How Being Creative Can Actually Support Your 9-5

                      All too often we hear of the struggles of combining a job you’re passionate about but pays nothing with holding down your 9-5.. Well I’ve actually found that since I started this blog it’s been the opposite and here is a few reasons why..

-         I don’t feel creatively stifled or resentful. This is a big one – you can often feel like you’re going nowhere if you do a mundane office job but if you’re pursuing something you’re passionate about alongside that then you feel like you are making some sort of tracks in the area you hope to eventually get paid work in.

-          I’ve got better at organizing my time. I’ve had to! Otherwise there’s no way anyone can hold down a job and give creative projects the time and attention they deserve. Also when a chunk of your time is spent doing something you love you want to split your time and make sure enough is given to your chosen creative outlet.

-          My work ethic is better. Because you raise your game naturally for something you want to do and are passionate about this for sure rubs off on other areas of your life like actual work and exercise for example. The determination I have has also massively increased in all areas of life!

 So don’t give up on what you really want to do and just focus on the fact that you won’t be in your day job forever as long as you work hard enough and have passion. But in the meantime you may as well make your boss love you whist you’re still there – you may even get a pay rise and you can put it towards pursuing your true calling ;)

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The Relationship Guide to Football – Tackling the Big Divide

                                  Is a frequent argument in your house football versus other plans at the weekend? Then this article can help! Let’s try and break down that barrier and try and decode what the emotional attachment to football really is and why some people get it and some people don’t. I’ve looked into several basic points to try and help you understand how your partner probably feels about the ‘beautiful game’

 

 

1)      The history of the game – this goes for both the legacy of the game itself and the history it has within many families. Everybody has family history or heirlooms or important traditions – football is just another one of these for a lot of people.

 

2)      If your other half is always going off to watch the match try and relate the passion to something you’re passionate about – whether that’s a TV show or something else that you do for yourself on a weekly basis… try and imagine they were trying to stop you doing that! If you don’t have a football equivalent use the time they spend on football to find something you love just as much.

 

3)      Comradery – for a lot of people football could be the only quality time they spend with their mates or certain family members – if your idea of some solid catch up time is a good meal with your closest friends that just think of football as your partners version of that.

 

4)      Your significant other probably has a long attachment to a particular team and their attitude will be ‘football/ my team was here first’. Try and respect the place it has for them in their personal hierarchy in relation to perhaps your relationship with your oldest friend i.e. something that existed before you were a couple and will always be sacred. 

 

5)      Admiration is a big part of it too – some people attach admiration to actors or singers – some it’s footballers. It may not make total sense to you but they genuinely admire the skill of playing the game at the highest level. To them the passing, scoring or saving of the ball is an art form. 

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Guest Post from Kirsty Frampton

                   I explained in my last post how important it is to get inspired by your friends and if you collaborate you’ll truly see how much they can do. Well this could not be more apt in the case of the following post– I reached out to Kirsty to ask her to write for me and I couldn’t be happier with the results so enjoy below and check out Kirsty’s blog on https://crazyladyramblings.wordpress.com/about/

 

We all feel down now and then. Some of us suffer from mental illness, such as depression which makes us feel low. Others are just having a rough patch or a tough day. Either way it’s something every human being experiences and it can be difficult to get yourself out of that mentality, because unfortunately, negativity breeds negativity.

Since being diagnosed with depression two and a half years ago I have spent a lot of time learning how to cope with the illness and feeling low. Here’s a small insight into what I have discovered so far:

·         You are not alone. You will feel like it sometimes, but you would be surprised how many people are going through a similar experience

·         That being said, you and your experience are unique. Hold on to the beautiful fact that there is nobody like you out there. And don’t feel that your experience is less valid than someone else’s, just because the two are different.

·         You’re allowed to have bad days. It is important to try and get yourself out of the hole you are in, but sometimes it is exhausting and we have those days where we just don’t want to do it. That’s totally okay. Stay in bed all day, hide away from the world, be an emotional wreck. Sometimes you need some time to embrace what you are feeling and give yourself a break.

·         It’s so vital to discover what makes you happy. Sit down and write a list of things that bring you true happiness. Keep the list safe and consult it whenever you feel low. Pick something on there and do it. Life can be so hectic and we forget to do the things that bring us unadulterated pleasure. For example, I love to read, but I rarely find time to do it. So sometimes I will clear my schedule and spend a whole day losing myself in one of my favourite books. Or, do something that you really have no excuse to do, but you just don’t do. I love yoga but find it so easy to get out the habit of doing it because I have 101 other things to do every day. So now I make an effort to set aside a mere 20-30 minutes a day to go some yoga in my living room (albeit with my cat climbing all over me as I’m doing the downward dog!).

·         This is perhaps a little obvious and cliché – but look after yourself. Eat healthy food and get some exercise. It really does help. I know better than anyone that this one can be incredibly hard. There is nothing better than devouring a tub of Ben and Jerrys whilst you slob out in front of the tv, but it’s true when they say that a healthy body equals a healthy soul. And no, I’m sad to say that a bottle of wine is not one of your five-a-day, despite the fact it’s made from grapes (sad face)!

These are just a few of my best tips. Everyone is different, so not everything will work for everyone, but what is important is that you find out what works for YOU! And use those things to create the happiness you deserve.

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The Importance of Combining Friends and Creativity

 

     So I’ve just seen the new movie La La Land (OMG so good) and it made me think a lot about the creative process and the path it can take. If you haven’t seen it (it did only come out last week) it’s basically about Mia (played by Emma Stone) trying desperately to make it as an actress despite many knock backs and her constant thoughts that she should grow up, finish her law degree and get a proper job. The other side of the film is about Seb (Played by Ryan Gosling) trying to make a living from his passion for playing jazz. The film highlights several things – the knock backs you face when you put your creative work out there, the struggle to get paid for it, and the importance of people spurring each other on! On this point a central theme is the two main characters constantly supporting each other and reminding each other of the importance of finding and following your passion.

 

 

It feels like sometimes admitting your creative flair is a bit of a taboo – especially if like me you’re known for having a practical job and not being particularly artistic or anything. As with many things in life you need your friends to support you in any creative endeavors (Seriously use the natural flair your friends have for things – they might not even charge you ;) ) and if you collaborate with them you’ll learn more about talents you never even knew they had! So I want to use this blog post to shout out some of my crazy talented friends and how we’ve supported each other.

With that in mind – my friend’s blog is exceptional – I’m going to link it right hereee  http://sashatoyou.blogspot.co.uk/  she’s had one hell of a life and basically is serializing and discussing it so refreshingly and in such an interesting way.. .I thought I knew her backwards but even I’m learning new things…! Because of her I realised I could put my writing out there as well.

Another of my best friends is a graphic genius (responsible for a lot of the layout/graphics you see before you!) She continually supported me to get this blog off the ground and I will be forever grateful! She honestly kept bugging me until I put time aside to properly write because she knew how important it was to me.

Last but not least – I have a friend who is the most incredible artist. Her artistic creativity inspires me more than she realizes particularly as she never loses sight of her pure love for art and music.

So here’s to the friends that inspire you, prop you up when you’re down and are general legends!

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Make Your Addiction You and Your Wellness..

                   Back in the day the word addiction was reserved for drugs or alcohol or people in dependent relationships. Now it’s a different story - we’re at a unique time in life where a large number of millennials are addicted to their devices/social media. This means that we’re embedded with addictive patterns and personalities by default, but there’s nothing to say you can’t use this type of personality for good… If we use these addictive tendencies and turn them on working on ourselves the results could be amazing..

 

 

·         Treat yourself how you would your mum or your best friend. Simply put – want the best for yourself and treat yourself with love, respect and kindness

·         Carve out specific time for yourself to just read or swim or do whatever relaxes you or helps you switch off

·         Realise what you deserve from life and plan how to get it

·         Take your own advice – you wouldn’t tell a friend to stay in a job she hated for example, you wouldn’t think she deserved that, so why do you?

·         Use your commute to your advantage – I wish I’d done this when I had a long commute – but try and read a book or listen to some of your favourite music and zone out.

·         Make your addiction to your phone work for you and support you in organisation or with some mindfulness apps

·         Your diet/exercise matters - again it’s much easier to want a friend to feel great about themselves and I control of what they eat and when they work out – it took me years to want this for myself as well..

Remember – you are worth your own love and time even if it doesn’t always feel that way…

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