January 31 2026, 20:17

Winter refresh

I’m juggling projects and I’m enjoying myself. Over the Christmas break I decided to give in to my nature and do what I want when I want (creatively speaking). I can only do this when I’m relaxed. In the past, trying to live this way, the snake of anxiety always reared its head.

Not this January. Without wanting to tempt fate, something seems to have changed inside me for the better. I want to make things, and I want them to be good, but I’ve stopped worrying about their impact on the world.

I’m working on the novel. I’m still having guitar lessons, and I’ve been challenged to write a song. I’m going to the cinema to see new films, finding new music to listen to, reading new books. I’m cooking new meals. I’m taking photographs when I’m out and about. It’s a new year, I’m not a new me, but I do have a fresh mindset that’s sticking.

It’s always seemed to me that my creative impulses were part of a cohesive whole—an identity that I couldn’t easily label but felt real. I’m experimenting with that identity. No judgement or expectation.

I’m doing what I can to keep my timeline aligned with my true interests. Not bullshit politics or tragedies thousands of miles away I can do nothing about. If I can do something, I will, but I’m refusing the attention black holes.

I’ve stepped back from reading Bluesky and I’m avoiding the news as much as I can. I post a couple of times a day and read the people on my Bluesky ‘good list’. I have a Bluesky alt that follows some small art, horror and ‘demure erotica’ accounts (yes, I made that term up, but it should exist).

Online can be light and fun. My life is lighter and more fun. I’m far more concerned about having a creative life than being seen to be successful in all the usual ways. I’m excited for February.

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