Post 001: Maintaining Creativity and Motivation in the Middle of a Pandemic

Like all of us, the COVID19 pandemic has changed the way I live my life.  If I plan to leave the house, I now have to think ahead, planning social distancing measures and remembering to wear my mask.  I've been working from home mostly, since the middle of March and this has caused me to create a new routine.  I've been fortunate to not get sick, but I admittedly struggle with the new social dynamics of not seeing my coworkers and the clients that I work with on a face to face basis.  There is so much to be said about non-verbal communication and body language cues that remote platforms and video interviews cannot replace or capture.  I'm optimistic for a "return to normal," however I am also realistic enough to see that the "new normal" is very much a reality.  In this "new normal, new reality," I've taken to blogging. 

Blogging in 2020 is a little surreal.  I'm reminded of my days as a teenager over 15 years ago (seriously, how did that much time go by?!?), starting up xangas and myspaces and the introduction to facebook--just trying to communicate with the outside world and share a little slice of my life.  I remember the awkward backgrounds and profile music that we all had matted to our personal pages.  Life these days however, if a little more laid back and calm.  It is still very hard to stay motivated when not getting out much.

I've completed my fair share of projects through this time.  A big part of maintaining that motivation has been joining a variety of groups on facebook with shared interests and mindsets.  I've gravitated towards self sufficiency, crochet pages, and a few geocaching groups--mostly because there's always a crochet project that I'm working on, the fiance and I geocache when we can, and well...self sufficiency helps everyone.  While I live in a small apartment in town, I've been able to maintain a modest garden, begin some long term food storage, and take steps to making memories rather than spending my hard earned money.  I'm sure in future posts, I will be able to share some of these elements with you.

Another huge element to staying motivated has been my participation in a website called Lettuce Craft which offers a community for craft-minded folks of all specialties to share their ideas and projects.  There are even personal and structured swaps for those who wish to make items for others, in exchange for your own package of goodies.  The community there has been most welcoming.

Other than reaching out to social networking platforms, I'm motivated to take the next steps in my works as a fiber artist.  I've always wanted to make and sell my own patterns.  While this is a long way off from the starting point of today, I'm optimistic that I can climb to that place I'd like to be in the world as a pattern designer.  We will see where the path takes me.  Thanks for joining me as I introduce this new blog to the world.  Diving in!