#art goals for 2023 are actually just art habits!

[prettieinpink]

NEW YEAR, NEW ME

( A collab with thee lovely lele @bloombabydoll )

If you want to reinvent and rebrand yourself, or just continue to make positive improvements in 2024, the first thing is to evaluate your current year. 

EVALUATION

Reflect on how things went for you. Was there continuous growth? Were there many difficult times? Did you discover anything major about yourself and so on. Try to summarise your year in (a) paragraph(s) at least. 

Oversee your goals. Which ones you didn’t, did achieve, difficult ones, easy ones and the impacts it had on your life. 

Compare your dream girl then and now. Is your visualisation of your life currently different to the one you have now and why? 

List any major losses or successes you’ve had in your life, and how they have helped you or why it matters to you. 

This evaluation can be as detailed or simple as you like, but as long as you have a decent outline of your year. 

PREPARING & PLANNING

To prepare for 2024, you want to know what you want life to be like in 2024. Something realistic to a point, but still is a growth journey. 

Think of something that you can associate with 2024. This can be a word, a symbol, art, a song, a book, a movie, a place, or even just all of these things. When you think about your goals and your journey, this is your theme. This is something that should relate to your goals or your dream girl somehow. 

For me, I chose a word and a song. My word is growth because, for me, 2023 was a year for just being able to shed my old self which I did achieve however I just felt there wasn’t much growth as an actual person and not just in my environment. 

For my song, it is Mayflowers by Proleters and Taskrok. This song is the epitome of what I would imagine, is the most polished mindset. I would say perfect, but having a perfect mindset is near impossible. I want to have a mindset glow up because I’ve just been hard on myself lately which has caused my confidence to plummet. 

Before we get into the fun part of the preparation stage, we have to do some organisation in our life. I want you to take a look at your daily lifestyle and your habits, and be completely unashamed about this. 

Then categorise these habits into two sections; Leave and Leap. Leave habits are habits that you are leaving behind in 2023, leap habits are habits that are leaping into 2024 with you. 

Any habits that are self-destructive, addictive or generally harmful are leave habits. Beneficial habits and self-building are leaping with you into the new year.

I want you to do the same for people in your life, all environments (school, work, online etc) and anything else you believe needs to be sorted out. 

This works better if you can reason with yourself why it is a leaping or leaving habit, but don’t try to convince yourself a bad habit is good or vice versa. 

Now, I want you to document an honest paragraph about who you are right now. List your bad and good habits, your strengths and weaknesses and your behaviours. This one requires a bit more detail. 

Then, write a paragraph about who you will be in 2024, your dream girl. List her habits, lifestyle, behaviours, mindset, strengths and anything else extra. I’ll explain later but do not include materialistic desires in this your dream girl. Once again, this one also requires details. 

Stemming from those paragraphs, I want you to create specific and achievable goals. SMART goals are best, but I want to introduce you to how I set goals. 

I divide my year into quarters. For each 3 months, I have 3-5 goals for those months. Usually, it’s one from each area of my life. Then, I break down these goals. 

Questions and How They Help 

Why do I want to do this goal - For motivation and commitment. 

How it’ll benefit me - For the sake of improvement. 

How can I involve myself in this goal - To achieve your goal.  

I prefer this method because it is a lot simpler for me, as I am just a young girl and my bigger goals are more in the future in which I’ll utilise SMART goals. 

To create good goals; Make sure they align with your current values and life principles first. Try to avoid creating goals that you have just taken from the internet. Those goals just aren’t it and you most likely won’t follow through with it. 

Be specific. Don’t say you want to eat more healthily, instead say you want to include (a certain group of veggies/fruits) in your diet and reduce the intake of ( food/drink). 

E.g using eating healthy example

I want to eat healthy -> I want to start including foods that boost my immunity system and support my skin while reducing those that have the opposite effect. 

Then break down those quarterly goals into monthly, weekly and daily goals. Make these habits that you can establish in your lifestyle and have a way in which you can refer back to your progress. 

EXAMPLE GOAL BREAKDOWN

Quarterly Goal - Read 6 books.  

Monthly Goal - Finish 2 books.

Weekly Goal - Be or near half way of one book.

Daily Goal - 20 minutes of reading per day. 

AREAS TO SET GOALS IN YOUR LIFE

Academics

Spiritual

Fitness/sport

Health and wellbeing

Mental health

Personal life

Relationships

Hobbies and recreation

Now for the best part- vision boards! Collect all of your favourite images that embody your quarters or the whole year, then put them in one place where you can see them regularly!

Some ideas are a scrapbook, Pinterest boards, mood boards, playlists etc. 

Choose your theme; It can be your healthy girl era, your academic come back or whatever you want. You can have more than two btw.

Use quotes! Then actually say them in your daily life as a way to shift your mindset to reflect said quote.

Include inspirational people. It doesn't even have to be a millionaire or a very well established person, it could be your friends or someone on the internet.

Be imaginative. Your vision board doesn't have to realistic in my opinion, as the whole point of it to me is that viewing it daily and considering it to be part of your life one day allows for you to open up to those opportunities.

Materialistic Wants

I feel obligated to make this a separate section. This section is practically tangible objects that you want.

However, when choosing this said object that you want, mindfully think about why you want that thing specifically.

It doesn’t have to be meaningful, but as long as each thing on that list has got a purpose to you, and will serve you, I think it’s all good!

Conclusion

If you want, you can definitely start implementing habits before January. However, I believe that as long as you go into 2024 at least knowing who you want to be and shedding away any limiting beliefs, you’ll be fine.

Make sure to incorporate some self care rituals into your daily life as well✨

To end this, I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas! And that 2024 they will achieve to close that gap with their current selves and their dream girl selves! 💖🙏

[whatevertheweather]

Thank you all for the tags @run-for-chamo-miles @monbons @forabeatofadrum @rimeswithpurple @ileadacharmedlife @artsyunderstudy @noblecorgi @you-remind-me-of-the-babe! You're all making me very emotional about fandom, and my TBR has gotten out of control.

So. It's 2024 for a little bit more. I'm not sure what's going to happen as I write this post, but I know it's not going to be succinct, so we're just going to start below the cut and see what happens.

I'm waffling over where to start, but I've decided on what we're here for, which is the fic recap. I did actually make fic goals in 2024, and I did actually meet some of them, which I'm trying to focus on instead of the parts I didn't meet. Here's a nice lil screenshot to sum that up.

I did give Bait and Switch a checkmark after some hesitation, because it says ongoing, and I did keep it going. I just didn't finish. (The new goal is before CORB 2025 I guess.)

So I completed 2 fics. Continued 1. Posted 60,917 words, AO3 says, even though that's including the chapters of the WIPs I started last year, and by my clumsy calculations with that in mind, it's actually 32,990. Did not meet my goals, struggled to write most of the time, but when I was looking for these stats, I found AO3 doesn't even give me a 2023 tab (rip first chaps of Bait and Switch and Musical Chairs, I guess), so it's an improvement over last year.

It just doesn't feel like it, because so much of what I did is unposted. So those are the stats I'm gonna give.

Words that didn't get posted: 23.5k

Fics this close to done that I just couldn't get any farther on: 4

Fics started: 3

Fics lovingly revisited after being abandoned for a long while: 2

Number of projects I got really excited about writing: 3

Number of times I wrote AHAHAHA in brainstorming documents because I figured out what I need to do to fix the problems I was having: 5

How long it will take me to turn those ahas into action: I cannot possibly say

Number of times I should have reached out for brainstorming help: 50, probably

Number of times I actually reached out: 3, I think

It's these last two points I actually care about. Well, no, I care about all of it, but it's these last two I've been thinking about. I had writing goals for 2024, I'm going to have writing goals for 2025, but I also had a more nebulous goal to participate in fandom more, and that's the one I'm actually bothered about not meeting.

I have a bad habit of thinking the only way I can participate is by getting fic done. Sharing it. Posting snippets if it's not done. Like I can only rejoice in other people's WIPsday posts if I have my own, instead of just being inspired by other people's writing and art. Or I can only share excitement or progress if I'm sure it's going to go somewhere, instead of just posting what I have and letting the community of it all be its own excitement. Or I can only comment if I have the headspace to put together a stunning review that perfectly encapsulates what I liked about a fic/art/anything, instead of just saying what I can or messaging someone to tell them I loved the thing they made, as if I don't know how wonderful it feels when that happens.

I'm getting sappy and maudlin on main, but I appreciate this fandom so much, even when I revert to lurking, and I want so much to get back to participating and talking to people and sharing in all the amazing wonderful things this fandom does. Y'all are some of the most talented and creative and kind people and I adore you all. So that's my main (fandom-related) goal for 2025, and any fic completed will just be bonus points.

But! Since we're here for fic at the end of the year, I will round out this rambling post by saying there are at least 3 ideas I'm hopeful I'll be able to maintain my current level of enthusiasm for, and beyond that there are about 5 that are a few sentences away from done, so there's hope for seeing at least some fic from me in the new year. Related, here's a peek at the first three documents on my drive.

Two of these fall in the "a few sentences away from done good lord why can't you just finish this" category. The other one falls in the category of things I'm actually very excited about, and hope to at least have a WIPsday post for it before too long. Because I'm thinking keeping things secret for fear of never finishing them is actually kind of silly, and I don't need to keep trying to create things in a vacuum.

Finally, a mess of tags that is me waving hello with both hands: @fatalfangirl @moodandmist @martsonmars @facewithoutheart @whogaveyoupermission

@mostlymaudlin @sillyunicorn @aristocratic-otter @bookish-bogwitch @alexalexinii

@ivelovedhimthroughworse @iamamythologicalcreature @ionlydrinkhotwater @thewholelemon @bluedahlia912

@youarenevertooold @cutestkilla @raenestee @confused-bi-queer @basiltonbutliketheherb

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

i'm not gonna do a big year in review post like i did last year because on a strictly numerical level (a) i probably technically failed most of my resolutions and (b) i don't actually have the data because one of the ones i definitely failed was logging my habits to keep up, which i stopped doing in september when work got crazy and never picked back up. still ultimately i feel good about how things went down, generally. i didn't quite make this the year i got back into reading but i read more than i had the year before for sure, and i saw a lot of movies, most of them interesting or enjoyable, and some other art, too (the jenny holzer installation at the guggenheim, the ibsen play starring jeremy strong). i definitely listened to way more music. i got so good at hydrating by the end of the year that now i feel off if i drink less than 100 ounces a day lmao. i don't think i hit a 50% workout rate but i had a june that took working out off the map for several weeks and then when i tried to get back into it at the level i'd been doing before it sucked and i needed way more rest days for a long ass time; lesson learned for the future, and right now i feel like i have a good routine going. steps was kind of a similar story but this fall was pretty successful (having a zillion clients all over the goddamn city was helpful in that regard). i do want to be more proactive about it on a day to day basis because i do think it might help me sleep to hit that 10k or so (and i think it helps with soreness too, preventatively and amelioratively, which spellcheck says is not a word but should be!!) but i'm feeling more and more like flexibility is the name of the game in some things so while i will be tracking them daily/weekly/monthly this year, i will ultimately consider it a win if i get to december 31 with 3,650,000 behind me.

i fell off on logging and journaling, and never really got a handle on doing mobility work or meditating, but i finished the year feeling like while on the one hand it was nice to know i had enough structures in place to make it through my busy season a little on edge but never really losing my mind, i also felt like ignoring these things completely for a while ultimately as i look back drew my attention to why i wanted to make space for them in the first place; the morning routine stuff is where i get it together enough to check in on my life, process some stuff, and make adjustments as necessary; doing some kind of mobility stuff, even if it's just hitting the foam roller at bedtime, is just physically necessary if i want to keep working out the way i have been working out and i have to stop acting like i can have one without the other.

i decided for 2024 i didn't need to set a guideline around internet use the way i had in 2023, just an intention to be mindful, and, um, well that was a huge failure but an instructive one; again, lesson learned (and it's actually crazy how much even a guided 5 meditation in the morning alters my basic instincts for the rest of the day about when i want to Scroll). i didn't floss........ i should floss.

i did okay with doing Life Tasks semi-regularly and the attitude of "20 minutes Task Time per day" was helpful in some ways but didn't address the Giant Ever Growing Backlog Of Tasks I Have Been Putting Off For Months To Years, which suggests a need for a new approach; this year i'm gonna try a tip i read somewhere to plan out your tasks on a weekly basis, including scheduling them, not just throwing them on a "weekly to-do list," and aim for 5 a week. i gave up on 20 minutes of digital tidying per day and i think the answer there is just to not set a minimum above the minimum, so to speak. if i delete 5 emails or unsubscribe from 1 thing that counts.

i don't know how i wound up doing with my goal to have One Human Connection Per Day (At Least Half The Days Of The Year) but i had a lot of fun this year and i am finishing it feeling in many ways still awkward and neurotic but more connected and secure than i was a year ago, and feeling almost overwhelmed with how true it feels to say "my life is full of doing fun stuff with people i like" after all the years i spent convinced this was completely impossible for me to achieve. this year i don't think i'm going to slot this into my daily habits, partly because sometimes multiple things happen on one day or i text someone to initiate plans-making on the same day someone texts me, partly because the advice i saw about doing stuff also recommend task-batching and i think there may be some utility to that here as well, and partly because well i do have a schedule that is incredibly variable by week and season and this past fall for example i'm not sure i could have handled much more in september/october than free store + one fun thing a week which is more or less how it shook out for a while there. i also don't think i'm going to set a number because, well, i feel good about it right now. i do want to set a non-quantifiable intention to keep getting a little braver about forging new connections or deepening ones that are shallow but seem promising (serial killer way to say "making friends" sorry i am still in some ways quite Insane about this topic, the prime locus of my insanity for many years), and within that specifically to keep getting better at going to local stuff even when none of my closest local friends are going to be there as my security blanket lol. this year early on i finally texted someone i knew from pantry biz with whom i had exchanged mutual "we should hang out sometime" sentiments and it turns out that they're one of those people where once someone else makes the first move they welcome you in a lot so that the "hey, wanna catch a movie or something?" text i sent while deep breathing (because i am Insane) wound up leading pretty directly to a bunch of other incredibly fun 2024 memories, which is like almost irritatingly on the nose as a life lesson but otherwise very nice. relatedly (to texting that stresses me out because of my Problems) i want to get better at texting people back in a timely fashion and also at being more impulsive in a positive way about sending texts when people are on my mind.

the two things i feel real regret over this year are the reading thing and also writing... not a great year for writing, although i can at least look back on i would say three newsletters i'm proud of and one fic i was very glad to complete. i also did... okay... at contributing at the singles jukebox now that We're So Back on a monthly schedule. but i wrote basically nothing other than the occasional blurb after sometime in may and that feels bad and also suggests i need to find some way to integrate writing more reliably into my routine. i don't want to set a word count goal because part of what's going on is that i have some projects i'm picking away at that are more demanding of planning & brainstorming & slower more considered writing than my usual (beloved!) genres of Blogging and Fanfiction but i do think it needs to be quantifiable because ummm otherwise i simply will Not. so i am thinking this is a daily goal too. same goes for reading and in that case i do think i can set an outcome goal, which is 50 books.

ok well i guess this wound up being a year in review post anyway lmao. whatever it's capricorn season it's my time to shine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! neatened up resolutions post for my own ease of reference incoming shortly

[sakarrie-creates]

Here’s my 2024 Art Summary, terribly late as usual! We’re back to including some black and white in this year and my months were very clustered, but all things considered I was actually surprised I ended up with as many decent samples for the collage as I did. I was kinda expecting them all to be messy sketches this year lol.

Just like with my writing summary, this year the questions are a bit abridged since I didn’t do a ton of art. That said, I’m still a rambler haha, so the reflection questions are answered up the cut. The template I used is available here in case anyone else wants to use it!

What events did you participate in (with art)?Player Appreciation Week (old art), Fandom Trumps Hate (offered), CS Case Files Zine (comic!). Not really the type of art this summary is for, but I also created my first cosplay for RCCC!

What was your biggest challenge this year? Definitely motivation. Last year was a creative slump with a lot going on mentally making stuff hard. Mostly in start up energy, since once I got going, things seemed to go alright.

Did you try anything new this year? I got into a comic zine, which was new and exciting! My original plan was far too long for the creation period, though, so I spent a ton of time trying to widdle it down to 3 pages. I also did super messy spot art sketches for a friend’s fic, which ended up being a lot of fun! I also took some screenshots and then drew other characters into the show, somewhat trying to match the show’s style, which was definitely interesting.

Where do you think you most improved? I’m going to go with rendering again! I really love playing with color and lighting, and several of my collage pieces this year were just adding rendering to old pieces. I have a lot more confidence with it now, though I still sometimes feel like my pieces don’t end up as dynamic as I’d like. I also did a lot better at following inspiration and not being as perfectionistic this year.

What are you most proud of? I’m really proud of getting into a comic zine, even though it likely wasn’t that competitive. The fact that I got in for comics despite never having done art for a zine before is crazy to me! I was a pinch hitter, so I wasn’t originally selected, but I’m still honored I got picked eventually. I also am really proud of the August fully rendered piece of Player screaming. I did that one in almost one sitting, probably around 4ish hours, and it was one of my first times doing full color/rendering without cleaning the sketch much at all. Overall, I was very excited at how well it turned out and I feel like the messy emotions really come across!

How’d this year compare to your 2023 goals?Shoutout to past Sakarrie for giving me a straight bullet point list. MUCH easier to work with lol.

2024 Goals Met:  -Number One Priority: Create for me and don’t put myself in a place to get crazy burnt out and still have requirements. If I meet this goal, then it’s okay if I don’t meet any of the others. (It would be sad.... But I would still count it as meeting overall goals.) -Participate in Summergen and PAW Week (Art or Fic) -Have a fully usable Zine Portfolio (Currently need more merch samples and rendered pieces with backgrounds) -Apply to new TOH Zines or other loved fandom zines. If I end up getting into any, I can pull back, but since that doesn’t seem likely, I want to get into the habit of always being ready to apply with what I have. -Play with different brushes and rendering styles -Not exactly art, but I want to have a finalized long-term merch display plan for all my items -Do ONE of the following:     1. 30 minutes digitized so it can be shared with music       2. Open Up Your Eyes fully thumbnail       3. Fanworks for other people’s fics      4. Participate in an extra bang or exchange with art      5. Design and manufacture a pin

The ones that don’t have strikethrough are a bit of a stretch, but I’m gonna give them to myself. While I haven’t added more pieces with backgrounds and need to reorganize my zine portfolio, it is in a decent place where I feel like I can use it and it will accurately represent my best work. I also didn’t really purposefully experiment with rendering or brushes, but it did happen naturally a little, so giving that to myself too. As for the ONE of the following list, I actually did digitize my 30 minutes thumbnails! It’s just not to music, so doesn’t count. Also holy dang, last year Sakarrie was ambitious with the proposal of manufacturing a pin haha.

2024 Goals NOT Met:-Design Handplates charm as anniversary gift (November) -Design CS Charm-Make an ongoing project list to pin to my tumblr. This applies mostly for fics, but that way people coming to my page can see what fandoms I’m actively creating for and what they can look forward to (as well as have an opening to ask questions if they’re interested). -Post more (at least 10 times throughout the year) and add my best pieces to instagram (8+ pieces by end of year). -Draw something from scratch every month, no matter how small

Yeah, these all I absolutely failed with. Oops. Probably gonna be using a fair few of these as my new goals haha.

Alrighty then, now it’s time for 2024 goals!! I think I want my main focus to be to try to draw more frequently. I’ve found that so much of what prevents me from drawing is startup energy, and once I actually get going, it all comes much easier. 

Specific goals: -Organize a go-to zine portfolio for comics, merch, page art, and spot art applications -Try to draw every month (even the tiniest phone doodle counts) -Design Handplates charm as anniversary gift (November?) -Design CS Charm-Make an ongoing project list to pin to my tumblr. This applies mostly for fics, but that way people coming to my page can see what fandoms I’m actively creating for and what they can look forward to (as well as have an opening to ask questions if they’re interested). -Post more (at least 5 times throughout the year) and maybe look into Cara or whatever the non-instagram art app is. -Experiment more with drawing in sketchy art style with full color/rendering -Experiment more with screenshot redraw/character replacements -Do ONE of the following:     1. 30 minutes put to music      2. Open Up Your Eyes fully thumbnail      3. Fanworks for other people’s fics       4. Participate in an event with art       5. Draw and post for a new/niche fandom (Infinity Train, Sym-Biotic Titan, Irondad, The Flash, etc)

Overall, how’d the year go? Better than I expected when I first started pulling up my art haha. I didn’t push myself on anything but the CS comic, and that was pretty early on in the year. I also did a fair few doodle/sketch projects and followed the muse when it wanted to do rendering without drawing.

[amadwinter]

A different kind of WIP Wednesday

Not a fic this time, but after a wonderful post about making bad art from @unspuncreature and a little encouragement from @lilredghost (thank you 🧡), I wanted to share something else I have in progress: my drawing abilities.

I wouldn't necessarily say I'm good. In fact, sometimes my drawings are downright bad. But considering there have been times in the last year where I haven't even been able to hold a pencil due to health issues, I'm happy to be where I am and just keep improving little by little each time.

I've never shared any of these with anyone before so I'm quite nervous, but there's no time like the present.

Many photos from my sketchbooks ahead!

So, for starters, I've been drawing sporadically since I was about 11 (about 18 years). I've never seriously made a habit out of it, and I've never attempted any formal instruction or classes. One day, I'll post images from my sketchbooks from over the years, because yes, I have kept all of them for posterity's sake

Last year, 2023, I made a New Years Resolution to draw something every day.

I actually made a decent go of it and drew more than I have in years.

But then I suddenly had some health problems pop up that made my goal impossible. I struggled to hold a pencil and even write a sentence legibly. I won't go into details here, but after a few months and going through occupational therapy, I was able to write and draw again(My other symptoms, however, haven't been resolved).

I did some drawing here and there, but nothing consistent. And it felt like some of the progress I made earlier in the year had vanished. I was utterly demotivated, and could only see the bad in everything I drew.

In December, I finally decided: screw it. If I'm going to draw badly, I'll just draw badly. And its done wonders for my confidence.

But for every drawing I'm proud of, there are far more that all I can do is laugh at because of how terrible they are.

And each time I draw something I'm not happy with, I take it as an excuse to practice more, practice often, and practice everything.

I don't really have a system or a plan in place. I start out with a warmup of stick figures based on soccer, figure skating, or something similar, and then it's whatever I feel like. Sometimes it's figure sketches, sometimes it's working on hair, sometimes it's just whatever the hell I feel like.

But above all, I'm having fun doing it. Even when it doesn't turn out like I want to, even when it's not perfect, I enjoy just putting pencil to paper with zero expectations beyond doing my best and enjoying the process.

[pinkmoondoll9shihtzu]

hi, im a mutual of yours who is too shy/on&off tumblr to interact, but i do look up to you; and your blog and way of seeing things helped me in the past when i was struggling quite a bit.

Lately I feel as if im lost in life, lost my passions and floating aimlessly without a real goal, detached from the future etc. Do you have any advice? I appreciate ur view on things, hope this isnt overstepping 🌦🌈

hi its ok no pressure too interact w me ona personal level just cus were mutuals i enjoy the ambient bonds that can form on this website its why i stay ^^ and no it's not overstepping at a;ll sorry it took me a lil while to respond i was trying to think of good advice since i often feel lost too---

well firs t n foremost to give credit where credit is due, this bjork reddit AMA response really gets to the bottom of it , ever since i first read this here on tumbr a few years ago it really rly stuck w me:

the way this answer helped me is like, it helped me realize i dont need to be so regimented i dont need to put all this pressure on myself to create..All that does is feed into self inflicted guilt when i cant live up to my own expectations u.u you see for my whole life i've never been able to plan anything. yes i can think about the next steps i want to take, i can assemble a plan, i can see the logical way forward, but my moods. or like, idek. how to explain..

i cant force anything. if im not feeling it, i cant force it. ive STRUGGLED w this like i dont wanna be this way. because my feelings i cant predict. like for example i worked on music all winter because thats what i was feeling. then suddenly in march i just like, wasnt feeling it all of a sudden. As soon as it hit me i was like Fy767*T&UG*** because i didnt know when it was gonna come back. i still dont know!! im just trying to be patient waiting it out..in the mean time i have suddenly become enthused with drawing again after not ~feeling~ drawing for most of 2023. sometimes i go for weeks where i dont take a single photo and then suddenly it starts flowing again.. my website was also left untouched for most of 2023 until recently.

thats just one example of this repeating pattern in my life that i didnt understand for so long. theres years of my 20s where i couldnt feel passion for anything at all, looking back now i believe those times i was meant to be focusing on stuff in my psyche that needed healing to clear out some headspace for art. and this bjork quote put a lot into perspective it showed me how to reformulate my thinking to be more accomodating to my disposition. when i'm patient & kind w myself, take each day as it comes, let go of the imaginary pressure, let go of "the future", stuff starts to come thru easier.

and maube its gonna show up in ways you dont expect but its true that the mundane world offers so many ways to practice being creative & giving u stuff to weave into the art u want to create.. every water fall starts w a single drop its trueits true :] thats my advice i spose i really didnt meant to write this much but im boooored.. actually my nighttime boredom writing is one of those habits i never considered to b creative until very recently. there's so many small & automatic things we do that can lead to a meaningful life & purpose.

thanks for the question anon i hope this helps in some way , this is whats helped me but everyone's process is different. and i still have moments where im like WTFFF is happening but its easier to ride it out now. i wish the same for you just give it time <3 thanks again xPmd9

[grimvestige]

2023 Summary of Art!

This year was full of experimenting and trying new things, and I think it really paid off in the end. I'm getting more comfortable with pixels, I finally have a way of painting I can do reliably, and I feel like I refined my main cel-shaded style a lot! I also feel like I improved on fundamentals just a bit more, with more solidly constructed anatomy (which I want to get even better at in 2024), and shading that actually makes more sense.

I feel like I'm finally getting to a point where I like my art - and a huge part of that is my partner picking up the habit of asking me what I like about a piece whenever I showed him something I made this year. It was super hard when he started, but now I can find at least one, maybe two things that are my favorite. I used to feel really, really neutral to bad about most of my work. I just did it and it was done, and on to the next piece. I knew I was "good" at art, but never really in the way I wanted. Now I'm daring to set my own work as my desktop and phone wallpapers.

I also finished a yearly challenge for the first time ever! Not that I completed every day of it, but I tasked myself with drawing a "Daily Snake" each day - as in Metal Gear, not the creature. It was sort of like those year of Miku challenges, but with Snake that left me room to draw any version of him. It was a fun thing because at the end of the day it ended up being like a little diary of my art, I could tell how I was feeling, whether I had lots of time to draw, all that. I think there was one time when I drew Liquid, there was an ACAB Snake in there, and also a trans one for fun.

Going into 2024 I have three big overarching art goals I want to work towards.

I want to learn and improve my anatomy enough to be able to solidly construct a body in perspective without needing to grab reference. (Not that I'll stop using reference, this is meant to be a goal that forces me to learn even more anatomy to feel confident with it)

I want to push my colors to be a lot wilder and more interesting. Rather than just picking the correct "local" color and working with light, shadow, and gradient maps to tweak colors, I want to be able to make interesting color choices right off the bat.

I want to at least try to start figuring out 'the style' for ttrpg art. (That nice rendered painting style you see in core books!) I'd really LOVE to start working on those projects, but I know most of them shoot for a different art style than I have.

The general plan is to keep doing studies, with the first half of the year being anatomy, the second half being color, and the ttrpg style thing being spread out throughout.

Thank you to everyone who's supported me and hung out on Tumblr! It genuinely means a lot, as this has been my go-to site when I'm down, and the one where I feel most comfortable sharing my art because the platform itself isn't predatory. I hope 2024 brings everyone lots of comfort and joy this year ���

[iantimony]

2023 year in review roundup

wow!! what a fucking year!!! goodbye and good riddance! happy first day of 2024!

this year i did 37 tuesdayposts! there were 53 tuesdays so that's about 70%! some of them were on fri/sat instead as shabbosposts but i think posting on tuesday or even monday does just work better for some fucking reason. maybe because friday and saturday are days that i am most likely to do New Activities for making/playing/watching/reading??? and so on monday or tuesday i can recap the just-finished weekend. shrug! we love tuesday so it's fine.

listening listened to all of twilight mirage and a little over half of partizan! shrieking shack podcast, just king things, well there's your problem, miscellaneous music (maneskin probably a notable winner in there)

reading a lot of little articles. a little tgcf. SO much fanfic. 'every heart a doorway' (bad). 'birthday of the world' le guin (good).

playing a little disco elysium. a little minecraft. a little nier automata. a little hadesgame. a LOT of pokemon go. and i got into magic the gathering this year!

watching a lot of youtube videos. so many gd youtube videos. evangelion, history of the world part ii, cunk on earth, vox machina animated series, cowboy bebop, first season of peaky blinders, the new tgcf donghua season!

making i did very little drawing/painting/illustration beyond life drawing a few times...however i was very prolific in crafting! i also theoretically made valentines gifts. i do not remember what they were tho lol.

fiber arts: i completed a big embroidery project (fermenting dregs album art hoodie), quantum shawl, mesh market bag, case for my knew laptop, finished that blue tank top even though i hate it, fixed the lining on my yellow knitted cowl, made a little knitted headphone top cover that i will probably redo differently, headband ear warmer for my roommate's mom, and FINALLY i just barely finished the scarf for my SO before the end of 2023!

print block carving: wristwatch print, gavelbocken holiday card print

misc/writing: some songxuexiao fencing au. some harrowhark abhorsen au. neocities website!

and so much pottery! this is all of it, barring the things i already gave away as presents before this photo (two pots and a little box and the little raven guy), but wow! that's so many fuckin object!

misc what a fucking year. some bad! had to file a big car insurance claim! got really sick while abroad and that persisted for a long fucking time! mini summer breakdown! some good stuff too - passed quantum mechanics FOREVER good fucking bye, did my first successful academic conference, finally started feeling better around the end of the year! learned my lesson: it's not fuckin worth stressing yourself to death over, and also i can't just Be At Home Aimlessly for months any more. it's bad for my mental health.

reviewing 2023 resolutions and goals --> I’d love to start writing again and play more horn but we’ll see i basically didn't do any creative writing at all this year barring a few lines of fanfic ideas (the abhorsen/tlt crossover one) HOWEVER i READ a lot of fanfic to marinate in and i played a LOT more french horn!! i joined the little youth orchestra which is like, uber goofy, but it means ive been playing on a regular basis again!

--> I also wanna listen to more weird music, and invest in actually owning some files, especially for some of the lesser-known bands and through bandcamp and stuff i spent all year meaning to do this and kept pushing it off so it rolls over into next year.

--> I really want to kind of dial those [unhealthy coping mechanisms] back again, focus more on existing in Reality and more in each moment, which hopefully will also help with some of the skin picking and other anxious habits that resurfaced. maybe more yoga, maybe re-establishing a meditation process lol lmao. nah. but definitely rolling it over into 2024.

--> I would love to think more about my fashion and how I present myself too, and work on making and tailoring more of my clothing in general actually not bad! basically zero tailoring but i did a pretty good job wearing some cute outfits.

--> I’ve been pretty good about being active so I’d like to keep that up, I still can’t do a pull-up but maybe this is the year! (lol) I should also start doing some minor exercises for my shitty arthritis toes to keep those okay once again: lol lmao. health issues had me really regress in some of my gains goals. plus side is toes are doin pretty normal.

--> a lot of last year was kind of a wash regarding research so I’m really looking forward to refocusing on that and really getting things moving. oh it moved! in a good way! i'm making good progress and hopefully i will keep that momentum going!

--> finally! I want to get back to tabletop! I miss doing it so much! it fell by the wayside for me because of how busy and overwhelmed I was, especially this past fall semester, but I want to start running and playing games with my pals again a little! i should have been putting these in playing as i went oops. the tabletop group i've run was a little fallow this year due to at least half of our group, including myself, not being in Tabletop Mood but we've played a lot of res arcana and other such games instead.

i had a few other resolutions in my digital planner on my ipad that didn't go in the writeup last year: namely, practice languages more (i did practice my mandarin a little but did not really learn any hebrew or korean unfortunately) and establish a non-software component of my research (nope, not in the cards, but i'm hoping to do something else this summer to let me get better with physical data/setups), and finishing the masters degree requirements (that will be the end of this upcoming spring semester), but overall i really did hit most of my resolutions and goals! even with being ill for a while! (except the finances. i am simply not looking at them <3)

2024 resolutions and goals

definitely some rollover! i will format this to hopefully be a little easier to respond to next year:

- get back on a regular workout schedule: swimming 1x a week, weights once or twice a week. would like to try and work towards my One Pullup goal again. would also be cool to try and work towards a hand/headstand. - try and be more mindful. i'm going to continue the grief therapy but also think about meditating more, doing more yoga, and so on. - there's a gallery on main street that solicits work from local artists for bimonthy themed exhibitions and i really want to submit at least one thing to it this year! the one due by end of january is themed 'florals', and the one two months after that is 'layers', so i'd really like to submit something to one of those. - more weird art! use that big canvas i bought in literally 2022! paint!!! - finally put together that travel journal from korea & japan (and also scrapbook-ify the papers i have leftover in a pile from that) - also, maybe do current scrapbook a little different? might need a new binder at the very least. - hang up that expensive quilt i bought in august - speaking of quilt: do some hand quilting, english paper piercing! i have so much fucking fabric! - find a new apartment to move into that hopefully won't suck! - try to secure some sort of summer internship or project that will let me develop some new skillsets that i might not be getting with my current research - finish the masters degree - write...a paper? for the work i just presented??? - keep tweaking neocities and make some more pages - keep track of recipes this year as well in my making section

i might start a little spreadsheet this year to keep better track of all my stuff because i really did Not want to go through all my separate listening and reading sections and extract what i liked the most, etc. this post required me to first back up a few extra early tuesdayposts from this year to dreamwidth, and then skim all of them to accumulate the above, and that was kinda a pain. and i love an excuse to start a new spreadsheet.

we did it! happy 2024! i don't think i have anything else to add to this wrapup but if i think of something i'll tack it into the upcoming Normal Tuesdaypost tomorrow! good job good night and good luck everyone!

[shirogane-oushirou]

11 and 14 for the selfship ask game 👀

-bobasthrone

hie jo!!!!! tysm for the questions, looking forward to answering these hehe! i hope you're doing well and keeping safe this season ^^

11. has an F/O inspired you to pick up a new hobby/interest/habit this year?

i'd say "gray inspired me to pick otome games back up so i could read spade alice (the new one he's in)" but that feels like cheating LOL. i also technically did my first gunpla shortly before ren Appeared to me... so while i've gotten MORE into it thanks to ren (and the thought of us doing them together), i also don't really count that. ren did get me hardcore back into art tho... like he's my oc so if i'm not making shit for him NOBODY is kjNKJSDFNKJNF. and he's making me focus a bit more on clothes than i normally would in my art AND irl (i want to look soooo cute for him~). and even though i haven't started YET, i do EVENTUALLY want to do mycology research for funsies. i know Enough about my own mycotoxin ailments, but anything beyond that is just like. what mushrooms used to grow outside my family's previous house and how RANCID they smelled lmao. i feel like learning more would get me closer to him, and i can see it as him infodumping to me! like that one post about leaf-cutter ants and fungus farms was WILD... i want to learn more shit like that!!!!

14. did you find out anything new and surprising about yourself through selfshipping this year?

honestly, i think ren has helped me explore so many parts of myself that i don't know how to list it all. dude's like... 10% stuff from the original dream, 30% original stuff, 60% stuff taken directly or remixed from my life. ;;;; the 30-40% that isn't me is KEY and clearly makes him very different and his own person, but also... love to dump traumas on OCs to work through them~~~ (as a Kinda Funny Thing, i think i hyperfixated on Just Some Guy ren as much as i did Villain Doc ren.... i think i've gone from "nobody will be as interesting as a cool fictional character" to "just give me a cute retail worker who's real niceys to me, i want to give it a try" OKJSNFKJN) i've also found out i have the capacity for WAAAAAY MORE social interaction than i thought possible. i've been isolated since 2016, becoming progressively more socially anxious, and one of my 2023 goals was just to go from "regular chatter in one twitch stream" to "regular chatter in multiple twitch streams", which would have been a huge change in itself... and yet here i am just chatting it up w people daily!!!!! it's nuts!!!! i still obvs have bad days... plus i still can't really do one-on-one dms or chat apps like discord kJNDKJFNSKDJFN i'm gonna need Actual For Real Therapy to be comfy doing that again KJSNKFJNKJDFNS... but i've met so many fucking cool people since making this blog, and i love chatting in tags and replies and asks like these!! i even made the first "move" in multiple cases! it's a small thing... but to me, it's huge. and it's improved my mood SO much (sans this month yeehaw but that isn't selfshipping's fault lol). all this to say HIEEEEEE if you're reading this you're rad af and ilu hehehe

[druidx]

Oh hey, an ask thing. Can you answer 3, 8, 11, 13, 18, 24, and 25? Also an extra question: what's your favorite thing about the Starbound and Elder Scrolls universes? Oh and what's a favorite lore tidbit from both universes?

Hiya 'Mous, and Happy New Year to you!

From these questions

3. Do you anticipate writing for a new fandom this year? Which one?

No, I don't think so. Unless I find another open world/ sandbox game to get attached to... I find it quite difficult to write for properties where the story is already all laid out and there's no 'gaps' to exploit.

8. Is there a story idea in your mental vault that you’ve never been brave enough to try writing? Is this the year? Can you tell us about it?

I don't know about 'not brave enough' - more like 'never gotten around to it', so perhaps this is the year. In The Ruby Falls, the Modern AU of TES: Oblivion, the Hero of Kvatch gets a massive slash on her back which scars and she hates. The fic would revolve around her going to some shindig, only the high-backed dress she planned has somehow been swapped for a low-back dress. There's panic, there's tears, there's a fix and all is well and the shindig continues, possibly with her acceptance of the scar.

11. Would you like to try any new fanfic genres or tropes this year?

I keep thinking it would be funny to isekai one OC into a different universe I already write for, ie Mio (fish alien) from Starbound into the TES universe.

I'd also like to try a proper songfic.

13. Aside from fanfic, are there any other fan works you’d like to try creating? Fanart, or fanvids, gifsets, or podfic? 

I need to get back to recording my podfics. I might also offer/ ask to podfic some others' works.

Sadly I'm not really good at visual arts - the most I can manage are moodboards. I have been tempted to do a stick-figure outline for a comic script I wrote, but I need to finish it first 😅

18. Do you typically post multi-chapters as you write, or finish it all and then start posting? Would you like to change your posting method? 

I have tried posting multi-chapters as I go, and discovered that's a bad flow for me - I often want to go back and edit previous chapters, but I feel that's unfair to anyone who's already read it. So now I prefer making sure I'm happy with a work as a whole and then posting in one go. (Although, for The Ruby Falls, it's been suggested that I post on a schedule once the whole thing has been finished - apparently that's reader-preferred for works over 150k?)

24. By the end of this year, you want your fandom to think of you as “that author who _______.”

"always has such dazzling description - it's almost like you're there!"

25. If you answered questions from this list last year, find your answers and compare your goals to your results. How’d you do?

Sadly I didn't do this game last year, but I did review my 2023 goals in My Year of Writing Review. I managed 2/6...

Bonus 1: what's your favorite thing about the Starbound and Elder Scrolls universes?

In TES, it's the scenery. All the (modernish) TES games are just so, so pretty 😊 My housemate likes to call Oblivion 'horse-riding simulator', because I do have a habit of just trotting around, exploring.

In Starbound, it's actually a game mechanic that I like best. If you build a house and put a deed down, it'll spawn in a tenant. If you build lots of houses, the tenants interact with each other, making little emotes. I just think it's really cute 😄 (and fun to write about).

Bonus 2: what's a favorite lore tidbit from both universes?

In TES, it's that the world is effectively one big lucid dream.

In Starbound, it's that the Glitch (robot people) were created as a simulation and were intended to progress through various stages of industrialization, but the creator left? died? and the Glitch got stuck in a pseudo-medieval state and have never progressed beyond that.

Thanks for the questions! I hope you enjoyed the answers 🧡

[moondrunkmoth]

A commitment to self development

I want to make a commitment to myself.

Back in 2021 when I was deep in burnout I made a commitment to recovery. That was a hard decision I resisted initially because it would be isolating, and depressing, and intense. I knew it would mean carving away huge chunks of a life I imagined to do some extreme hermitting before I could take baby steps back into the world. Once I figured out this wasn't your regular garden variety depression, it was Autistic burnout, I accepted the answer was a regenerative hibernation. I spent many hours self reflecting, journaling, sleeping (or not sleeping), going to therapy; I had a support human that helped me with accountability getting day to day tasks done from life admin to - have you showered this week?

I knew I needed to stop trying to live a full life and just convalesce if I was to ever get back to living a full life.

As I recovered I made a commitment to my overall health. I spent the pandemic being very physically sedentary (starting a company & living with a feeder, struggling with binge eating & no exercise) to dropping a lot of weight once I was single again due to mental health, becoming low functioning, & medication. It was good for my body to shed some of the weight but the number on the scales hadn't read that low since I was 17 and before all of that I was strong and training regularly, happily heavy with muscle. I discovered I was hypermobile & suddenly a lot of my body aches and pains made sense, why I struggled with some aspects of exercise. So my next commitment was to a healthy lifestyle.

I was lucky to find a flat where I could live alone, something I really needed. I started small, joined a gym with the promise to never shame myself if I never used it. That monthly fee was money that no longer existed but the gym was there. Bit by bit I started going more. I started back at pole class regularly. By the end of 2023 I had a PT for a while & went full on gym bro. Tracking my food & steps & super fit. I calmed down a little in 2024 & shifted to more dance focused & body movement & mobility. But It was a habit that stuck & became a part of me.

I also made a commitment to art, painting specifically. I took a couple of courses & started exploring my own creativity. I had notions of actually BEING a real artist. - FYI I am a real artist & always have been - I jest - what I mean is artist who is recognised & makes some money. I have since reassessed this having got a flavour for the contemporary art world & I don't think it's feasible to take these steps for myself at the moment. That industry is a whole beast & I wont go into detail about it - but it's not introvert compatible and I I have accepted I don't have the capacity to tame that beast right now.

Which leads me to today. The start of 2025. I know I have the skill to make it as an artist in a professional sense. I need to hone & grind a few things but I have the fundamentals down I have just been resistant to doing the grind. My ADHD brain wants fun, easy wins. And post burnout the last year has been more for living frivolously, something I've not been able to do for 5 years for various reasons.

I have dreams of being the kind of artist that sells pieces in a gallery & paints for pleasure in some art studio where there are not humans near. And I have a cat. Or 4. But I have decided to un-prioritise that because I have come to realise that this is a long term goal that will never go away. Right now I need something more practical & achievable than the nebulous idea of selling paintings for thousands in a gallery to rich people. I have the self belief I can achieve this - but I am ok with not doing it soon.

I need to start thinking about a sustainable life in this capitalistic hellscape. I definitely can't go back to the old life I had, it burned me out & corporate hell is soul sucking & not ND compatible. I played the game well into my 30s. I did the full time job. I even started a company. I have literally nothing to show for it. My generation was sold a myth - but that's a complaint for another time. The point is, I don't have the privilege of family wealth, owning a home, spouse support whether financial or emotional, at any point I might end up nomadic/homeless again, I am relying on UK benefits - even though this is a privilege in itself it does not feel secure. But gives me the opportunity to focus on my self development full time as much as my capacity as a disabled human allows.

Burn out was a wake up call to change my approach. Give myself permission to rest & uncouple my self worth from productivity. But I need to make real life changes to secure my future, I have to go back to participating in the system that burnt me out. This time with open eyes & no delusions!

The other avenue I have been considering for a while is Visual Development. Something in that field. I am a massive gaming nerd, so that would be the dream. But Vis Dev design principals have overlap in film & animation so I am not fussy at this stage. The next step is self exploration & some skill grinding.

The goal is to make a portfolio that someone might WILL hire me for.

I think this is an ideal route for me. As someone that's never really had a distinctive style & highly adaptable, can draw virtually anything with a bit of study now I have a lifetime of experience, I think this is a good fit.

I also have a wealth of skill in development & design pipelines from my previous roles - turns out - mindset wise this is super compatible. I am a problem solver, but Vis Dev is problems I can solve it with art! This excites me :D

So this is my commitment to myself.

I will forsake all other things but this.

Like burnout recovery. Like the lifestyle changes I made. It means saying no to anything that doesn't align with the ONE THING.

That doesn't mean there wont be balance. I still need to move my body & stay healthy. I still need to not burn out & look after my mental health. This is building on the work I have done so far.

I was reminded recently how I have already build habits & lifestyle changes once with my physical health - I CAN do it again.

My next step is to make a plan. Set myself up so I have the best possible start to this process & can maintain it. Start small. This is another massive lifestyle shift. This time I have decided to document it in the hopes that this little step will help me stay on track. I can review what is or isn't working.

Next... I am going to go through the things I plan on changing almost immediately to start this momentum.

[earthchukkat]

The (Much Needed) Updated Project Statement

The time has finally come again, now that it's close to 2025 and I've had much time to stew over this project.

My original statement was made back in early 2023--and I now have a much more distinct vision for everything, compared to that time. Originally, I mentioned how I was going to go with the flow and go with a mixed media sort of thing--but now I want to focus on what I'm best at (traditional and digital drawings), just for the sake of practicing more and getting a better sense of self-discipline. I've had a big problem with procrastination for many years now and it's gotten to the point where I'm well aware of it and it bugs me greatly--but it's a hard habit to drop.

So, for now, I want to start small and work my way up to bigger things. I eventually want to make my own original foot/shoe fetish fanfic comics using some fictional characters I really like (some include Nathan Drake, Jacob from The Quarry, Luke from Street Fighter and several people from Def Jam: Fight for NY). I want to make sure that I can do a great job with those projects and not bite off more than I can chew. So, I'll be focusing on getting the stories themselves finished and polished and go from there.

The biggest change that I want to do are the subjects and themes of my drawings. As a black queer person who's been a part of the internet for a long time now, I've seen many erotic/fetish gay artists out there--and it greatly annoys me how repetitive and limited these artists are with what they draw.

So many of them draw the same old, same old muscular model-type man with a big ass and titties--or a bear that's not really a bear but is called one because he's generally bulkier. Not only that, but it seems to be a rarity to see these same artists draw men who aren't white (not that they're obligated to draw various races of men but still).

I used to not be as bothered by these things years ago but, the more I've become sensitive and aware to problems in the queer communities (among other socio-political things), the more things become glaring in the art I see.

So, I want to challenge myself to seek out unique queer artists more in 2025; queer artists who do things differently and break norms and expectations with what they draw. I follow some on Instagram but they tend to be choked out by the artists who are much more conventional and typical.

I also want to challenge myself to draw more fat men, more skinny men and more men with average, pudgy bodies and everything else in between. I want to have more humanity and diversity within the people I draw, instead of repeating the same hyper-fantasized, superhero-bodied depictions that most artists do. I feel like I owe it to myself to do this so that I can not only make attempts to grow but I can focus on the elements of my fantasies that matter most. It's very easy for gay men to be obsessed with looking perfect and fit at all times--but that's not what I want my art to be about. Yes, I'll still draw muscly men, in general, but the goal is to make them somewhat less of a occurance and have other kinds of men get their shine.

I think that's about all I got, for right now. So, just to summarize it all up, 2025 is going to be a back-to-basics year for me-and I'll see how things go from there. Coming up with ideas for things is the very easy part for me--but it's the actual discipline and practice that I need to get better at. I can't be afraid to have failed attempts--because just doing stuff will pave the way for new, better things to come along.

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

ok ok 2k25 goals intentions etc.:

daily, success threshold met at 183 days: journal, meditate, log my little habits and other countables, work out, drink 100 ounces of water, experience art, do some kind of mobility work even just a little bit of moving my butt on the foam roller, digital tidying of any kind, floss, write or work on a piece of writing even if it's not ready for writing (ykwim), no Scrolling before 10 p.m. (Intentional Posting such as this doesn't count) room re-set (a habit i had in 2023 decided i didn't need in 2024 and hugely missed once i had buried myself in a horrible pile i did not feel capable of tackling for like three months); 10k steps average for the year by 11:59 p.m. on december 31st

weekly: 5 Life Tasks Of Some Kind; try out weekly self-planning sessions although this is not a resolution because well what if i don't like it!

yearly: read 50 books; work about a thousand hours although this is not so much a "goal" as the result of me looking at my time tracking app and seeing if i can use this data to organize my life in a way that makes me feel less stressed about what is essentially my part-time job so i'm not gonna sweat the difference too much in either direction; i'm not gonna put my income goal on the internet but i do have one.

unquantified intentions: eat more vegetables/get to a place by the end of the year where i don't feel the need to resolve this again; be better about apartment tidiness maintenance tasks (an ounce of prevention...); be a more considerate and more proactive texter; keep working on showing up even when it's a little bit scary; i know i have writing as a daily goal but i'm also gonna say that an intention is to get to the end of the year feeling like i have a sense of how writing fits into my life as a regular practice instead of my historical feast or famine approach (which, to be clear, i don't think i'm ever going to be a nice normal Write Exactly 90 Minutes A Day gal.... so mostly i'm talking about avoiding the famines); keep jukeboxing; keep listening to new (generally and also to me) music; get back into/better at tarot

vibe: one other thing that came up when i was reflecting on 2024 was how much fucking time and mental energy i poured into being Totally Insane about how repulsive i am in many dimensions... this is not anything remotely new but i'm deciding now that i am over it and thus determining by executive decision that actually i am a hot fun genius and everybody awesome wants to be my friend.

[erithacusrou]

I’ve been thinking about goals for the new year the past couple weeks since I was too restless to pin any down before 2023 ended. I’ve been adding to this list for a little while, and I think I’m finally done with it.

Eat better. Pulling this one from last year since I still have room for improvement. We ate a nice variety of new foods last year, so here’s hoping this year is equally as tasty.

Cook more. Okay this was also a goal last year too and I didn’t make much progress but I DID make scrambled eggs a few times so at least I did something. I’ve been hoarding recipes for a while now so hopefully I get around to doing something with them.

Drink more water. Self-explanatory. I drank more last year than I have previously thanks to a new water bottle, but I need to do better. I’m constantly dehydrated RIP ;;

Get better at doing my dailies. I’m so bad about washing my face and brushing my teeth and procrastinating on housework. Starting tasks that aren’t urgent and doing chores without external pressure are extremely hard for me, but I’m working on ways to push through that wall.

Exercise. Some of my lack of exercise is due to anxiety about not having enough space in the apartment to work out, not feeling safe enough to take a walk in my current neighborhood, or fear of being seen looking silly. I’ve kind of got a good grip on where I want to start now, I just have to get over the anxiety and just do it. I have days set aside for exercise and stretching now, I just have to wake up early enough to have time and willpower to do it.

Journaling. I started in December 2022 around when we were shopping for a new car, then fell off in September after burning out because I had made it a chore for myself by tracking too many things via the tagging function. I was originally intending to journal in my planner this year, but I really prefer having a dedicated journal app where I can also see stats like the weather, location, step count, etc. logged with my entry. This time around I have a dedicated tracker in my planner for certain activities so I can hopefully minimize the amount of tracked activities in my tags.

Read more. It’ll probably just be manga and fanfiction because I’m so out of the loop when it comes to actual books, but I’d like to at least read something. Been a couple years since I did any dedicated reading.

Plan ahead. One of my goals for 2023 was to plan better, and with the help of digital planning tools, I’d say I’ve improved a lot in the last year. Ideally I’d like to plan even more in advance by, say, getting birthday and holiday cards made and sent out in a timely manner. And having themed art done in time for events or special days! Stuff like that.

Save money. I’m tired of being in debt, man. I gotta start spending smarter and doing better with what I have. I’m really good at pretending I have expendable money when I actually don’t. Like I know buying fewer snacks at work won’t make up for the fact that I’m not paid enough, but idk what else to do really.

Be a person! I’m determined to get into the habit of regularly interacting with other people on social media and calling my family more often and hanging out with people and appreciating the people I love more. I want to be present in the lives of others more, and have them be present in mine.

Uhhh I think that’s it! I wish I had made sense of my priorities earlier than almost halfway through January, but it is what it is. I hope everyone else is having a good 2024 so far!

[harmonyhealinghub]

The Art of Manifestation: Unlocking the Power to Create Your Dream Life

Shaina Tranquilino

August 14, 2023

Manifestation is a powerful tool that allows us to bring our desires into reality. It is the process of using our thoughts, beliefs, and intentions to create the life we truly want. While it may seem like an abstract concept, manifestation is actually a practical and effective way to achieve your goals. In this blog post, we will explore some simple steps you can take to manifest your dreams.

1. Set Clear Intentions: The first step in manifesting is to set clear and specific intentions. What do you truly desire? Take some time to reflect on what you want to manifest in your life. Be as detailed as possible - visualize how it will look, feel, and even smell. Write down your intentions in a journal or create a vision board to keep them visible.

2. Believe in Yourself: Your mindset plays a crucial role in manifestation. You must believe wholeheartedly that you are capable of achieving your desires. Banish any self-doubt or limiting beliefs that may be holding you back. Affirmations can be a helpful tool in building confidence and reinforcing positive beliefs about yourself and your abilities.

3. Practice Gratitude: Gratitude is an essential component of manifestation. Expressing gratitude for what you already have creates a positive energy that attracts more abundance into your life. Make it a daily habit to write down three things you are grateful for each day, focusing on both big and small blessings.

4. Visualize Your Desires: Visualization is one of the most powerful techniques for manifesting your dreams. Close your eyes and imagine yourself already experiencing what you desire. Engage all your senses - see the vivid colors, hear the sounds around you, feel the emotions of joy and fulfillment. The more real and detailed your visualization, the stronger its impact will be.

5. Take Inspired Action: Manifestation requires more than just positive thinking; it also involves taking inspired action towards your goals. Pay attention to any signs or opportunities that may come your way. Trust your intuition and take steps, no matter how small, towards manifesting your desires. Remember, the universe rewards those who actively pursue their dreams.

6. Let Go of Attachment: While it is important to set clear intentions and take action, it is equally crucial to release attachment to the outcome. This means surrendering control and trusting that the universe will bring you what is truly meant for you in its own divine timing. Trust that everything is working out for your highest good, even if it doesn't unfold exactly as you imagined.

7. Practice Patience and Persistence: Manifestation is not an overnight process; it requires patience and persistence. Stay committed to your intentions, even when faced with challenges or setbacks. Trust in the process, remain positive, and keep taking inspired action. Believe that what you desire is already on its way to you.

Remember, manifestation is a continuous practice that requires consistent effort and belief in yourself. By setting clear intentions, practicing gratitude, visualizing your desires, taking inspired action, letting go of attachment, and staying patient and persistent, you can harness the power of manifestation to create the life of your dreams. Start today and watch as your desires effortlessly materialize before your eyes!

[abuumayell]

Habits that helped me with my mental health.

Note: these are based purely from my experience and opinions. I'm not a professional or whatsoever but I'm a student who's eager to learn and improve. I want to share the habits that helped me throughout the school year of 2022-2023. Not proofread.

Journaling or writing a diary.

I'm constantly stressed at school (acads pressure) and at home (mostly because my siblings are testing my patience). Whenever I get stressed I usually cry it out or just go outside and scream. Journaling or writing a diary calmes me down because I get to write the things my mouth can't say. I have the freedom to express myself as much as I want to. I get to relive my stress by writing the causes of my stress or just simply, I vent it out by writing.

Talking to friends.

Friends are also family. They are like siblings who can understand my situation and what I'm going through. Wether I'm stressed or bored, my friends are always there to talk to. Usually, whenever I get stressed or want someone to talk to, I would call my friends or message them. It's either I ask to go out with them or just simply tell them what I'm going through. Most of the time, I would hear advices from them and I would also try to follow them as I deem them to be meaningful because they wouldn't just give me advices if they aren't concerned.

Having a hobby.

1. Arts:

Sketching/drawing/painting/anything that brings out the artist within. Art is a way to express emotions, thoughts and ideas. Whenever I feel sad or I need to give myself a "love myself time" or "mental break", I would always draw or paint. Afterwards, I feel so refreshed.

2. Music:

Learning to play musical instruments helps my mental health and lets me grow skills in specific instruments. Just listening to music that relates to my state makes me feel understood because I know there are also people who're going through what I'm feeling right now. Listening to positive vibed music can uplift my mood in a matter of seconds.

3. Reading:

Fictional or Non-fictional, I need to forget and clear my mind.

4. Writing:

Journaling or writing a story helped me to calm down and regain peace of mind.

etc.

Having a "me, myself and I" alone time

Being alone actually helped me to accept things and reminisce memories. It's as if I automatically calm down whenever I just sit down, stare st random objects or at the sky and memories just flash and if not, I have this sense of assurance that whatever I'm going through is a problem I can solve. Then I start to accept things the way they are because there are more to life and there are more blessings I still haven't accepted.

Going out alone/with friends.

Going out to enjoy nature or simply to get fresh air boosts tranquility within me. Enjoying going out with friends clears out any negative vibes because it's always fun with friends.

Opening up to parent/s.

Our parents need to hear from us too so that they can help. They may cause pressure (academic pressure) to my mental health but opening up to them with any topic helped me to change the way I think. Our parents are our number one supporters.

Moving at my own pace.

This applies to any including acads and in life. It doesn't matter how fast I move or how hard I work to succeed. All of that are nothing when I loose myself in the end. It's always better to work or move at my own pace, it doesn't matter how slow, atleast I'm reaching my goals without breaking or loosing myself in the process. "Slowly but surely".