LIFE EDIT: JANUARY
And just like that January has rushed off yet again leaving us a little breathless and more than ready to wet our feet in the puddles of goals we are yet to reach. January 2016 was a very busy one indeed for me. It was the one where I was extra conscious about my spending habits because as all workers know, January is the longest month when waiting for a visit from pay day. It saw me panicking relentlessly over the mistakes I made at work and at home which seemed to agglomerate and mutate into an ever-draining monster leaving me more forlorn than at peace. It was hard man, not going to lie but here we are, in February; we must be stronger than we think... right?
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If I am completely honest though, January was not all bad. I rediscovered my love and deep appreciation for animation and illustration; found out what I sound like; caught up with a few friends; had an exterminator swing by to investigate my suspicions about there being an extra flatmate (a.k.a. a mouse/rat/light-and-quick-on-its-feet-creature) living with me who wasn't helping with the bills; hung out with the siblings; learnt a handful of new recipes; helped out with a documentary related to female empowerment; and breathed life into my art supply like never before. Last month was tough but it did have its golden moments too.
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I need to make this clear, I cannot draw or paint; a newborn can draw better than me. However, I am having a blast teaching myself how to draw objects and people that resemble the subjects in reality and colour them in using copic markers and watercolour paint. Usually, when I go on YouTube I look for videos that are film related (like this one) or by people I enjoy getting to know better (like this YouTuber) or can clarify a few things (like this video or this one). And when I go on Instagram, my feed is filled mostly with pictures from friends, bloggers I follow (like this lady), amazing IG accounts found randomly on my explore page (like 1924us), a few celebrities whose work I really enjoy (like this one) and some YouTubers whose content I really like (like this one or this one). Lately, when I go on either of these platforms I actively search for videos or pictures done by animators and illustrators or about these mega cool people and the art form they're into [Warning: Expect more posts about animation and illustration and art in general in the future]. It is so much fun! I have noticed though that I spend more time watching others draw than actually doing it myself so I will let you know at the end of the month if I have changed that.
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I interview people more often than before and I must say I never once imagined how it must feel being the one answering the questions. Last month I was not interviewed per say but I was asked a question and had my answer recorded. It was bizarre. For my review of the Mighty Heart Theatre company's show 'When I Feel Like Crap' which was a part of HOME's Push 2016 programme, I thought of what I wanted to say, wrote it down, headed to HOME and attempted to verbalise my feelings about the show in order for it to be recorded. I had practised saying said coherent feelings and assumed it would be a breeze. I assumed wrong. My heart was racing, I was all giggly and for the life of me could not understand why I was finding it so hard. But as we all know, I got there in the end. And funnily enough I felt so good afterwards I made a note to try and work on that kind of "interview" a bit more. Maybe create my own personal podcast - that was a joke... I think. Another cool interview-y type thing I did was help out with a documentary that is about how society views women. All I had to do was read an excerpt of a book that captured my attention into a camera. Simple. Except it was not so simple. Well, it was and wasn't. I think I was just baffled by the notion of me doing it in the first place as I am incredibly used to seeing other people on a screen and not myself. But I did it and I did not die of nerves/embarrassment... then again I have not seen the final footage so there is still time? To be fair though, the lovely girls running this project made me feel incredibly comfortable and it went by so quickly I really did have nothing to worry about. They say blogging helps you find your voice and I must add that video and audio recordings can too. And mine sounds astonishingly weird and alien to me.
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Food. Food is awesome especially when gobbled up well. And by well, I mean either sat in front of the TV or with family and friends. I love catching up with friends over food. A couple weeks ago I found myself in town with a couple friends looking at what Home Sense had to offer that day until suddenly the clock struck dinner time and we had to decide where to sate our hunger. We finally ended up in a booth in Frankie & Benny's, a restaurant I had not stepped foot in in years (I even want to go as far as saying over a decade...but I won't...today). Anything with BBQ sauce and I am there -so much for healthier food choices haha. I had the burger and it. was. delicious. However, as I am trying to be more conscious of what it is that I eat every day I am having to flip through the cookbooks that I have for ideas as I am tired of my usual go-to dishes. And what has helped with that is buying cookware and dinnerware and the prospect of working on my food photography. Now, I am by no means a food photographer but the gifted ones whose work are all over my feed have played a part in me deeply appreciating the food I have been blessed with and photographing it. I will keep you posted on how that goes.
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So, that is a snapshot of what went down in January. There were moments where I wanted to quit;where I was found crying on my yoga mat because I had to let go of the extra weight I was carrying everywhere; where I went to bed around 8 pm because I was just so burnt out; where I felt terribly lost and lonely and left in the dark; and many more depressing scenarios. But I am choosing not to dwell on those and sharing some of the lanterns that lit up my path that cold and wet month. I really hope your January this year was a good one, I would love to hear all about it.
Mo x