Tag: growth

Fourth Anniversary, a Little Late

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This has been a strange year. On my website, I tried out youtube videos and illustrating some family recipes and blog posts. I continued with comics and short stories, too. I also took my first vacation from my website, and it went longer than I expected.

I think it’s easy to fill up time. There are so many good things to do and interesting things to learn. It can be difficult to make time for practicing something that I’m not so good at and sharing the results. But it’s time for me to return to regularly posting.

When my computer died and took with it the two novels I had been working on, I lost a lot of motivation. I did a lot of journaling, but not as much writing. I started writing again recently, but I think I’m a bit out of practice. So, at some point, hopefully soon, I will be posting little stories here again.

For now, as I work at rebuilding my posting habits, I will post comic strips twice a week and post whatever I want on Saturdays.

So there we are, my look back at the past year and forward to the next. For those who still check back in, thank you so much for your support, your encouragement, and your patience. I hope this next year will be one of improvement, learning, growth, accomplishment, creativity, and delight for us all. Please let me know about your creative goals so that I can cheer you on as well!

Warmest wishes,

Summer Bird

Challenging Myself

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I think I see the most growth when I attempt to do something difficult. I don’t want it to be too difficult, because then it’s just frustrating and I avoid it. But something that makes me stretch just a bit, especially if it’s something that I can do consistently over a period of time, is wonderful for helping me improve.

Challenges can come from many different places. Sometimes I pick the challenge, as I do with what I post on this website, or the resolutions and goals I set for myself. Other times I am given a challenge by someone else, such as a request for a drawing or an article for a newsletter. And sometimes I join in on someone else’s challenge, such as Nanowrimo or Inktober.

All are valuable learning experiences. The last type is especially fun, because then you can compare notes with other people doing the same thing. This is my first year joining in on Inktober, and I’ve really enjoyed seeing how other people interpret the prompts. (See here for rules/prompts: https://inktober.com/rules) An extra challenge with joining in with others can be to keep going if the people you are working with stop.

Inktober Work

I usually try to seek out challenges in areas where I need growth. But, opportunities to grow often come unexpectedly. The trick is to enjoy them and keep going as much as possible. It’s also important to recognize the times when it’s too much and you need to edit your list and do less.

Life can be a balancing act. Sometimes things are really hard, and sometimes it’s not so bad. Growth is like that too. I just tell myself to do my best during the hard times, and whatever I can do is good enough. I think that’s when I grow the most.

Do you try to challenge yourself by setting goals and resolutions? Have you been given challenges by other people? Have you joined in on a challenge? What was your experience?