SHIT TO THINK ABOUT
A little late on the new year, new me train but this week was my first week back in studio and I really wanted to take the start of a new year to re-focus and reflect on how I felt about 2016, to move forward onto 2017. I am not really for resolutions and instead just wrote down shit to think about this year. These are a list of questions that I will be keeping close this year, to constantly re-evaluate my decisions and gain focus.
As always, I like to share my thoughts so here they are..
DOES IT FEEL GOOD
This one really applies to most areas of my life but my main focus when writing this one down was business choices & consumption. I want to make sure that this will stick in my head even when making purchases this year. For example, I may tend to buy items out of lust but instead I really need to think, why am I lusting over this? Is it because of advertising or will it really make me feel good (for more than the day I buy it) This will also apply to the work I take on this year. Sometimes I will get a gut feeling about a client that ends up making some weeks really tough, I need to listen more to that gut and if it doesn't feel good from the start, it probably won't get better.
ARE YOU INFORMED
This question is mainly referring to the media that I consume. With algorithms and click bait I really want to watch the information that I am consuming this year and make sure it is evoking critical thinking. This also relates to my desire to read more through out 2017.
WHAT ARE YOU CONSUMING
Again, this one can be taken across into so many aspects of my life. Food, Materialistic Objects, Waste, Information, Social Media. The main one though that brought this question into this year was Social Media. I believe that you are a product of your surroundings so I really want to keep in check what I am surrounding myself with visually. I do think that mentally, social media has a large impact so this question is really to keep that in check.
artwork by Jasmine Dowling
HAVE YOU BEEN OUTSIDE
This sounds way better than 'do more exercise.' And for me it isn't really about that. I spend all day at least 5 days a week inside in my studio as even my meetings are over the phone or email. This can take a toll on a person. So this question really just prompts me to leave the house/studio, even if just for an hour. It gets me moving and really re-energises me.
HOW ARE YOU RELAXING
This question is really to do with time. I am as busy as the next person running an online store, blogging, running a pretty active social media account & creating content, artwork and design for brands. But I do take time out from that to 'relax' but this question is more to keep in mind how I am relaxing. Sitting on my phone or on the computer is not truly relaxing when you can be reached whether it be via email or just comments & messages. I would like to keep that in mind this year to spend that time 'relaxing' doing other activites that don't even touch 'work'
WHAT ARE YOU SAYING & DOES IT MATTER
This is different to giving a fuck. This is more about the purpose behind my actions. Why am I doing this? What is my reason behind doing this? Does this help someone else? etc. You get the drift.
DO YOU GIVE A FUCK
I have come to the point in my life where I have realised, I am not cool. I worry, a lot. There are quite a lot of aspects of my life that I can not give a fuck about proudly but there are others that I let get to me and find it really hard to let it go. A few things I held onto a lot of 2016, that I let get to me but in the end they really didn't need to. I didn't really care, they didn't affect me in the long run, so why did I spend my time and energy giving a fuck?
Let me know if you have any resolutions or shit to think about this year in the comments..
j x