year. Are you planning on taking part in Fashion Revolution Week?
Have you ever thought about fashion “fakes” as being that big of a deal? I had no idea of what a sordid and terrible industry the counterfeit fashion one is. This story from the Associated Press reveals how fake fashion adds an entirely new and appalling level to the cheap fashion industry.
This Make Do and Mend blazer that Leea refashioned from a men’s jacket is absolutely beautiful. She has included the diagram/image of how to lay out the pattern from the 1940’s. I really want to try this out sometime! Maybe when I am feeling the need of a new and challenging project 😉
This is a fun story about an accidental fashion icon, Lyn Slater. She is a 63 year old lady with a killer sense of style, who was mistaken for being a famous fashion icon and ended up starting her own blog!
The LACMA (Los Angeles County Museaum of Art) has released some patterns from some of their collection, and they are available as free downloads. There are pieces from the 1700’s up to the mid 1900’s. There are both men’s and women’s patterns- including a ladies harem pants pajamas pattern from the early 1900’s and a redingote from 1790. Who knows if I’ll ever make them, but that’s no reason not to save the patterns anyways!
I’m always excited to see what Jessica of Zella Maybe has come up with, and this recent outfit she shared is making me want all the embroidery! She has such a great sense of style, and her shoots are always so atmospheric.
Bianca of The Closet Historian recently did up a tutorial on embellishing a knit top. Hop over to her post to see how she turned a basic black top into a beautiful showstopping 50’s inspired sweater, inspired by one of the costumes from the movie “Brooklyn”.
As part of my Creative Goals for this year, I did this free 5-day Still Life and Food Photography Course, by Christina Greve. She has tons of free tutorials and courses on her blog, and though I haven’t had a chance yet to check them all out- the tips that I’ve gotten so far have been helpful.
Emileigh’s post this past Wednesday, for International Women’s Day was very beautiful. I love how she focused on the different roles and positions that women are in, and spent time thanking them for that.
And that is some of what I have been reading and been inspired by on the internet these past few weeks. Happy Friday everyone!
Where did the month of February go? I know that it is a shorter month than the rest, but I was still so surprised at just how fast it went by! And here we are, already on the 3rd day of March. There is something about turning the calendar page to March, that turns my mind towards Spring. I know that technically we are still in Winter, and the current view out my window is one full of snow, with nary a tree bud to be seen, but I can’t help but start hoping for Spring. And with thoughts of Spring, and a fresh new month before us, also comes thoughts of “goals”; and specifically my creative goals.
I set myself a rather hefty list of goals to accomplish this year. I might have gone a bit overboard with the number I set, but last year I didn’t set any overarching goals, and at the end of the year I realized that I didn’t accomplish much. So, this year I set a lot. Seriously- the ones listed below are only my “creative goals”. Many of these creative goals are things that I enjoy or have been “meaning to get around to”, but haven’t dedicated the time and effort into. The act of writing them down is really forcing me to work on them- and, sharing them here is going to help me be a whole lot more accountable too 🙂 Since we’re now in the third month of the year, here is what I have done so far, and what needs to yet be done, both this month and the rest of year as well.
Improve my Photography Skills
There is so much about photography that I don’t know. I have decided that this is the year that I finally invest some time (and money if needed) into improving my skill set. You can’t grow if you don’t learn, right? I have been putting it off, but I have finally carved out the time to do some online lessons and DVD courses in order to get better at photography. I absolutely love taking photos- it is one of my favourite creative mediums, so instead of being intimidated by all the things I don’t know- I am instead going to start absorbing some of that knowledge bit by bit. My goal is to finish one course this month, and making this a priority each week is a good start!
Improve my Photoshop Skills
I have a very rudimentary knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator. I use these two programs for my job all the time- but I was not trained very well in the programs, and I know just enough to limp my way through. My boss has agreed to let me dedicate a couple of hours each week to tutorials and training, and I have learned so much in just the few lessons I’ve taken. I found the Youtube channel Phlearn, and if you are wanting to learn Photoshop- this is the place to go. Not only am I learning things that will help me with my job, but also with my own personal photos and this blog too. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. (Well – not literally.)
Create a More Cohesive Instagram
Although my family and friends, who are not part of social media, laugh at this goal of mine- I know that my fellow Instagrammers will understand. 🙂 I get frustrated when I look at my feed and it’s all over the place. I am now, as of this week, focusing more on creating cohesive images for my Instagram account. The first step I have taken to implementing this plan is downloading VSCO; and already I am liking how my pictures are turning out. It is so nice to be able to edit outside of Instagram, and have complete control over the look of the picture before it is published.
Create More Artwork, and Practice, Practice, Practice!
I had really gotten out of the habit of putting my artwork as a priority. Don’t we always neglect the enjoyable things we love, that are not as “important” as the other things on our to-do lists? I have now set a goal for myself to create one painting each week. I am also going to sketch each day, and take one artistic photograph each day. I will probably fail at this goal, but at least by setting it, I will create more than I have been, and I will be intentional about it!
Exhibit at Art and Craft Shows
Going to those two Christmas sales has really given me the “sale” bug. I took part in one art show last weekend, and it was great! I didn’t sell as much as I was hoping for, but I did sell four photo prints, which was very nice. Also, because of the sale, I found out about a local library that has an area for artists to hang their work. I now have my pieces hanging up for the month of March and April- so who knows where that might lead? And, I have just found out about another art show in April and I am now planning for that one too. And of course, planning again for the next Christmas shows. It was a huge step for me to do that first show, and now I am so excited for all of these new ones coming up!
Create an Online Shop
You may have noticed that I have a “shop” tab in my blog header, but if you click on it, it only takes you to a page that says “coming soon”. 🙁 I was hoping to have set up a shop online by now, but I have run into some complications with that, and it hasn’t happened yet. My hope is to be able to start selling online this year, but it might be a while before that happens. This is one of those creative goals that I have not made much progress on so far, but I’ll keep chipping away at it. . .
Sew More
Considering that I love to wear clothes, you would think that I would be chomping at the bit to get more things sewn and into my wardrobe. However- I am a slow seamstress and I always seem to run into problems with my sewing which then takes up more time. . . Long story short- it takes a lot of time. But, I do have a lot of projects in the works, and I would like to finish them up. I think a goal of sewing a few hours a week is not too bad of a target. Maybe even one garment a month? Do you think I can do it? I guess we’ll find out. . .
Unplug More Often
I currently unplug on Sundays; as it is my Sabbath and day of rest. It is so nice to have one day a week where I don’t turn on my computer or browse through Instagram, and I think that doing this more often wouldn’t hurt either. I actually don’t need to post a new photo every day on Instagram. If I miss a blog post here and there, the world won’t fall apart. (I hope- haha!) I don’t need to see what every person I follow is doing every minute of the day. There actually is such a thing as too much inspiration. I want to do these things only because I want to, not because I feel the pressure to keep up. Last weekend I took a break over the weekend, since I was busy at the art show. I realized that I needed to be living in the moment; not wondering how many comments I needed to respond to! I am going to make a conscious effort to unplug this year, when necessary.
Well, those are my creative goals. Congratulations on making it to this point, because whew! I thought this was going to be a short post and it is a looooooong one.
So, do you set yearly goals for yourself? If so, what are your creative goals, or non creative goals for this year? How are you doing with them so far? And, are you excited about the coming Spring season?!
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”
Isaiah 9:6-7
Hello dear Readers! I am going to be taking a break for Christmas so this will be my last post until sometime in the New Year. I’m really looking forward to some time to relax, recharge and spend time with family, doing all those lovely Christmas things that only happen once a year. Thank- you for following along with me this year, and I hope that each and every one of you have a very Merry Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ!
Well, to be honest “life lately” around here has been less than ideal. I came down with a head cold last week, and I am still trying to get over that. I hate being sick at any time, but right now seems to be the worst timing, as I am getting behind at work, and trying to get things in order for my craft shows at the end of the month. I don’t even want to look at my to-do list 🙁 And, somehow October is gone, and we are already a week into November? And, all I want to do is get better now, so I can get on with being busy, but that seems to be taking an extremely long time to happen. . .
Nevertheless, I do still have this blog that needs tending to, and I do still take pictures wherever I go, so here are some that I have taken in the last month, that I thought I would share with you all. Some of them have made an appearance on Instagram, so if you follow me there, you may have seen them, but some are new!
How is your first week of November going?
Right: A most idyllic street, found in a recent trip to Edmonton (via incorrect GPS directions!) Just take away the trucks and the window reflection = when can I move in? 🙂
