Happy New Year 2023
Well, I am just about back at it, we have had a lovely break, but I can feel myself starting to think about shoots and meetings again and a travel commission is looming as well, we are off on a skiing holiday to Austria, with Crystal Ski shortly, so need to get organised.
I was very tempted by the new year In/Out list trending on Instagram. I found it a really useful exercise to put them together.
It was quite hard for me to think of things I wanted to stop doing - I am obviously very set in my ways and pretty contented, but digging deep, in the end, found plenty of bad habits that I will be VERY happy to ditch!
In
Reading
Walking
Tennis
Cycling
Swimming
Sketching
Painting
Cooking
Renovating
Diary dates
Family time
Creative work
Out
Procrastinating
Overthinking
Uncertainty
Exhausting schedules
Summer travel - you come to me!
Clutter
Overspending
Overworking
Unclear communication
Not following up great stories
Uncomfortable footwear
Feeling I am too old
My main observation is how badly I obviously want to get fitter.
'Creative work' is quite misleadingly at the end of my 'In' list - I say misleading because I honestly love my work but I have put above it things I need to do to actually do it. Working as a stylist is quite physical, our shoots have a time limit - we can't stay all night, we really need to finish before it gets dark and ideally before any children come home from school. So we have to really focus and in a big house I am honestly running around like mad, arranging flowers, sorting bedding, going back and checking angles once the camera is set up.
Reading is my escape, it is honestly like a drug for me - I get quite anxious sometimes and soothe myself with a good book.
Sketching and painting fuel my creativity and help me think outside the box. Cooking? Well, we all need to eat! Renovating? I so want to get started - diary dates with friends and family time, that is what it is all about for me, I want my house to be ready to welcome you all.
'Procrastinating', 'overthinking' and 'uncertainty' are the enemies of creativity.
Unfortunately they are inevitable if you are a perfectionist and really want to get things right: sometimes you have to just make a total u-turn on a project. However, I am quite hopeful that this stage is behind us and we know what we are doing and we can just get on with it.
'Exhausting schedules', 'summer travel', 'clutter', 'overspending', and 'overworking' are all going to be replaced by a new sense of balance.
Do you remember that advert - 'a Mars a day helps you work rest and play'? Why would a Mars bar help you work rest and play? I certainly will NOT be eating a Mars bar every day but I will try my best and report back.
'Unclear communication' - I am convinced is the root of all family arguments - I won't be having any of those going forward, thank you.
'Not following up on great stories' - definitely a cardinal sin. 'Uncomfortable footwear' - forget it and 'feeling I am too old' - I have been dogged by this for a while now, I have definitely felt that other stylists and journalists are all about 25, or 32. I am sure they are not and so what if they are? Worrying about that is definitely last year!
