I am a 64-year-old retired junior high school teacher from the North American South (don't judge!) whose life is going to change radically this year, in many good ways. If you are interested in travel, living abroad and adopting an expat life, exploring new places, learning about and participating in new cultures, and challenging yourself beyond what you've ever thought you were capable of, then you may be interested in this.
My life in 2017 promises to be full of exciting new experiences, from traveling to South Korea to visit my English-teacher son, to having some surgery (hysterectomy) to deal with a little cancer situation I did not see coming until two weeks ago, to moving to Ecuador about mid-year! I also am exploring new ways to get my art out into the world. More about that later.
After several halted attempts to get this blog up and running, I am trying again - partially because many people who know of my plans to move abroad are interested in the process, and partially because I hope my experiences will be helpful to others who may decide to make a permanent change of scenery themselves! I have been helped by the blogs and videos of quite a few other explorers, and this is one way I want to thank them, by paying it forward. My plan is to post at least once a month; and if I see that I can, maybe more often.
One of the ways I find creative joy - and also cope with life - is through journaling: both writing and art-making, often combining the two. Also, as much as I love technology, I still like to have my "paper brain" to carry with me to write out info I need, so I usually have some kind of "everyday carry" planner in my bag. I have tried all sorts, from Midori to Hobonichi Techo to Field Notes to Moleskines to random little notepads - I've run the gamut. This year's purse size planner is a Hobonichi Techo. And parts of my new journaling technique will show up there.
This new-to-me technique, developed by Teresa Robinson, is called the Right Brain Planner. Of course, that really appeals to my artsy side! Her web page www.rightbrainplanner.com shows the ways and means to participate in this, and I encourage you to check it out!
Yesterday, Teresa and some other artists hosted an online New Year's Eve party on Instagram so that people who were interested could work in their Right Brain Planners and share pictures of how they were doing it, discussing ideas and inspiring each other. It was a wonderful event! And I had been really looking forward to it!
However, as people started posting their work and ideas, I could not seem to get started. I was finally able to break through the block late yesterday evening, and posted this on my Instagram:
#nyeartparty2017
“Discovered that I could not focus on 2017 yet when the pre-party got underway this afternoon. Had to deal with some 2015 and 2016 still hanging on. These past two years have been incredibly difficult for me due to a long-term stint of caring for my mother that got progressively more difficult until her death in mid-August, 2015. Following that there were multiple issues relating to her estate and my own home, all of which were finally resolved only this past Tuesday! So, although I've journaled about most of this all along, I apparently just was not done. These two "mop-up" sheets of card stock suddenly seemed to illustrate very well how these last two years felt. After some additional journaling on the yellow pieces (partially covered, bottom pic), I feel that I can fully greet 2017 now with anticipation and joy. And it's a very liberating feeling! Once again, art heals!”
I hope your new year is full of joy, wonder, and confidence in yourself that you can handle the challenges that will be inevitable. That's what I'll be working on, too.
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