Changing perspectives

Yesterday, I was talking about the twists and turns of my life, most of which were accidental. Still, the accidental twists and turns made me who I am. That even includes forgetting my key at the most inopportune times. As time wore on and I wasn’t realizing my plans, I became more bitter and more angry, sort of like a badly made cup of coffee. The only problem is that I don’t like coffee because it’s too bitter for me. I made up my mind that I didn’t want to look in the mirror and see someone that reminds me of a distasteful beverage. I preferred to be tea than coffee. I always add both honey and lemon juice to my tea. The sour and the sweet complimenting each other joyfully, not bitterly. To do that, I needed to adjust my attitude. For sure, that shift in perspective is a work in progress. It’s because shifting your perspective on life in general tends to be as slow and as unwieldy as turning a battleship.

And the perspective shift is just part of looking into the future of my blog. Perspective also happens to be the prompt for day 33 of the Daisy Yellow Index Card a Day challenge. Sometimes, prompts work like that. They just fit together.

And just like prompts happening, life does, too, whether or not the plans work out. It’s also okay to acknowledge that there was loss involved with the unrealized plans. It’s okay to mourn the plans that failed but not to the point at which you do nothing but mourn. And, definitely, life was happening when I made the decision to reinvent myself. I put my efforts into learning how to draw and paint, as well as into trying, through speech-language therapy, to mitigate the often unpleasant effects of auditory processing disorder. Unfortunately, the strategies that I learned in my therapy failed during the COVID-19 lockdown. But, at least, I know when I’m overstimulated and when it’s time to leave an overwhelming sensory experience. So there is that. I have learned how to take care of my sensory needs and to advocate for myself. It’s not a total loss.

In other areas, I have gained, and this is what is going to propel me into the future. And it really did happen by accident. One day, a friend invited me to go on a boat ride with him. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun to take a bear with me and to photograph the bear as if it were on a boating adventure?” Later on, I got the idea of using some of those photographs as reference photos for paintings and drawings. Before long, the bears had names and stories. I did not expect this to happen. But it happened because I allowed myself to take a leap of faith and I allowed myself to be willing to try difficult things, such as perspective drawing, knowing fully well that disaster was always a possibility. By giving myself permission to fail, I also helped myself to grow.

And now, it’s time to talk about the future of the blog.What comes next. The place where I want to take my blog and my readers.

The momentum builds, and it’s time for a….

drumroll!!!

This is my direction… this is my future!!!!! Ready? Go!

By the time the Ultimate Blogging Challenge has ended, I will have done some sort of artwork every day for 161 days! I’ve created characters, settings, and even a storyline or two. I want to keep the momentum going, and there is no better time than now (or in the beginning of August) for that to happen. It will be time to take the next step, which is to…

write and illustrate a picture book!

Do I expect it to be published? Do I expect to be famous? Haha, no. It’s an adventure, an experience. It’s the journey that counts. Anything more is just frosting on the cake, a sweet bonus.

What are some hopes that you have for your blog?