coming back 'home' to myself

Hubby and I are taking a little breather this weekend... a 'staycation' before a busy week coming up. To ring in our staycation, I spent the early afternoon doing a bit of watercolour painting (experimenting) out on the upstairs deck with the cats... then a little bit of reading. The sun was shining and, amazingly enough, there were no black flies; now, however, around supper-time (for them and us!) they've forced me back inside again. With watercolours, I mainly experimented with colour washes and quick painting of our hanging basket of begonias. I have the little Winsor & Newton dry pan set, though I am eagerly awaiting some Daniel Smith colours in a tube, which are much more vibrant than the dry pan set I have. I'm also awaiting some permanent ink for my Lamy Joy fountain pen, which will be such a joy to write and draw with!

Yes, as you can probably tell, I am planning on doing this more often. ← a segway for 'why'

I guess you could say that while we were camping, when I painted and 'journalled' in my handmade book, I had an "Aha!" moment. It was like 'coming home' - coming home to myself, quite honestly. I felt an overwhelming sense of well-being. Rem noticed it too ...as if I were lit up inside. I paused and asked myself why, WHY, did I not do this more often in my leisure time! My immediate answer: no time. Then? I reasoned why not make more time by cutting out things that have been stressing me out during my leisure time. First on my list - social media!

So, hubby and I have made the personal decision to drastically reduce our social media use. Before I go any further, I just want to clarify that I'm not beating up on social media, whatsoever. We've found it a great way to keep in touch with family and friends; also a help in advertising my bookbinding business as well. And, of course, it goes without saying that if any hobby or recreational pursuit distracts us from more important things, that is a completely different story and just plain concerning. This, however, is strictly a personal decision that we've made for our benefit regarding our leisure time. {I just don't want friends to feel they have to "defend" their choice of using social media; it's certainly not necessary. I can see how it could be an enjoyable pastime for many, especially for those unable to get out as much as they would like to.}

Onward...
Hubby deactivated both his Instagram and FB accounts, and I added him to my accounts. We have gradually been finding social media somewhat of a stressor/burden rather than relaxing as a leisure pastime, despite the fact we have limited our use already. Though it has become a sort of knee-jerk reaction to check our FB and Instagram feeds in the evening or on the weekend in our spare time, we want to get away from that and do things that truly relax us more. For me personally, that includes watercolour painting, sketching/drawing, writing in my journal, reading, and blogging... things I haven't really allowed myself to do or enjoy for quite a while, always with the excuse of "I'm too busy".

You see, I used to journal, sketch and paint - ALL of the time - as a young girl and even into my adulthood when I was pioneering in Calgary. I went through journals like nothing (my main reasons for taking up bookbinding!). It was my main leisure activity besides reading. No social media then. And I've never been a TV person, with the exception of a few shows that were special to me like Poirot, Sherlock, etc. I found the creative process of writing, drawing and painting so... restorative. Refreshing. But since social media began, I have stopped doing that. I stopped doing what I love. I let life's stressors and the mundane get in the way of what I truly enjoyed. How silly, and sad, that I make leather journals for other people and yet do not use one myself anymore! My reason for starting to making journals in the first place was because I loved using them so much.

Thus, I want to make changes! It all seems like a no-brainer now; I don't know why it was such a difficult conclusion to come to. The goal is to get into the habit of writing or drawing every day again, even if it's just something small and/or brief... a creative moment somewhere in the day. I want to be using the time I would've whittled away on social media and start spending it on a relaxing-to-me activity, whether that be painting, drawing, reading, writing, etc.

I have ordered a few supplies, mainly more paint, some special brushes, permanent ink for a new fountain pen, as well as some more watercolour paper to make myself more art journals, so I don't have to buy pre-made watercolor/sketch books online (they are pricey!).

I'm really looking forward to getting back to my "personality roots", so to speak. Some of my fondest memories of childhood are of Dad teaching me how to paint with watercolours. Drawing and painting was something that was a big part of my identity ...and along the way, with life's many losses - my parents, my health, etc. - I managed to lose that part of myself too. I want it back. But unlike those other losses, this is something within my control!

My main inspiration has been Edith Holden and her beautiful nature journal books; they are absolutely amazing and are favourites in my library. Some modern inspirations of mine include the likes of urbansketchers.com, Liz Steel, Nitin Singh, Kate Osborne, Stephanie Bower, Grant Fuller and Yong Chen - mainly bloggers and Youtubers. I also find drawing-a-day/painting-a-day sites inspiring as well.

I promise to share things along the way on my blog. Blogging/memory-keeping is something that I enjoy and feel innately compelled to do, so I'll not be giving that up any time soon. ;)

Comments

  1. I look forward to seeing your work. And welcome home!

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  2. I know this decision will make you happier, calmer and less stressed. You're right about those who can't get out as much. I'm one of those and it's why I'm on social media quite honestly more than I would like to be. Another stressor for me is hearing of deaths, near deaths and crises involving individual Witnesses and Witness families all over the world that I would not hear about if I were not on social media. I'm thinking a lot about cutting my time down so that I won't hear about all those things that I can do nothing about but that are very stressful to me personally.

    Like you I've also gotten away from watercoloring, which I absolutely love. I'm getting ready to delve into flow painting/resin painting and alcohol inks. I'll share some of my works with you and would love for you to do the same with me.

    I have no doubt this decision will result in great benefits to both you and Rem. ๐Ÿ’—

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  3. I know you, my dear girl! I am so happy to hear that you are getting back to your artistic side! I have learned from Mary that when you find something that you love to do - Specifically something creative, when you make time for it & enjoy it, it is extremely restful and gives back to your health more than you would expect. You cannot be creative and stressed at the same time.

    So I look forward to seeing more of your time go toward something so healing for you! <3

    As to the whole social media thing, I totally hear you. I found it far too addictive for me- I loved it so much I had to go cold turkey! After I had been away from it for a few months, I felt such a huge sense of *relief*! I had no idea how much it was taking from me. If you are able to find a similar relief, I wholeheartedly applaud!

    Hugs to you both. May you happily paint and journal away, my dear.

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  4. I'm so happy for you that you found something that makes you feel better. I'm sure you're going to enjoy being creative, but in a calm way. Great ' home coming' .

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  5. I've been enjoying seeing your creations. Nothing more peaceful than being outdoors and being inspired. I've also decided this past week to unplug from social media. I saw a movie that nearly brought me to tears. It helped me to realize that I can miss out on a lot of great moments if I just put away my phone. I had a blast yesterday at a congregation gathering. I didn't take one picture and I wasn't stressing over my phone. I even got a chance to write a letter to one of my best friends this week. So letter writing, reading actual books and sharing awesome moments with family and friends without tagging or posting. Social media has it's place, but for me, honestly, it got to be exhausting.

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  6. Beverly Wong-KleinjanJune 12, 2017 2:51 pm

    Thank you, my dear friends. <3

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  7. I'm just fantastically happy for you. I understand cutting back and I've been locking down my social media - the next step is to cut usage. I am so happy to hear that you've come home to yourself. I have had a similar epiphany about myself recently and I am always happy and support 100% any efforts of my friends' to be spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy. Big big hugs to you and Rem.

    I am so looking forward to more blog content!

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  8. Also, you are so ridiculously talented and i'm proud to claim you as my friend.

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  9. Beverly Wong-KleinjanJune 13, 2017 8:55 am

    Aw... :touched:
    What a sweet thing to say. Thank you!

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  10. Beverly Wong-KleinjanJune 13, 2017 8:55 am

    Thank you, sweet DiDi. <3

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