I've just gone through and added all of the design blogs I try to follow to my Blogger Dashboard. Theoretically, I'll only have to check one location from now on in order to (1) catch up with all of you and (2) continue to keep up with the web design world. This will also remind me to post when I have some downtime.
Is productivity really just a result of how efficiently you can manage the different spinning plates of your life? In that sense, technology is a huge asset to productivity. And then Facebook happens—4 hours elapse and somehow the only thing you've accomplished is developing a creepily-comprehensive visual history of a person you had one class with in high school almost 10 years ago.
Blessing meet curse.
As a chronically over-committed person, I try to look for new things to keep productivity high and motivation active. One of the "waiting for me to get around to reading" tabs on my browser at the moment is an article entitled "7 Things Star Wars Taught Me About Productivity." Increasingly I'm learning that productivity has a lot to do with environment. Are you comfortable? Are you distracted? Are you cold? Are you worried about someone interrupting you? How do we harvest more productive environments?
I need a house. A 1-bedroom apartment is maddening. In the wake of uncomfortable lifestyle changes, I fear that I may have to move again. A studio apartment—though it is the only thing I can afford on my own—seems incredibly stifling to me. Living in this area is so hard to do.
One step at a time. No one is moving anywhere right now. Not yet.
1.23.2014
1.20.2014
A Directionless Post
I feel a need to post but I have nothing much to say...
I would love to be a person that consistently keeps a blog. However, as evidenced by the archive in my right rail, it is very clear that at around the 4th or 5th month of relatively consistent posting, I end up forgetting about blogging with the next installment of "Monique is in her 20s—here is another major life change."
I would like to work on consistency. While variety (the spice of life) is of utmost importance to me, I find that I tend to crave some semblance of routine—a few things about which I can say "Yes, I do this consistently." Aikido is really the only thing that fits that description right now. That's fine. That's probably more than a lot of people my age can say.
I visited my family this weekend. It was nice—always is. The more time I spend separated from them, though, the more I realize how different my life has become. My life-goals (if I have any life-goals) don't necessarily mimic theirs anymore. And I feel like I have been fighting this internal battle of who I want to be versus who my family expects me to be. I know that if push came to shove, they would accept pretty much whatever I threw at them. They have always been supportive; but not without judgment. And, I don't know. Some of the roads I've been compelled to follow lately don't lend themselves well to their acceptance.
Sometimes, it's nice to visit, but then it's nice to get away. I find that to be true for more than just my family.
Makes me want to fly away somewhere get lost in anonymity.
I would love to be a person that consistently keeps a blog. However, as evidenced by the archive in my right rail, it is very clear that at around the 4th or 5th month of relatively consistent posting, I end up forgetting about blogging with the next installment of "Monique is in her 20s—here is another major life change."
I would like to work on consistency. While variety (the spice of life) is of utmost importance to me, I find that I tend to crave some semblance of routine—a few things about which I can say "Yes, I do this consistently." Aikido is really the only thing that fits that description right now. That's fine. That's probably more than a lot of people my age can say.
I visited my family this weekend. It was nice—always is. The more time I spend separated from them, though, the more I realize how different my life has become. My life-goals (if I have any life-goals) don't necessarily mimic theirs anymore. And I feel like I have been fighting this internal battle of who I want to be versus who my family expects me to be. I know that if push came to shove, they would accept pretty much whatever I threw at them. They have always been supportive; but not without judgment. And, I don't know. Some of the roads I've been compelled to follow lately don't lend themselves well to their acceptance.
Sometimes, it's nice to visit, but then it's nice to get away. I find that to be true for more than just my family.
Makes me want to fly away somewhere get lost in anonymity.
1.14.2014
Weddings
'Tis the season for weddings. It seems like everyone I know is getting married.
I'm in the bridal party for two weddings within 2 weeks of one another in June—in 2 different states. I have gone from being in exactly 1 wedding in the past (as a junior bridesmaid) to suddenly being in two at the same time and having TWICE the amount of prep to deal with. Both showers are in March. One Bachelorette is in March and the other is the weekend in between the two weddings in June. So it's kind of silly. It's CHAOS from now until March—and then there will be this dead-space of 2 months before the madness of June.
Of course, there will be preparatory work to be done for the weddings themselves in April and May but since the showers and bachelorettes are the two bridesmaid-run events, I'm thinking that the February/March period will be more insane.
To complicate matters one step farther, there are TWO AIKIDO SEMINARS in March. What is going on with the world?! March is not the only month in 2014, people!! I will have to miss one of the seminars due to a shower conflict but I should be able to attend the other in full—which should be a nice way to relax but since it will ultimately be just another place that I have to be at a specific time on a specific day, it might end up feeling like more of a chore.
Ah, well. When it rains it pours, I guess.
It's not all grim. These things are, at the heart of it, very fun. It's my obsessive-compulsive tendencies that are making me anxious about it. I want everything to run smoothly. I want everything to be done on time—and a lot of the pressure is on me to make that happen. I certainly have plenty of help—but help doesn't eliminate the pressure; merely reduces it.
This insanity is part of the reason I chose to adopt my "One Step at a Time" mentality for a New Years Resolution. I think I might have to get it tattooed backward on my goddamn forehead, though, because oftentimes I start cataloging all of these obligations at once and I start hyperventilating.
I'm in the bridal party for two weddings within 2 weeks of one another in June—in 2 different states. I have gone from being in exactly 1 wedding in the past (as a junior bridesmaid) to suddenly being in two at the same time and having TWICE the amount of prep to deal with. Both showers are in March. One Bachelorette is in March and the other is the weekend in between the two weddings in June. So it's kind of silly. It's CHAOS from now until March—and then there will be this dead-space of 2 months before the madness of June.
Of course, there will be preparatory work to be done for the weddings themselves in April and May but since the showers and bachelorettes are the two bridesmaid-run events, I'm thinking that the February/March period will be more insane.
To complicate matters one step farther, there are TWO AIKIDO SEMINARS in March. What is going on with the world?! March is not the only month in 2014, people!! I will have to miss one of the seminars due to a shower conflict but I should be able to attend the other in full—which should be a nice way to relax but since it will ultimately be just another place that I have to be at a specific time on a specific day, it might end up feeling like more of a chore.
Ah, well. When it rains it pours, I guess.
It's not all grim. These things are, at the heart of it, very fun. It's my obsessive-compulsive tendencies that are making me anxious about it. I want everything to run smoothly. I want everything to be done on time—and a lot of the pressure is on me to make that happen. I certainly have plenty of help—but help doesn't eliminate the pressure; merely reduces it.
This insanity is part of the reason I chose to adopt my "One Step at a Time" mentality for a New Years Resolution. I think I might have to get it tattooed backward on my goddamn forehead, though, because oftentimes I start cataloging all of these obligations at once and I start hyperventilating.
1.10.2014
Another Year Gone By
Well life certainly gets interesting.
I'll spare you the details of the last 6 months or so but I do apologize for the lengthy lapse in posting. I wanted to devote this post, mostly, to a declaration of resolutions/intentions/goals/whatever-word-you-choose for the year.
Last year's resolution to draw something every day was a bit ambitious; but I'm proud of my progress! I drew something every single day in the months of January, February, March, April, May, June, and October. That's 7 months! Pretty good! The remaining months didn't go un-drawn—I just didn't stick to it daily. Overall, fairly successful—and I would say that I even have a few nice pieces to show for it.
This year, I think I'm going to be a little broader, a little more vague, and a little more all-inclusive.
I tend to think of these goals in categories.
In the "Art" Category:
My goal is to illustrate one book this year. One day, I'd love to write my own book and illustrate that, but in the interest of scope, I'm going to leave the writing to someone else this time. My first thought was The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. However, I read the short story and learned that the original isn't very interesting in comparison to all of the other media that has been made about it after the fact. So instead, I will be illustrating The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This novella is super interesting and the musical is my favorite! So, I have a great deal of excitement about it already.
In the "Work" Category:
Now that my work life has settled, I'm really quite happy. I'll work on little things this year like being more productive or working through moments of lesser motivation. Mostly, I just want to learn a LOT about this design field and attempt to develop some sort of mastery in it. I don't want to take this job for granted because it's the best I've ever had so I will really want to make the most out of it this year.
In the "Personal" Category:
I feel as though I have a lot of work to do here. I'm just struggling. I let things stress me out more than I should. I take things for granted more than I should. I'm motivated when I can't do anything about it. I'm unmotivated when I have the time. I'm restless. I'm tired. I'm stressed. There are a lot of things to work on. Once more in the interest of scope (can you tell that I've been working for a consulting agency for 7 months now?) I'm going to try to pick a few to work on. I've given it a little thought and I believe that these 3 will be the focus:
Rock on.
I'll spare you the details of the last 6 months or so but I do apologize for the lengthy lapse in posting. I wanted to devote this post, mostly, to a declaration of resolutions/intentions/goals/whatever-word-you-choose for the year.
Last year's resolution to draw something every day was a bit ambitious; but I'm proud of my progress! I drew something every single day in the months of January, February, March, April, May, June, and October. That's 7 months! Pretty good! The remaining months didn't go un-drawn—I just didn't stick to it daily. Overall, fairly successful—and I would say that I even have a few nice pieces to show for it.
This year, I think I'm going to be a little broader, a little more vague, and a little more all-inclusive.
I tend to think of these goals in categories.
In the "Art" Category:
My goal is to illustrate one book this year. One day, I'd love to write my own book and illustrate that, but in the interest of scope, I'm going to leave the writing to someone else this time. My first thought was The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. However, I read the short story and learned that the original isn't very interesting in comparison to all of the other media that has been made about it after the fact. So instead, I will be illustrating The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This novella is super interesting and the musical is my favorite! So, I have a great deal of excitement about it already.
In the "Work" Category:
Now that my work life has settled, I'm really quite happy. I'll work on little things this year like being more productive or working through moments of lesser motivation. Mostly, I just want to learn a LOT about this design field and attempt to develop some sort of mastery in it. I don't want to take this job for granted because it's the best I've ever had so I will really want to make the most out of it this year.
In the "Personal" Category:
I feel as though I have a lot of work to do here. I'm just struggling. I let things stress me out more than I should. I take things for granted more than I should. I'm motivated when I can't do anything about it. I'm unmotivated when I have the time. I'm restless. I'm tired. I'm stressed. There are a lot of things to work on. Once more in the interest of scope (can you tell that I've been working for a consulting agency for 7 months now?) I'm going to try to pick a few to work on. I've given it a little thought and I believe that these 3 will be the focus:
- Taking Things One Step at a Time—Instead of obsessing about everything at once and collapsing under the pressure, I am going to try to focus on one thing at a time. When I finish that thing, I will work on another thing.
- Re-Defining Myself—I've spent a very long time making decisions about who I am and what I want based on the presence of others—family, friends, and most notably—boyfriends. I need to figure out who I am and what I want before I try to share my life with someone else on any sort of permanent level. When things are broken in my relationship, I feel like a broken person myself. That isn't healthy.
- Running More Consistently—When things stress me out or when I feel the need to physically run away from a situation, I always find solace in jogging through the neighborhood with some music that I enjoy and unwinding. I've begun the "Couch to 5k" program so that I don't hurt myself (my problem with running is that my endurance tends to outlive my legs so I push too hard too soon and get injured). Maybe I'll enter a race. Maybe I won't. But it'll be something good for me to do for myself.
Rock on.
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