45 Ways to Make Your Life Better. Every so often it pays to stop and take stock of how your life is going. Some days (or years) aren’t going to be as good as others, and a lot of the time there won’t be anything you can do about it. Sickness happens, jobs are lost, the world is a mess– there will always be things out of your control that affect you in a negative way. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make your life a little better, no matter what else is going on. Some of these suggestions are small things you can do, some take more effort. Find a hobby: I read somewhere recently that people don’t have hobbies anymore, which is a shame because hobbies are fun (and sometimes you get a new sweater out of it). 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9, Pay attention: Also known as being in the moment. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24: Stop dieting: Diets don’t work. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45.
Are you already doing these? Cheers, Aspasía S. 6 Easy Ways to Support Creatives (and Why You Should) Life is a struggle now for just about everyone, but if you’re in a creative field (art, writing, music, photography…) things are especially bleak. Trying to get your voice heard in a sea of noise is difficult enough, but now we have to compete with AI too (not only that, but AI steals everything from actual creative humans, and lets anyone use it without credit or payment). It’s disheartening, demotivating, depressing. Creatives are getting discouraged, wondering if there’s any point anymore to pouring their souls into work few notice or care about. What happens when the people who make all the art and stories and music stop? Luckily, there’s a lot we can all do to help.
Buy Their Work: Probably the most obvious one on the list. Feel free to share this infographic (and this post). Please consider getting my books: Love Lies Bleeding: A novel about delusion, obsession, and blood. Bleeding Heart: Bleeding Heart is a dark fantasy novel about nightmares, illusions, control, and revenge. Cheers, §. Another tag snagged from the lovely blog A.M. Molvik’s Ramblings If you’ve ever wondered about what it’s like to be a writer (or what I do), this post is for you. 1. What type of writing do you do? Over the years I’ve written pretty much everything, from magazine articles to poetry to blog posts to novels. If I had to choose only one type, though, it would be novels. I have a lot of stories inside me, waiting to come to life. 2.
My writing is a mix of literary fiction, gothic fiction, and fantasy, with hints of horror and magical realism. 3. I started when I was about six and never really stopped (although there were a few long breaks). 4. Yes! 5. The first story I wrote (when I was around six) was a tale of woe about a flower that doomed anyone (in this case, Mary, Queen of Scots, although I have no idea how I knew about her) who picked it. 6.
I don’t feel I have much of a choice. 7. You find time for the things that are important to you. 8. 9. 10. Silence. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 19. Going Solo: Alone Time & Creativity. According to a BBC article, recent research has confirmed that alone time is good for your concentration, health, and creativity. Is anyone else not remotely surprised? Any introvert can tell you that spending time on your own is a necessity, particularly when it comes to creative pursuits. As much as I enjoy spending time with friends, I seem to never be able to get any writing done when I do. Even if it’s only for a couple of hours, socializing drains me, leaving no energy to think, let alone create. I’m not advocating for isolation (unless that’s your thing), but the more time I spend being social, the more appealing the hermit lifestyle starts to look.
I’m always a little skeptical of people in creative fields who are extroverts. I’m still trying to find a balance between spending time with the people I care about and getting the necessary solitude I need to create. Support your local creative introvert-– download my books (links below)! Cheers, Aspasía S.
Get My Books: Bleeding Heart. 10 Ways to Get Your Creativity Flowing. Everyone has times when they need to be creative (even those of you who swear you were born without the creativity gene). Whether you’re trying to turn random ingredients into dinner, or are writing an epic novel, creativity is part of life. But there are times when the creative energy seems to burn out and your perspective on your current project has gone stale. If you need help getting the inspiration flowing again, here are ten things you can try to renew your creativity… Don’t Force It: No matter how often people claim to work best under pressure, stress doesn’t produce quality results. Unless you’re aiming for quantity rather than quality, trash those arbitrary goals (1000 words every day!) , take a deep breath, and relax. Don’t be afraid to walk away for a bit (whether it’s for a five-minute break, an hour-long nap, or to start a new project entirely), if you need to.
Try Something New: When your comfort zone feels tapped out, it can help to look for inspiration elsewhere. Cheers,