Hello! Happy 2016! Is anyone still out there? I’ve fallen so out of touch with blogland, I don’t know what’s going on anymore! But to anyone reading, hello and happy new year. I hope you’re well.
Last year I took a big intentional step back from blogging and it was pretty wonderful. As much as I loved sharing things I’d made and the community I felt here, I just wasn’t getting enough out of it. I’m an extremely slow blogger and I always had other things I would rather be doing besides taking and editing photos and writing and editing blog posts and then trying to share and promote the post on social media. I couldn’t keep up with everything, so I decided to let this part go and I did continue on sewing (though it felt like a lot less). And I shared a lot on Instagram and took part in a wonderful community there.
Some of my favorite makes of 2015
I also had the goal to simplify my life, to have, consume, buy, do, want less. I won’t get into how it all went, but I’ll say that I failed and I succeeded and failed again and it’s an ongoing goal. My life isn’t dramatically different, but I do try to make conscious efforts and smart decisions to move towards a simpler life and though we’ve got a loooong way to go, we’ll continue to do what we can.
One thing that I thought about over the last year as I continue to grow and maybe even establish myself creatively is a desire to find “my thing.” You know how some people have a specific thing that they are really good at and they find themselves becoming known for that thing and then they go on to teach that thing and write books about that thing and become professionals and wildly successful and get to do that thing all day long? Or they have a project with a cool hashtag that really puts them on the map and gets them noticed. Well I want a thing! But I’ve never been able to come up with my own original thing. They all seem to be taken by people who are actually really good at them and have been working on it for years. Until other awesome creative people come up with new ideas and I’m like, shit, why didn’t I think of that!?
Picking knitting back up. I do this once a year.
Anyways, I don’t really know what I want to do but I am feeling like I want to practice being more creative and explore different crafts, see if anything sticks and just have fun trying new things. Last year I started following Meighan O’Toole on Instagram and she was challenging herself to a #yearofmaking, where she committed to doing some creative practice every day for at least 30 minutes for a year. I think she got the idea from Kim Werker and the original idea traces back to Miriam Felton, as far as I can tell. Well Meighan learned a lot from her experience and it was really inspiring to me too. I decided that committing to a year of making might be what I need to stay out of creative ruts, learn new things, meet new people, maybe open new doors.
Trying my hand at natural dyes during The Modern Natural Dyer Work-Along
I made a list of things I want to try this year. There are like 13 things on the list right now. Some of them are things I’ve done before and just want to explore more, like knitting or quilting and some are new and just seem interesting like watercolor painting or embroidery. I don’t expect I’ll get through all of the things on the list and do expect that some of the things will change as I get distracted by the latest crafting trend. (Ooh, weaving? Sure!) Some days I’ll paint a portrait and other days I’ll just doodle. Or maybe I’ll make a cocktail. Hell, last weekend I counted painting my daughters’ faces as my creative practice for the day! And hopefully I’ll still sew! I’ll always go back to sewing.
Wool yarn hand dyed with madder extract
I don’t plan on posting to instagram every single day, but I will document my creative practices as much as possible and share them there. I’m still trying to come up with a hashtag for all my pics so I can have them in my own pool. And I’m going to try and write a blog post at least once a month to share the things I worked on that month. So towards the end of this month I’ll share what things I focused on in January.
Watercolor painting with my daughters
You guys, this may last like 2 months. I’m kind of a slacker like that. It’s probably why I don’t have my own “thing.” Or maybe it’ll stick and be amazing and awesome, supportive people out in the interwebs will help me stay motivated. Who knows! Hopefully it’s the latter. I hope that publishing this post will be enough to light a fire under my ass on nights that I just want to watch Netflix or go to sleep, ’cause, you know, I told everyone on the internet that I would do it.
Wish me luck! Maybe you’ll join me? Regardless, I can’t wait to see what comes out of 2016!
you and mie 
Glad you’ve had some time to write a post. You have reminded my of how time consuming blogging and sharing can be. I have taken a few steps back as well and would definitely consider myself more of an intermittent blogger now, although the allure of writing and photography always draws me back in. Hope this year is filled with many accomplishments and blessings. Also, those paintings are lovely!!! Cheers :-).
Thank you!
Nice to have you back! I feel like your thing is fabric choice – you seem to always pair stunning fabric with patterns for a simple but gorgeous look. Sorry if that’s a bit nebulous but it’s what you stand out in my mind for… Looking forward to seeing what you do in 2016, here or on IG!
Aww, thank you! That’s really kind of you to say!
Oh it’s great!!! Visit https://thephysicsglobal.wordpress.com/ and enjoy!!! Kisses
I totally agree with you, I always love to see your clothes and I’m always amazed by your fabric choice. You have a thing for picking cheerful colors without being extravagant. Or just beautiful neutrals which end up bot being boring at all.
I’ll be there waiting for your endvof the month post
Thank you! I really appreciate that.
Is there anything you can’t do??
You’re just simply amazing.. ^^
Haha, I just like to try new things, but I don’t do many of them very well 🙂
It’s always a good idea to try something new. You’re not alone in that area. Continue to find your own niche. Just do it and practice we will get there! Cheers!
Thanks for your advice! That’s the plan 🙂
I lurk here periodically and always enjoy your posts. So much of what you shared in this one reflects my thoughts and desires for my creative life this year. I look forward to the journey!
Thank you, Michelle! Best of luck to you as well!
I absolutely loved this post! and I can relate all to well about finding that ‘thing’ that you’re good at or love or whatever it is. I think my problem is that I tend to try something out and then I get really bored of doing it, I’m not sure if its because I run out of ideas or merely because I’ve somehow found another interest or ‘thing’. Everything that you’ve tried thus far looks great. Good luck on finding your ‘thing’! Looking forward to your future posts.
Haha, yes, I think that’s my problem too – at least some of the time. Or if I’m not immediately amazing at something I feel like that must not be “my thing” and I have to move on.
Nice to see a post from you, girl! 🙂
I feel like my “thing” evolves depending on what I need for myself at that particular time. Sometimes it’s sewing, sometimes it’s knitting, sometimes it’s cooking, and sometimes it’s not a creative thing at all, it’s getting back in shape or organizing or whatever. Different things help me clear my mind and feel balanced. Is that you too? Anyway, in that regard I hope you find your THING (or things) this year and I look forward to seeing it all unfold! Yay for instagram!
Thanks Kristin! Glad to know you’re still reading blogs and commenting too 😛 Yes, that makes sense. I don’t know if I’m the type of person to just have one thing either. I wonder why I feel like I need just one thing . . .
Maybe your “thing” is just being awesome! ;-D
It’s nice to see that I wasn’t the only one to “take off” this past year from blogging. I think it hit a lot of us all at one time that we need to get real & quit trying to do everything in the whole world. The creative blogging world really seems to be changing right now. With your skills, you’ll definitely find your perfect niche somewhere! Can’t wait to see what you create! ❤
Haha, you’re so sweet. And yes, it definitely feels like the crafty blogging world reached it’s climax at some point and kinda fizzled down a bit. Curious where it goes from here! Anyways, thanks for your support 🙂
One of the most unexpected things that’s come out of my years of making (I’m on my third now, but I’m not really keeping daily track anymore; it’s just become a happy habit) is that I learned that “my thing” is just doing whatever I want to do, even if I’ve never done it before. I’ve become a serial tryer-of-new-things, and I find it funny that I never realized that that’s what my thing should always have been. Because duh. Sometimes the most profound discoveries come when we give ourselves the time and space to notice the obvious, eh? Anyway, good luck with your YoM!
Thank you so much! Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks for the motivation 🙂
Aww YAY! Love seeing a post from you in my feed. I’m so glad you put all this in writing…it’s very much a continuation of our conversation the other day but written out, where you can see it. I second that your “thing” is choosing amazing fabrics and pairing them with (usually very simple, so as not to disrupt the patterns/prints) patterns that really work masterfully together. You are brilliant!! Good luck with your list and goals for this year!!!
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Well if a cocktail counts as “making something” then I’m in!
Did you see that even without blogging you made the nominations for best blogs in some blog poll?! Maybe your “thing” is just being cool and likeable! 🙂
It’s so hard to know when the kids will take to something. Mine made a stupidly long loom band rope but couldn’t get past one or two rows of one of those kiddy cross stitch kits. When they “decide” to do it, they’ll no doubt make a good job of it. Just like us, huh.
Oh it’s great!
Liebe Gruesse Monika