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Fun Friday: Professional Development as Part of My Routine

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It is Friday again, and lots has happened to my loved ones this week that has affected me a bit. I am separated from the situations since I am far away, but I have engaged in phone support while waiting to hear if I will be called for jury duty here at home. As I wrote about yesterday, I am struggling with the change of routine that I have now. I am trying to figure out how I am going to work both here at home and outside of my home. One of the things that I want to get into doing is professional development on a daily basis. I am a member of Skillshare, so there are many courses available to me, but I have to actually open them up and do the work. I have also signed up for a consulting class that I need to start because my access goes away in four months, and it cost lots of money. I am trying to figure out how to get into the course right now because I only have four months left!! I am trying to get back into a routine that makes sense for me. This has been the most difficult part of...
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Thoughtful Thursday: Thinking Deeply

I tend to live inside my head much of the time, and that habit is becoming stronger as I am spending more time by myself. I tried to get outside and around people yesterday, but my body had different ideas and forced me home after I finished dropping off my library books. I did not manage to get more, so I will work on my To Be Read (TBR) pile once I finish up the three library books that I have left. I have plenty of books to read, so I am never without some sort of reading to do, but I intended on getting more library books yesterday and was very distressed when I didn't finish that errand. Add to all that things happening away from me in my family, and I did not get much work done. I did finish an application for another CMTE opportunity, and then I sat and arranged my work notebook - this is a binder where I track my small business stuff. I put old CBMT information into one section and moved my current information to the upcoming events/ongoing projects tab. I need another set ...
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TME Tuesday: Ways to Get Out of a Composing Block

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I enjoy composing music. Most of my music is for clinical application, so the songs tend to be simplistic in nature rather than complex or orchestrated. I have lots of repetition, simple sentences, and goal orientations in my pieces, but I still love writing songs. There are times, though, when I am unable to get my brain going to compose things. This usually leads me into a bit of a spiral and causes more stress than I really need, but one of the good things about being a vintage music therapist is that I know several things will happen: Creative blocks happen. They will end when they end. It is okay to take a break from composing when the ideas seem forced. There are ways to compose things when your brain will not work the way you want it to. Not every song you compose has to be wonderful or even relevant. Sometimes, just getting a song out of you is the way to unblock your creativity. So, how do I get out of a composing block? I have several different ways to help me write songs whe...
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Make It Monday: After the Crop

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It is Monday, and I am feeling my weekend. You wouldn't think that 13 hours of sitting and making things with paper would wreak havoc on a body, but it does. Also, the change in medication regimen has something to do with this, I am sure. I crashed hard this morning and did not want to get up at all. I have also not been eating well, so there are lots of things happening, but this weekend just coalesced everything into one big energy reset. Boy, I am just one big complaint this morning. Time to reset. I enjoyed my time making things with paper this weekend. I worked on my themed journals on Friday evening, and I putzed around with brainstorming as well as some other paper projects and Zentangling on Saturday. I made lots of plans on Saturday, and I have started to work through those projects.  I am working on passion projects right now. These are things that do not provide me with much financial benefit but that really make me feel satisfied. If I can get some financial support thr...
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Just A Song Sunday: Finding Something Newish

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This was a pretty musical week for me. I went to see the movie of Hadestown on Monday, and Wait for Me has been in my head since. It was familiar to me when I heard it, but I am not sure how or why it felt so known to me. Now it is an earworm, and I am trying to exorcise it a bit. I spent yesterday at my paper craft crop working on upcoming projects. This was a good choice and a good environment for thinking about products that I want to make for my fellow music therapists. I kept finding new ideas when surrounded by my favorite things, and Jackie (the person who I craft with just by happenstance) was there being quietly supportive. She is very interested in my junk journals, and always asks about them, so it was nice to spend some time just in her company and in the company of new folks. I am starting to recognize faces at these weekends. Anyway... I now have 18 things on my to-do list for today, and I am hoping to put a dent in each of the tasks. Boy, oh boy, do I have plans. Th...
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Saturday Slump - Mid-Crop, So It's to Be Expected, But...

I am exhausted today. I spent so much time yesterday getting ready for the crop night, and then I was able to stay for 5 hours before having to leave. That meant that my medication schedule was messed with, so I finally got up at 7:45 after a brief time up to use the bathroom. I am still slow, and I am just trying to figure out what I am going to work on when I am at the crop later this morning. I am feeling like making file folders and games is a good use of my time today. That, of course, means an entire different type of materials to lug to the store. I brought half of the things that I used last night back home with me, so I can switch things out pretty easily. I figured out the name of my crop buddy - Jackie! She was prepping some more paper dolls to color (which I LOVE watching), and we crafted in comfortable silence. I am also seeing other familiar faces which is great. I signed up for two of the next three crops - I'm skipping September so I can go on a trip at some point d...
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Fun Friday: Time to Play with Paper

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Tonight there will be two things happening in my life - a crop night and checking to see if I report for jury duty on Monday or if I have to wait until another time in the next two weeks. If you are not part of the paper crafting community, first of all, I'm sorry because this is a community that I am working on being a part of in my current town. I write lots about making books and decorating books and doing paper crafts because these things are how I relax in ways that are not music related. So, getting a chance to play with paper is one way I indulge in self care, and the opportunity starts tonight! I am starting to get to know people in this community which makes me feel pretty happy. There is one woman who is quiet, much like me, comes alone, just like me, and who colors the most amazing paperdolls. In the last crop weekend, she coordinated color theory cards to use during an event about 4 hours away. I have spent time crafting next to her, and she brought me two pads of paper...
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