It's Ok To Not Do All Of The Things - www.markergeek.com

*waves* Hi it’s me, you know, the blogger that shows up here from time to time. 😉

If you’re interested in catching up and hearing about how I started the year, read on! If not, I’ll be back with some crafty eye candy on Monday.

Where On Earth Have I Been?

January was very much a non-starter in terms of card-making and creativity, which you may have deduced by the absence of any updates here. In spite of that I’m happy with my start to 2015 and I’m here to share why.

I spent much of my time during January trying to relax and do some of the things I enjoy, which had fallen by the wayside during the last couple of years with all the stress and pressures of daily life. You know, the things that often lead to bouts of guilt because you’re not being productive or doing something else more important. After the incredible stress-fest that was December 2014 I simply told myself I had earned it and ignored the nagging voices in my head.

Instead of stressing out about making cards/colouring images/taking photos/writing blog posts/worrying if my work was enough, I caught up on video games that I’ve been meaning to complete for years. I watched movies and read books. I enjoyed being me, which is something I haven’t done for quite some time.

Taking The Pressure Off.

It sounds crazy doesn’t it? Doing less with the goal of achieving more. But it works, because being busy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re actually getting anywhere. Instead of starting my year with a huge list of goals and resolutions, I just let myself be.

During my relaxed January I of course kept up with daily chores and work, but I took the pressure off myself to be everything and do everything all at once. Some things just needed to wait. This blog was one of them, although I did spend some of my time thinking about ideas and goals for the blog and making notes as they popped into my head.

I realised that in order to achieve my goals for this blog and in other things I needed to refocus. In order to continue shaping the blog into what I want it to be I needed to step back. Taking that step back allowed me to take some time to approach things calmly instead of continually being swept along by the current.

Sitting here thinking about the past six weeks I can highly recommend giving yourself a break. It is unrealistic to think we can just drop absolutely everything for a whole month, as nice as that would be, but it is perfectly doable to drop some things and ease the self-imposed pressure.

I couldn’t stop taking care of my sick dog, or doing the laundry, or posting orders, but I definitely could slow myself down and stop adding extra pressures.

January was an incredibly positive month for me, and I achieved much more than I would have without taking a step back. If you’re also struggling and feeling overwhelmed, remember: you don’t have to do everything and you certainly don’t have to do it all right now.

Good News.

I did squeeze some colouring in during January for the upcoming Stamping Bella release, and this week I happily sat and created a stack of cards using the coloured images. The release is happening on Monday (9th February 2015) and I will start sharing my cards then so keep your eyes peeled! I apologise in advance for any enabling, the release is ADORABLE. Please don’t send angry spouses/bank managers my way. 😉

Looking Ahead.

In addition to cards and other crafty things, you will be seeing a lot more words here on the blog this year. I’ll be sharing more articles to go along with the eye candy, which hopefully you will enjoy just as much! If not, I will still be sharing plenty of cards and colouring information along with videos and colour maps/colour palettes.

Thanks For Stopping By!

I hope your 2015 is off to a good start and that the creative juices are well and truly flowing, but if they are not, remember that it’s ok to give yourself that break. You will feel so much better for it.