Creating
I did the classic tech thing of thinking I was turning something on, when in fact I turned it off.
So I recorded a video in two parts. One of which has stabilisation switched off 🤦♀️
Sometimes it’s enough to able to say
“It might not be good, it might not be bad, but I created something. And thank god I didn’t fuck it up”
✏️
I wrote that poem-ish post entirely in my phone browser. I started last week, but then PAPERWORK 👻 took over my life. So I pulled up the draft and added bits, tidied bits, a photo from my iCloud library, and published before I could get overly self-critical, and fuck it up. Pika 👍
Blog post (my first on Pika): Good enough for me — I want to get a bit more focused and less distracted by the shiny toys and freedom to completely mess up a thing I don’t understand ✏️
I’m trying out Pika and may partially switch my blogging to it. I will not be leaving Micro.blog, I really like the community. First post incoming soon..
I’m pleased to have got round to writing a new arty letter for my Fresh blog. It’s scheduled to send by email in a few hours..
My iPad makes such a good second screen for my MacBook. It’s a better screen for photo editing. In Lightroom I can display images in full screen. But I found that this setup is not compatible with the Magnet app (for window positioning). Exiting Magnet whilst in LR fixes a lot of weirdness.
Updating categories on aeryn.me - RSS feed updates
Just a heads up for anyone following this blog by RSS. I’m updating and changing, deleting, and re-organising categories on this blog. Which will affect Category RSS feeds. These may break. I’ve already put in some redirects but maybe I missed, or messed some up. Or will do, as this will be ongoing for a little while.
The only feed that is definitely safe is the main site feed, here:
I had a great time in art group today. Just me and one other person had the whole room to ourselves.
I’m slowly getting into the groove of feeling free to make marks with no expectations. Just to play with materials and express however I want is a wonderful thing.
I slept for 3 hours when I got home
a zero sum game?
I’ve been experiencing a bit of a mental/emotional breakdown over the last few days. It’s been rough. And I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflection. Not deliberately, but it think it’s just part of it.
Parallel to this I finally came to the decision that I would go back onto antidepressants after seven years being off them. Day one has been very groggy so far.
I also realised I am spending far too much time and energy consuming the opinions and views of others, whilst partially abandoning my own truth and my self.
I really want to talk about this stuff a lot more. It’s super important. And maybe I will.
In the meantime I will be withdrawing somewhat from the current social media paradigm (again). Even from the wholesomeness of the Micro.blog timeline.
I don’t know what this will look like for me. But I need to address the balance of consuming and creating. And I fear that social media – no matter how wholesome – is an absolute dead weight in that equation. For me at least. As if trying to find balance is a futile exercise. A kind of zero sum game where the entire Internet always wins just because I took part in it.
What I love about the internet doesn’t have much to do with social media at all. I really enjoy reading blogs about people’s lives: their struggles and triumphs; their art; moments in their day; all that stuff. I enjoy interacting with them in my RSS feeds or email subscriptions. I love to reply and chat, or just offer empathy, a word of support about whatever it is.
Anyway.
I’m going to continue to post my work to these three blogs that I have (below). But I’m not sure how much of it I will share to social timelines (Micro.blog and Bluesky) any longer. Or how active I will be generally.
Maybe this is just a little break and I will ease myself back in later.
Thanks for reading,
Aeryn
My blogs-
- aeryn.me - mostly short form posts; thoughts; snaps and clips from my day
- Art Journal
- Being Me - longer posts, blogs, podcasts about mental health; healing; spirituality; woo woo
RSS feeds and email newsletters can be found on those sites.
Over, and out.
I’m really enjoying journaling recently. I find it’s helping me create a personal and private space for me to share – with myself.
I have a couple of nice LAMY Safari fountain pens filled with black Atramentis Document ink. It’s a really nice combination to write, or draw with.
My next journal is going to be a Midori. I’m trying something a bit different from my usual Moleskine.
I love the feeling of writing by hand with these tools. It helps me feel grounded through the writing.
I still like to hand-write on my iPad, and I’m not going to stop, but there’s nothing quite like creating, building, and adding to a tangible, physical object, book, or notepad.
Isn’t ironic, don’t you think?
Trying to publish some art on my art journal after a long time of feeling unable to share my creative works. And I hit a bug on my Micro.blog account preventing me from posting. 🤷♀️
Music group was good. I practiced some cords on guitar. I’m still a complete noob but someone was saying I play beautifully 🤷♀️. I am a naturally dexterous person so I feel it’s something I could learn.
I feel this kinda deep ache inside me to play guitar and keyboard.
I have numb fingertips now.
It’s been a while since I last tended to my Micro.blog sites. I have a few broken links and other things I want to fix. But also, I’m kinda content with the messiness.
I’m still getting an arty journal going (journal.aeryn.art), I set it up a while back and then immediately abandoned it.
Having just experienced a minor heat wave for the last few days, I’m really enjoying the rain outside and the feeling of freshness that it’s bringing through my open windows.
I’m drinking freshly ground black coffee and writing in my journal and creating a blog post.
It feels cozy. ☕️✍️
I’ve been deep in my Lightroom catalog tonight. It’s hard work and tedious sorting through all these files. But I am making headway.
I don’t need AI to do any creating for me, but I would love it to help me sort through and categorise my art work.
I’ve been learning new digital art making techniques on the iPad. It’s a lot of fun.
Today I was interrupted by my washing machine needing its drain unblocking. It was very yucky.
I’ve been feeling crazy recently. Don’t know what’s going on tbh. Making art helps.
Today, I’ve been setting up yet another site. This one on Micro.blog. Which I’ll begin using soon and posting to the timeline too.
I’m thinking I’ve got enough for now. 😉
So I now have three on M.b, one on Blot, one on PencilBooth, and three on Carrd. Plus one for my Mum on Carrd.
I started an arty blog newsletter a few weeks back. I’m really enjoying it and I think it’s going well. It’s helping me have a relationship with my own art.
Next one is out tonight hopefully. Email readers get a few behind-the-scenes bonuses. It’s all just for fun and completely free.