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A fresh start and waayyy too many challenges

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What?
Another January challenge…what am I thinking?

There’s the daily small stones challenge, Khara’s love my blog challenge, the Apartment Therapy January cure challenge, and now the lovely people at Folk Magazine have issued a weekly journal entry challenge.

Oh well, I must remember I don’t have much in the way of disciplined thoughts in my butterfly brain, and so refuse to feel undone if I give up on a challenge or if I handle things in my own time…so…in the wonderful spirit of “my way or the highway”… 🙂 (in the nicest possible way)…here goes:

The first Folk Magazine journal weekly entry:

Week 1: reflect on lessons learned in 2012

Ha, I can’t do it all…big, BIG lesson learned! I can’t be the best mother while switching countries several times/year, I can’t develop as an artist without painting/sketching several hundred canvases per year, I can’t develop as a writer without writing pages and pages, I can’t be happier while keeping toxic people in my life and giving up on doing things I love for lack of time…well, you get the picture.

Last year I decided to stop running out of time and start running into it instead, but I really thought I would be much further ahead right now with certain projects. The reason I’m not is the same reason why I still can’t play the piano…(something I’ve wanted to learn for about five years now)…it’s because I haven’t taken the time to do it.

So what to do about it?

Art: Get into that studio and paint! And, maybe by sharing with all of you lovelies a new sense of well-being and community spirit will develop.
To that end I want to finally finish opening that Etsy store, have give-aways here and get more art “out there”. Veronica’s OUT THERE art. I love it.

Writing: Well there we go…it all goes hand in hand, doesn’t it? I mean Sophie Storm isn’t going to get written without the images and the epistolary concept isn’t going to form out of thin air, so a daily amount of minutes dedicated to the story and art work is in order, but I probably already have enough images for The 10 Mile Project and just need to get over the “not good enough” hurdle. So wading thru the photo files and committing some to 10 Mile and weeding out the rest is also in order.

Photography: Yes…do more! Somedays, when I have my “I’m useless” head on, photography is the cure.

Skate: Yes, skate more. Figure skating for 14 years and then stopping physically doesn’t mean my heart stopped skating. So I will skate more. Skate at the cabin on the frozen pond this winter, skate at the public skating rinks, put on the in-line skates when the ice melts. Let my feet keep skating along with my heart.

Toxic people: Oh god…absolutely no idea here, so probably going to take it slowly and one baby step at a time, but protecting myself from toxicity is definitely at the top of my list and actively seeking out new and lovelier friends is a BIG goal for 2013.

This little ephemeral space: ??? Hmm, have to figure it out. I’d love, LOVE more interactions with all you who stop by. Won’t you come say hello so I can get to know you? I’d like to develop more how-to posts, especially creative, doing, crafts, art posts. I’d like to re-develop my creativity course into an on-line project, an e-course, and offer it free to anyone who would like to take it. And mostly I’d love to keep finding wonderful like-minded people to correspond with. What do you think my lovely friends? Would you like more of something?

Linking to Folk Magazine

Comments: 19

  • January 3, 2013
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    This morning I could use more coffee 🙂 All joking aside, this is my year of less. Less fractured, less stressed, less chaos. Creating space for new things to grow. Can’t wait what you come up with!

  • January 3, 2013
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    I was just sitting here thinking about writing an anti-resolution post or an anti-challenge post! All that energy, all that planning, all that creativity! Where does it come from? Our last holiday guests left yesterday, and I’m doing laundry. The Christmas decorations need to be packed away. I have manuscripts for a workshop to read. So thanks for this post about doing what you can, when you can, and making time for what’s most important. Maybe I will write that post after all, but I won’t be curmudgeonly about it! And I wish you would bring your creativity project to the blog; I’d love to see that!

  • January 3, 2013
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    “I can’t be happier while keeping toxic people in my life”…a great goal for all of us! Some may construe it as mean but I don’t keep toxic people in my life; they aren’t welcome and after a while, they get the idea and move on. Generally, after spreading lies and meanness about me but that’s their baggage to carry, not mine. After a while, all that horrible baggage will weigh them down so much, they can’t see me for the distance separating us as I forge ahead.
    Oh yay!

  • January 3, 2013
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    Hello, Veronica!!

    What a lovely post! There are too many things I’d like to improve upon in the coming year. But I love your way of thinking: “can’t do it all!” I need to keep that in mind more often. Jeannine is right. I’ll do what I can and leave room to grow.

    I ‘d love, LOVE, to correspond more with you and I definitely want to see more of Veronica’s “out there” art. 😉

    Becca <3

  • January 3, 2013
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    I can`t do it all — the sentence that will hopefully set you free! More importantly there`s no need to do it all. Focusing on the most important things in your world is the wise way to move forward. And toxic people? As hard as it was, I managed to let those people go a few years ago and it was the best move I could make. Once you start saying “no” for the right reasons, it simply becomes easier and easier. Here is to you finding the way to have what you need and what you want in 2013!

  • January 4, 2013
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    All very good things to do. Especially getting rid of toxic people. Took me a long time to figure that out. Also, have to give yourself permission to do all those things. Can’t take credit for that one, it’s from “The Artist’s Way” 🙂 And a lot of forgiveness when you aren’t as far as you think you should be…I’m amazed at all you do, the art, photography, daily blogging-way more than I can do–you might be further along than you think 🙂 Happy thoughts to think of you skating! Enjoy!!

  • January 5, 2013
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    It’s always great to have goals, as long as you don’t get too down on yourself for not achieving all of them. Because as you say, you can’t do it all! x

  • January 6, 2013
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    I am very glad you linked up to Folk. It gave me a chance to come visit again. My goal is to make better use of my time. Trouble is, I think I need hourly reminders.

  • January 9, 2013
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