In January, I lost my momentum. I've been sick on-and-off since the last week of December and I'm finally feeling better. At first, I was ill with a really bad virus that had me coughing and choking for two weeks and then suffered through a sinus infection. The last three weeks have been cold and rainy and I've been traveling weekly in my new job that's based in another city– temporary but still taxing. I painted only once or twice during that time and I admit, I've fallen behind on prompt blog posts. I became a bit depressed and I just wasn't excited about anything I was painting. I left my desk messy and uninviting. I've spent the last few weekends curled up on the couch & binge-watched 3-4 complete series of anime. And today, the sun came out– both literally & figuratively. Today is my Restart Day.
What's a Restart Day? It's basically my time to shed my negative thinking and focus on my own happiness. These days start with me sipping a cup of hot coffee outside in the morning sunshine while I enjoy the peace & quiet. I like to set my intentions for the day so I don't get distracted or fall victim to laziness. Today, I've committed to cleaning my desk and making it once again an inviting place where I want to spend time. I just signed up for Spotify so I'll have no shortage of good music to listen to. I lit a clean-smelling aromatherapy candle (one of my favorite painting rituals) and I'm going to start a new miniature today. One thing I've noticed is that when I'm not excited about painting, it means I need to try something new. Eventually, I'll come back around and finish the miniature that I temporarily put aside– though sometimes it takes longer (like Ursula who sat on the "Shelf of Shame" for two years before having her metal armor painted).
I expect I'll soon have some "after" pictures to show– both of my clean desk and my new miniature project!
Before
After