It's Driving Me Crazy

The new year has started and I haven't exactly been feeling well. A bad flu and a cold have left me feeling completely out of sorts. My head is full of snot, and my nose feels like a broken tap constantly dripping moisture, driving me crazy. It's not usually warm at this time of year, but now I'm constantly shivering from the cold. Every muscle in my body hurts with the slightest movement. Still, there's no time to stay in bed. In short: I'm trying to do what I can and hoping that I'll get better soon.

Burning Fire

Despite this misery, I started a new pyrography project today. Oddly enough, it felt pretty good to pick up that pyrography pen again. It's been a while since I had nice wood to burn, so it gave me a certain kind of satisfaction that I had really missed. Painting is really fun and creative, but burning... that's a whole different story. There’s something so pure and tangible about making art by burning wood – every line is final, and you can smell the wood changing as you work. There’s something special about it.

Still, after an hour and a half, I really had to stop. My head felt like it was going to burst, and the energy I thought I had had completely evaporated. It’s a shame because I would have liked to have worked longer. But hey, it is what it is. I hope I recover soon and can start to execute my plans for this year.

Ah, Those Plans

Yes, plans, because I have plenty of them! I don’t know about you, we have plenty of plans for this coming year. They’re mostly big projects, new ideas, and things that have been on the shelf for too long… It always feels like a new year is a fresh start, although the flu makes it a bit less fresh now. But I’ll have to deal with that first, everything in its own time, although I don’t have time to wait long to continue with our plans.

One of my goals this year is to spend more time making art, especially pyrography and painting. My partner will be mostly busy with woodturning and all the other types of woodworking he does. We will have to find different types of wood and use techniques to make what we want to make. And then the most exciting part of it all begins, selling. The big question is whether there is a demand for what we are going to make. We hope so, but we have to wait and see. One thing I want to offer in any case is pet portraits, made with pyrography, or with oil paint. But that is not all ... so you see, the plans are there. Now the execution. That has to take shape this year and start generating income. The idea alone makes me excited.

Rhytm!

In addition, I want to create a bit more rhythm in my days. That may sound silly, but if you organize yourself a bit better, you simply get more done. Especially now that I notice how little energy I have during this flu, I see how important it is to plan time for everything that needs to be done, housework, painting, burning, Skipper, blogging. Everything needs to be in balance, right? Now I just have to find that balance.

What are your plans for the new year?

Maybe you have big goals or small wishes that you want to make come true. Or maybe you have one thing that you have wanted to try for a long time but that you never seem to get around to. Share it, I am curious. Maybe it will even inspire me to add some extras to my list.

Seeing Bright Spots

For now, it is mainly a matter of getting better and making the best of what I can do. And even though I had been feeling really bad for a few days, that moment I took up the pyrography pen to start burning the wood, made me happy. It felt like the bright spot of my day, and honestly ... sometimes I saw the bright spots while I was burning. Lol.

So, here I am, with a head full of snot and a body that screams for rest, but secretly a little proud that despite such a flu I did not let it stop me from starting something beautiful today. Let that be the start of a creative and productive year so that at the end of this year I can be proud of myself ... and hopefully not have to worry anymore when an unexpected bill comes in. Hopefully, you stay healthy and we will make it a good year together!