Monday, February 4, 2013

100 Miles of . . . Creativity?

February of 2012 I began my journey to get more healthy.  I started running and doing other workouts, I ran two marathons and two half-marathons.  I tried crossfit and got much better at yoga.  I tried being both a vegan and a paleo person.   I was committed to putting in the miles, learning how to cook new things and redifining what being healthy means to me.  I learned the need for moderation when it comes to an approach to a healthy lifestyle.  Being vegan or paleo were both too restrictive for me, but what they did made me realize is that a diet based mostly of veggies and fruits is the healthiest one for me, with some meat, grains and dairy as well. 

This year I want to continue to eat healthy and continue working out on a daily basis, but I don't want it to be my main obsession.  Paul and I are going to try a triathlon this summer for the very first time and I'm planning on running the Rome Marathon with my dad on March 17th.  I'm putting my plans for an ultramarathon on the backburner, due to some overtraining injuries.  Plus, what's the fun of running an ultra alone?  Dad - I'm looking at you for finishing Leadville 2014!  So I suppose I'll be redifining the 100 Mile Bunny title for now, as this year I want to apply the same kind of dedication to something else in my life that desparately needs some attention:  Creativity.  

I did some acting in high school, but that's a hard outlet to do on your own.  Not much fun just standing in your living room and doing monologues alone.  I've also found that doing a play as an adult takes quite the time commitment.  In all of the more classic creative pursuits I've always felt years and years behind the rest of the people that I know.  My friends do such amazing creative things that I feel like there's no hope for me.  However, I'm starting to realize that finding a creative outlet will bring another dimension of fulfillment to my life, and I want that.  I'm pretty sure I'm not going to make any money or a career out of a creative pursuit any time soon, but I want it for myself.  Even if I'm the only one that ever sees my work, I want to feel like I tried to make the world more beautiful in some way.  I don't want it 20 years from now, I want to find it now!  I figure the only way to find it is to start trying. 

I really don't think I can be the only one out there who has this problem, but I wasn't able to find any examples of someone struggling through drawing stick figures.  I feel like all of the rest of you just had some great talent when you were born and just stuck with it until now to become the amazing photographers, writers, painters, musicians, filmmakers etc. that you are today.  This is probably ridiculous as any skill takes a long time to hone. 

I've always felt that I've had too many interests and not enough talent and am forever whining to myself (and maybe Paul) about how I don't have a creative outlet.  So yesterday I wrote down all of my favorite mediums and found that the list was a lot shorter than I thought it would be:

Art (sketching, painting, pastel)
Photography (I kind of extra like subject photography)
Acoustic Music (Oh man, I'm going to actually have to learn how to play the guitar a bit this time)
Podcast/Radio story telling (think TAL, Radiolab and 99% invisible)
Fiction Writing
Handmaking something (Either to sell on Etsy or give out as gifts)

These are all of my favorite things in the world.  These are the things that make life special.  I am honestly terrible at all of these things.  Let me be clear - I don't think I have a secret, innate hidden talent that will spectacularly reveal itself in a moment of genius the first time I pick up a paintbrush, but I want to try.  I want to try to find something that I like so much that I don't care that my work is crap for the next however many years.  So here is my commitment for the year:  I will try each of these things for two months.  I will give them a good, solid, honest try and will post my progress (I'm sure hilarity will ensue) as I go.  So anyone out there who ever wanted to get lost while painting but shuddered with disgust at their childlike drawings of houses, flowers and stick figures, this is for you. 

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Châtel, France


On our way into Switzerland.
Another week of snowboarding in the Alps!  How lucky are we?!  We headed up to the the alps with the Bells, the Gateleys, the Sheys' and the younger Sheys'.  It was a week of continued learning how to board (with another crazy traverse to Switzerland), lots of poker, lots of fondue and otherwise melted cheese, and Jacuzzi time.  
Amazing fondue at the most random shack about halfway back on our traverse back to France.