Catching up to New Year

November and December were busy. I barely had any time to sit down and collect my thoughts. I celebrated my thirty-second trip around the sun with a delicious cheesecake. Mmm. Am I supposed to be a serious adult by now? xD

Then again, I have been lucky enough to finally have a place (a lovely apartment in the middle of nowhere) I can call my own home now. Most of my energy has gone into piecing it together and figuring out how stuff works. That is about as adult as I probably ever will be! I still can’t believe it! Without my journey in the crypto world, none of it would be possible! I am beyond grateful for everything it has brought!

This winter has been amazing! I get that some people prefer no snow, less trouble with cars, less heating issues, and walking without facepalming on the icy pavement but come on! Nature delivered this time, especially since a few snowless, worrisome winters made me question if there maybe is a new normal.

I haven’t worked on many artsy things since October, but hopefully, soon enough I will be back to it. I am sure the new space also will help my creative spirit spring back to life in no time.

I managed to capture a few glimpses from this time. I invite you to have a look at them below.

_{My yummy birthday cheesecake! They even had some red currants in the wintertime for decoration! ^^}

_{Kitty has been spending more time indoors in the shape of a cuddle ball and keeps melting my heart every time I look over! How did she get so cute? Like, how is it even possible to be that cute?}

_{While winter comes with darkness hard to bear, the snow is one thing that offsets it. The gray, seemingly lifeless world gets covered with a white blanket. The dark shadows become softer and less scary. We even had a white Christmas this time, as the songs and poems tell us!}

My brushes and bottles of ink are patiently waiting for the next great adventure. Last year’s Inktober was a great success. It was also a great battle. I pushed myself harder than I ever had so far. I wanted to complete all 31 prompts, and I did. But it also came at a cost since not only did I create artwork each day in October, I also decided to post about each here on Hive. I would start my days early and would finish them late. Taking photos of finished pieces, writing, editing, posting, and only then I was able to sleep. It was exhausting. It took a toll on my health. There were days when my energy levels were so low I almost gave up. Yet somehow, I pushed through.

Looking back at the pile of my works, I am glad I did. I have forgotten how exhausted I was, how little sleep I had, or how I had back pain, neck pain, and my wrists were hurting. I almost have forgotten the struggles of figuring some of these pieces out. The many failed attempts. The struggles of keeping up with the demanding pace. You see, I always believed I was the type who needed to feel inspired so I could create. But halfway through inspiration, I thought would fall from the sky, came from looking back at the completed work. It might sound narcissistic, but I love my works, and they inspired me to keep making more in the end.

I also believe that completing these works has unlocked something strong within me. I haven’t worked again since, but it is there, and it will come to the surface when called upon.

Will I do this challenge again? If you asked me on day 31, I would say no way in hell! But now? I say maybe I will.

_{I needed time to detach the battle from the final result. To truly see them for what they are! Brilliant if I do say so myself! There is plenty more where these came from, and I hope to share that in the future!}

My brother asked why I did not make NFTs out of them! xD

_{For the Christmas festivities, @lemony-cricket and I decided to make ugly sweaters! Well, I tried. My ugly sweater turned out too pretty, but hey, it had lights and giant bows to distract from that fact!}

_{Kitty approved!}

_{The first Christmas Tree at the new place!}

_{I needed a new desk, and I was determined to find one that could match my old one in character. I was successful! I love it! It is an oak tree desk made by a small, local company. It was delivered to me by the guy who made it. It even has a guardian angel! How’s that for a character?! Do you see it in the photo down below?}

_{The mulled wine yumminess!}

Now, I don’t know what this New Year will bring, but every day I have before me, I am determined to better myself, to learn, and enjoy the experience of being a thinking and breathing creature on this planet of ours. I hope you have a Happy New Year too!