Happy New Year's Eve!!!

Hey guys! I haven't talked to you guys in ages; I've just been caught up with other things and kept forgetting my update for you!

Okay, so where I last left off, it was the beginning of this month. We had a huge snowstorm during finals week, and my last final (the day before last day of finals) was moved so I left college after campus officially closed. It was nice though! I had three finals that day; one was cancelled and another was moved online, so I ended my semester with a 4.0 again. I'm super grateful for good professors and friends this past semester! This was definitely my best semester so far, and I'm excited for my upcoming graphic design classes-- I'll finally be getting into more major specific classes, and I'll have a digital photography class for my minor! 

So I got home on the 12th, and after lots of sleep and hanging out with family and friends, I started to catch up on all the work I've been neglecting these past couple of months. I don't love how I handled contracts and work this past semester. I definitely make school my number one priority, and then friends and mental health comes next, so as you guys recall, I focused on working out and keto a lot in my spare time. I think that realistically, the way I used my time was good, but I shouldn't have made as many commitments as I did if I wasn't able to carry through with them on time. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions since I like to have workable goals that I set for myself whenever I feel the need to, but I'm planning on limiting what's on my plate for this next semester and focusing on delivering on time (New Year's/new semester goal!). 

For my Japan-themed merch, I realized that my initial plan isn't going to work out! :( I've tried so many different thumbnails, concept drawings, and finished paintings/artwork, and I really don't feel inspired to draw Japan-themed ideas! It's definitely because I have absolutely no knowledge of the culture, and for my limited knowledge, I don't think what I've drawn is representative of Japan? That's so difficult to explain, but I don't want to do any sort of cultural appropriation. I finished lineart for Japanese food stickers, and it just wasn't cute! I think that I'd definitely need to be creating kawaii items, and that doesn't work with my style, so I'm revising my plan. Apart from the enamel pin designs that I made (which are super cute), I'm still going to be creating a fun amount of new products for my shop, but they're going to be a different theme (surprise until I finalize my sketches and ideas!). 

Personally speaking, I've been doing pretty well! I haven't been eating keto with the holidays, and I think I've gained weight. I've been trying to work out as much as possible, but it's been sporatic-- I did every day consistently until the 21st, but haven't gone to the gym since. I don't love how I feel since I've stopped working out, but I've either been super busy or tired and haven't gotten to it! I feel bad! I need to get back to it. Friends are good, I'm glad to be back and to see my family and eat yummy breakfasts (breakfast is the one food I really miss when I'm at college), and my bunnies are still really cute. o.o

One art supply I can recommend this month is the Arteza 36 half-pan watercolor set- https://arteza.com/collections/paint/products/watercolor-set-of-36-premium-half-pans-assorted-colors (out of stock at the moment; you can grab a smaller set or check back for when it will come back in stock)- Arteza sent it to me along with their watercolor paper and asked me to post about it on Instagram if I liked it, and I've been using it a lot! I emailed them and asked about lightfastness, but if the rating is good, I think these are some fun and easy to use watercolors. I like them because of how creamy they are, and I enjoy using these more than the Holbein set I received last Christmas. I'm not sponsored to say anything nice about these (I stipulated that I'd state my honest opinion on the watercolors, and I haven't posted about the paper because I honestly hate the texture of it), but if you're looking for some thicker and creamy watercolors, I can recommend them! One thing I will say is that in comparison to the Kuretake Gansai watercolor set, these are not as vibrant and bright as those are. I haven't found western watercolors that compare to gansai paints yet, but these are still pretty bright if not overmixed. 

MOVIES

Silver Linings Playbook is soooo good! I loved this movie, I've watched it two times by now and I recommend it if you're into something crazy and funny. I also watched Instant Family in theaters, and I almost cried a couple of times! I've always been open to adopting in the future if whoever I marry feels the same way, so I really enjoyed this movie and loved seeing both the ups and downs of the adoption process (even if this was just a movie). I also finished New Girl, and I'm super sad that I don't have any more new episodes to watch. I love Winston so much :-(

MUSIC (lots to catch up on, so get ready!)

Ocean- Devon Baldwin

Normal- Sasha Sloan

Better Now- Post Malone

Chateau- Angus & Julia Stone

thank u, next- Ariana Grande

That Way- Xuitcasecity

Bloom- Troye Sivan

Aftertaste (feat. Opia)- Whethan

Passionfruit- A R I Z O N A

Raincoat- Timeflies, SHY Martin

Oceans Away- A R I Z O N A

Freaking Out- A R I Z O N A

Summer Days- A R I Z O N A

Scorpio- Lostboycrow

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!!!!!! Hope 2018 was a time of growth and learning for you, and that 2019 has tons of opportunities, blessings, and good things in store for all of you! I love you guys, and I'm so thankful for one year of your support! HUUUUUUUGGGS!