Music was my first love, yet some how was completely slipping out of my life. Becoming an adult with adult obligations, a normal job at one point, and then health issues that lead to other struggles eventually started to drown out the things I really truly loved. Over the past few years, I have decided to give myself little "challenges" -- this started after attending a Kyle Cease event, where he gave us "homework" in the form of a personal challenge. He encouraged us to find something important to us that we wanted to incorporate into our life, to help us start shifting into living the way we truly would like to live. The challenge was just for a month or so - it only takes that long to help create a healthy habit for yourself, though some people did longer - and once you start, you may end up wanting to continue, as it becomes a part of your life. My first personal challenge was to prioritize my physical health. I had been struggling to get my physical therapy/workouts in daily, as I once had and I could feel it. All the hard work I had done was melting back into more severe pain. The challenge was about me relearning how to prioritize something that is actually very important to me. It was so easy for me to let my priorities slip, and let life or other people choose for me. It was immensely helpful to do this in a challenge form, and once I started, I felt positive effects immediately, and I remember how quickly the negative effects hit, which helped further motivate me. From there, I have had projects/challenges for meditation, art giveaways (one per month for a year), painting (two 30 day challenges), and most recently, this music project (one tiny original song every month for a year). These have ALL helped me so much! Each one was initiated because I became aware of an imbalance...I realized that I needed to take initiative to shift my own life towards my true priorities. Because these challenges targeted things I truly want to have as a part of my normal day to day life, they've now stuck. I workout daily (unless sick or if the entire day is completely packed - such as days I am photographing a wedding), I meditate daily (even if it is brief), creativity is a more solid part of my life (and has helped open me up to galleries and events and actually being an active, displaying, creating artist), and this past year, just about every single one of my instruments was used as was my new computer (making good use of what I have, right now), learning soooooo much in the process. I didn't consider it a challenge quite like these, but I also have done an elimination diet at one point to try to pin point triggers for some health issues (it kind of worked similar to these challenges though, as a daily thing I had to prioritize) - which lead to eating so much healthier, and is something that became a lifestyle shift. My point is, this method has been so helpful for me shift and LIVE what my true priorities are, and as I take a moment to reflect, it is truly amazing how these lead to some complete lifestyle changes that have helped my mind, body, soul health.
So. I'd like to continue.
Challenge #1
Right now, at this point in my life, I am not sure I will be able to continue with music to the degree I have been this past year, without something like this monthly challenge...and because it has been so helpful, inspiring, healing, and such a great learning opportunity, I think I am going to do another round. I am unsure if I will hold myself to the songs having to be tiny but I will be creating/recording one original song per month and I think at this point, I will continue it on Patreon. Check it out if you'd like to follow along (you can opt out at any time). It is truly amazing to think about how I've created 12 decently-ish recorded original songs this past year, and I love the thought of continuing that. It has opened my eyes and ears in so many ways (which I should probably put into a separate blog post ;) ).
Challenge #2
Two years ago, I had an idea, but I was afraid it was stupid...well, I was afraid others would think it was stupid. It was too simple and I feared no one else would see the value in it. This idea popped back into my head recently, and without much thought, I realized it is something Iiiii feel is important and beneficial to me. And that is enough reason to do it. I will share more about this soon, but the basics: 365 days of looking up. Right now, I posted Day 1 on instagram - I haven't decided if that is where I will be posting the project as a whole, or elsewhere...I honestly haven't thought through any of these challenges just yet, but I know I want to jump in and do them. Anyway, I will be taking a photo of the sky each day. Simple, yes, but I'll share more behind the why soon.
Challenge #3
I completely dropped the ball on this last year. I had a second creative challenge I wanted to do in 2017, but only achieved a very small portion of it. It was to do a total of 6 modeling shoots (in which I am the model). Let's try that again this year. Photographers, if you're reading this and interested in collaborating, please get in touch. (Note: I do think I will be having to chop the hair this year, but would really like to utilize this length while I have it!)
I have many other things I'd like to bring into my life more, and do intend to work on them...but this is where I am starting - and starting somewhere often has far reaching ripples. I want to appreciate what I have, and use it to the fullest, now. I want to do the things I love, while I can, starting now. That is how to love the life you live. Waiting for the day when life will magically give me the things I feel I need in order to move forward, or waiting for life to just give me more time, it doesn't work like that. I need to take initiative and realize my life is made up of my choices. I can't control everything, and I wouldn't want to. But I can choose how to react, I can choose what I do with where I am, with what I have. I can choose to value and act upon the things I feel are important to me, not just talk about it or hope I get to do those things some day. And I don't need anyone else's approval or permission to value what I feel is important to me.
Someone recently shared this video with me (a commencement speech by Neil Gaiman), and I found it incredibly inspiring. It also echoed some of what I feel inside, for why I do what I do, yet when the world seems to tell you otherwise, it is easy to feel like you're wrong, or crazy.
Goodbye 2017.
Hello 2018.
