Peter and I quote the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Bad Lip Reading YouTube video all the time. In particular, we quote the line "I'm bad at stuff" when we've made a mistake. Friends, I'm bad at stuff. I have been quiet for wayyy too long here on my blog. I apologize for that. I have been incredibly busy with work. I'm still fully booked, and I'm extremely thankful for that, but it leaves me feeling pretty exhausted and not especially creative, which is why I haven't written in a while. I'm trying to avoid becoming burnt out though (almost happened last week), so I thought I'd share some fun activities I've been participating in during my free time, even though that free time is limited. These fun things happen to be creative things in particular because I'm a creative person by nature and truly miss putting my creative juices to good use.
1. Calligraphy
I'm obsessed with word art, especially words that have been written in calligraphy. I've been wanting to fill my office with it. However, instead of just buying word art, I was inspired by one of my besties to try creating the word art myself! I've been working through a workbook that has lines for me to practice the alphabet (I feel like I'm in preschool again) in different styles of calligraphy, and I have a set of fancy schmancy pens to go along with it. It has definitely been a challenge, but it's been incredibly relaxing too. I tend to work on it while on calls with people because I've been suffering from major Zoom fatigue (I'm working more, which means I'm on video calls more frequently, but because of the quarantine, I'm also on video calls when catching up with friends and family. It's a lot of screen time, and I'm starting to get really tired from it). I even got my followers on my business Instagram account involved! I asked them to share their favorite quotes with me, so I've been slowly working through them as a way to practice. My followers are very encouraging too, which helps!
2. Writing
After a very long hiatus, I've finally gotten back into the swing of doing some creative writing. I've been working on a YA dystopian novel for several years now, and I told myself I'd finish it and be ready to get it published by the time I'm 30, which happens in January, so I've really got to start making a move on it! A friend of mine has been keeping me accountable to doing some writing each week; you're all welcome to do so too. ; )
3. Singing
From working on my ability to sing and play the piano at the same time to memorizing the rap to Alexander Hamilton, I've been trying to get back into music. While Peter and I are part of our church's worship team, we haven't been creating music lately since we now watch the church's livestreams from home. I miss that. I also miss being a part of an a cappella group like I was in college because I used to make music all the time back then. I'm trying to do a little more of that now. Singing while playing the piano has helped me to work on my improv skills (I'm classically trained, so working with chords instead of sheet music isn't intuitive for me), and rapping to Alexander Hamilton has simply made me want to see Hamilton on Broadway all the more. The next mini project I have in mind is to record myself doing the opening part of "When Will My Life Begin?" from Tangled because I have to include Disney somewhere!
4. Filming
I regularly do some filming for my business Instagram account to keep my followers engaged while providing helpful content to help them with their English language skills as well. Yes, this has to do with work, but I actually really love doing it! Lately, I've been trying to revamp my videos, and it's been a lot of fun. I've started producing films on current events as well as testing my acting skills when introducing vocabulary. I'm really enjoying it, and my followers seem to be enjoying it too!
One of my students just finished her semester and will be taking a break from her lessons with me until July, and my women's Bible study is taking a summer break, so starting next week, I'll have more free time than usual. Here are some creative activities I'd like to try in addition to the things I'm already doing:
1. Photography
I am a super amateur photographer. I took a photography class during my senior year of college and fell in love with it. I bought a DSLR shortly after the class ended, and I've been photographing things for fun ever since. I especially love photographing people. I'd love to develop my skills in this area, and since Peter is home, I have the perfect subject! =D
2. Quilting
I have my hands on a sewing machine that I've been granted permission to borrow from our church indefinitely. A few months ago, I actually got back into quilting briefly (I took a class on how to quilt in college - it was so fun!) when my friend's mom taught me some techniques. I haven't really furthered my skills since then though. However, I recently discovered some fabric that I have, and now I'm itching to sit at the sewing machine again! I just have to make sure I have all of the tools I need first.
That's what I've been up to, in a nutshell! Hope you're all safe and healthy, and I promise to write again soon. <3
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