I wrote this post back in June. It has been a good three years since I wrote Vol. 2 in this series and I thought the timing, as coincidental as it was, was kinda fateful as well. Around that time I was struggling to write, to come up with and stick to my ideas, to focus on putting words on paper.
I never posted this post while things with writing got worse.
I had a writing spree a couple of weeks in July and then, when August came, every and any creative thought inside my head died a tragic death under the high temperatures of Athens and the anticipation of our long-awaited vacation. After said vacation, I made the executive decision that no plans for writing during August will ever be made again, whatsoever.
Thus, this post is a bit different and a bit like the original one. It certainly isn’t June anymore, and I’m not still inside this empty well of ideas that used to be my head, so I don’t feel I have to use this post as a justification to not feel guilty for not writing. But also, the main core of it: that having fun outside writing will actually help the creative process, hasn’t changed.
This is how embroidery came in play. My spouse started embroidery some months ago and with him I thought to dip my toes in that childhood skill that I forgot as soon as I had the opportunity. Turns out, when you don’t have to do very traditional (and outdated) flowers for that very traditional (and completely outdated) pillow, embroidery can be fun.
I, also, started playing Stardew Valley. I’m not much of a gamer (as in, I don’t have any eye-to-hand coordination to save my life) so slow games like this are my jam. They are also very, very, very addictive. Thankfully, I didn’t neglect my real life plants for my in-game ones. Stardew Valley soon became a much needed break that helps clear my head and go back to working in a better mood.
Now sometimes, one can definitely merge those two interests.
Could this post be summed up in “Take up a hobby and don’t look at the blank page until your eyes bleed”? Yes, I think it could. So there. Take up a hobby. Be it around the house or outside. Mostly though, have fun ’cause life is short.