I’ve been feeling the blahs for the last four days now. As I sat by my desk tonight, I found myself wondering if it’s a good idea to write when I am grumpy or if I should just avoid the blog at all costs.
The thing is, there are many little and big things where I feel like I am running behind lately. Or just dropping on the floor altogether.
- I have been terrible about posting family photos here on the blog since around June. I have a lot of photos. They’ve been piling up but I just cannot get myself to do the work to post them.
- I’ve dropped the stitching project altogether. I think I’d just had enough of it. I have some ideas for Thursdays now but I haven’t gotten around to writing them.
- I haven’t been really taking any pictures for months now. I have been using my SLR so little, it actually had a dead battery (from disuse) this has never happened since I bought the camera years ago.
- I feel uninspired to blog lately. Or journal. I think about both nonstop and want to do more, but I can’t get myself to do it.
- I have a month’s worth of shoes I drew back in June and never posted.
- And 75-days of sketching with only pen.
So hence the question of should I even bother. But sometimes it’s more about the practice of writing then the content. So I am going to keep at it. Here are some thoughts, things on my mind, things in my life, things to share, in no order:
- I just finished “I’ll Give You the Sun” by Jandy Nelson. One of the best books I’ve read in a long, long time. Really magical.
- My third sketching class is starting (actually i just checked and it looks like it just started!) and I’ve been sketching daily to get in the habit again
- I’m completely caught up in Life Book (just have this week’s lesson to do)
- My nephew and son have both been excitedly waiting for the latest and last Percy Jackson book. It’s been really fun watching their anticipation. I love that feeling of waiting for a book to come out so you can finally read it.
- I’ve already picked my word for 2015. Let’s see if it changes between now and November.
- I’ve been thinking about December Daily. I want to do a mixed media one this year, I think. Just not sure how it will be formatted. I need some time to think, plan, imagine.
- I’ve also been thinking about my projects for next year. My plan is to have one watercolor notebook and one acrylic one and just do all my projects in one or the other. I think….
- My son’s really into music and I love watching him sing and how he’s learning to play guitar. There’s nothing like music that speaks to your soul.
- So many people have emailed me to say they love my little one’s smiling face. It’s so sweet to hear.
- I miss my parents. My sister. My nephews. I miss my friends at home.
- I want to be better at keeping in touch with my friends all over. Another thing I never make proper time for.
- I’ve been reading Howard Jacob’s J for a while now and can’t seem to get through it but I also refuse to put it down.
- I have some important meetings this week that might determine how the next few years unfold. Please pray for me if that’s your thing. Or just send good wishes my way.
- I made a list of 12 nonfiction books and 12 art books and I am thinking of attacking one each month and actually making progress using the books I’ve bought.
- I’m 24 days into the Whole Life Challenge. And it’s challenging. I am hungry and tired a bunch. And I have not lost as much weight as I would have liked by now.
- I am trying to treat myself with some grace over the latest grumpiness.
- But I had told myself I had until the end of September to get organized again. It’s officially October.
- I hope you sign up for my class.
That’s it from me for now. I am sorry for the uninspiring posts lately. If you’re still around I’d love to hear from you on how you’re doing.
I found this post energizing. I know that might sound hard to understand, but let me explain. I have always admired your commitment to what ever you are doing, family, job, art, reading. And you always seem to stay the course. Recently I have been in what I call the UNtime. Uninspired, uninterested, undoing (as in not doing). After reading this post I have all the confidence in the world that you will soon return to your UNgrumpy you and knowing this tells me it is time to end the UNtime and get going into a DOtime. Starting now, with a list of my own of things I want to DO and then go to it. The next thing I will do is join your class (even though mixed media is not YET my thing) and then make my own list of what I know now about me and my DO list. Thanks for your continued inspiration. Prayers coming your way.
Thank you for your kind words Susan. I hope you’re right and the grumpiness is just transient 🙂 And I hope you like the class! Mixed media is truly wonderful. And thank you for your prayers, I will need them, especially tomorrow 🙂
Wow~ it’s not just me. I bought a 16-month agenda in a attempt to motivate me, organize me, inspire me. It isn’t working. My ToDo list is two pages long~ So very unlike me. I’ve been reading how this blood moon coming has been seriously affecting people. Everyone seems tired or in a blah mood. I wish I had profound words of wisdom to offer. The only thing I can think of is, “This too shall pass!”
Positive vibes being flung your way.
And right back at you my sweet friends. Sometimes all we need to hear is that we’re not alone.
Karen, I have been inspired by you for years. I love your deeply thoughtful posts. You don’t just gloss over things and I appreciate that. A few months ago I felt grumpy, tired and unproductive. I too am trying to lose weight for health reasons and it is darn hard. In complete frustration one day, I examined my to do list to see if there was some spark of interest in anything. I finally asked myself which things would bring me the most positive feelings and dropped everything else onto another list. For one thing done on one list, I do something from the other list. I seem to be coming slowly back into being more enthused. Some of the things on the second list will probably never get done as I now realize they weren’t that important anyway. Good thoughts from me to you.
thank you for your kind kind words and this awesome idea Sue. I find that often, once I sit to do things, I am ok. It’s beating the inertia that’s hardest. I love the idea of two lists and I think I am going to use it and see! thank you so much!
I read your post while in a very down mood myself this morning. I’m working through something important that makes me incredibly vulnerable and I’ve been crying off and on this morning. I’m not distraught, just sad.
It’s hard sometimes to find the balance between setting and striving for goals, if that is something that’s important to you or makes you happy, and having those goals become a burden. If we were friends sitting down to lunch together and you told me all of this, I would tell you how much I admire your creative abilities and suggest you let everything on the first list go. Or figure out which of those things you’d truly feel sad about if nothing ever changed. Then carry that one thing forward. If it’s photography with your big camera, figure out a way to marry that desire with something else you love — perhaps a walk with your family where you try to find one beautiful thing to photograph.
Oh Laura, I am so sorry. As Brene often says vulnerability is good. I hope this leads to some wonderful insight and that you work through it in the space and time you need. much love to you.
I love the idea of dropping it all and then maybe picking one to carry. I will think on that one, thank you. For now I think i’m even dropping it all and seeing what calls to me 🙂 I do wish you were here to sit and have lunch with me 🙂
I still think you should try yoga! It totally works and keeps you motivated. It has completely changed my life. Also, I am considering Life Book for 2015, can you share your thoughts? I love the fact that you plan your year in advance and I am doing it as well for 2015. I think I picked my word too! Thanks.
Lynn, are you doing it alone at home? I used to take classes and loved it but I just can’t myself to go to a class now so I’d have to come up with a way to do it at home somehow.
I loved Life Book 2014. I loved the variety of lessons and how some of them were just trying a new style and others were open ended enough for me to put my own style into it. I think I did all but one or two of the 40 lessons so far. Considering you get new content every single week for 52 weeks (some are interviews and some lessons are small but still there’s something to look at, be inspired by, think about every week) and it’s only about $120, I think it’s one of the best deals out there. Also, if you are interested in a few of the teachers in the list, this is a great way to get a lesson by each instead of signing up for each of their classes which would cost much more imho.
i hope that helps. just my 2 cents. but i am a big fan of tam, too, so that helps 😉
Sometimes life is just “blah.” The funny thing is that I actually have a page in one of my art journals about how life can sometimes be blah. I have to continually remind myself that not everyday is a “wedding” or a “funeral.” In other words, sometimes I feel like everyday should be dramatic. But life isn’t simple and it certainly never happens completely as planned. That’s some of the fun of it too! Every time I’m struggling to be motivated I try to remind myself that eventually it will pass and I will be ultra motivated. There’s a time and a place for everything. A season and a reason for everything that happens. Although I don’t often don’t know the reason is at the time!
Sometimes I go through the same phases that you are going through and feel completely uninspired. I think to myself why bother to write on my blog since nobody reads it. But just like you I realize that the simple “process” of writing is helpful. It is soothing. And even if it feels pointless rest assured it is not. You also reminded me of a beautiful quote that I have in my art journal from Maya Angelou “The world is moving so fast and our plates are overflowing with the things we feel we have to do… But all we really need to do is to take a day and sit down and think.”
This year my mantra has been “Done is Better than Perfect”. Sorry I’m rambling. Your post really resonated with me! I loved your post and you just inspired me to write a response blog post. I’ve never done that before! Thank you 🙂
Thanks for sharing this post. I found your list to be quite inspiring. And realistic. Some things are great. Some things are mediocre. Some things kind of stink. Prayers for your coming meetings. Uncertainty can be very unsettling. I find this time of year a mixed bag. I’m in the Midwest. Temps and humidity dropping. Nice. Lovely colors in the trees. But realization another year is winding down. And winter is coming. And I feel like I need to work a bit harder right now to balance between being informed and not getting sucked into the significant ugliness of the world going on right now. Downside of rapid news and information sharing. Looking forward to more updates. Good, bad or otherwise. But hoping more good for you and your family.