Pia shares Her Dark Half - Issue #3

My tips and a nudge to embrace your artistic (dark?) side

It's Fridayyy! The 13th!

Are you superstitious? What do you do to protect yourself on this supposedly doom-laden day? Personally, it's my lucky day 'cause I was born on a 13th...(that might explain a lot, too...)

Anyhoo...

You're still here, yay! Thank you for not un-subscribing after my previous edition!

So, how did it go? Did you start a daily doodle routine?

If yes, good for you! How do you feel about it? Keep it up and you'll see yourself evolve artistically, I promise! If not, it's not too late to start!

What's the deal with the daily doodle?

I touched on the 'challenge' in my last newsletter and wanted to expand on it today. Back in 2014, I hit a dead end, artistically. I felt I was getting nowhere and just didn't feel that 'creative' spark, at all. It really bothered me, gnawed at me constantly; and I was wondering how to get 'it' back. I had just attended a 'Tool' rock concert and was so blown away by the show that I looked up the band members online afterwards and found out that they are creatively active in much more than 'just' making music. All of them are successful in various other artistic endeavors and it drove me crazy trying to figure out how they could pull it off, how they found the time and focus! I felt even smaller than I did before.

I brought it up to my husband, who happened to read the book "The One Thing" by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan at the time. He handed it to me and said, "Read it. This is perfect for you right now." 

I'm not getting paid to endorse this book, but I'm telling you...it had a major impact on my life and still does - in the best possible way. I did not expect that from a guy who runs a real-estate empire. Whaaat?

Basically, the book is about building success by gaining discipline through habit, not willpower. It challenges the whole idea of multitasking and that everything is equally important. You focus on one thing at a time.

Here's a great short video that explains it a little better:

So, I did just that. I decided to start a habit of doing something creative - mostly drawing, doodling or painting, every day for at least ten minutes, for 66 days - if I felt like it or not. NO EXCUSES! Why 66 days? Because according to a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology in 2009, it takes 18 to 254 days for somebody to form a new habit. Apparently, on average, it takes 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.

I realized it would be a challenge, but after quitting smoking cold turkey a few years before, I knew I was stubborn enough to pull it off. Tell me I can't do a thing and I'll prove you wrong! That's just rebellious, adolescent Pia still lurking in me.

Once you put your mind to it, it's really not that hard. It also helps to be prepared. A little tip: Keep a little notepad, pencil and eraser in your purse or in the car so you can always doodle on the go if necessary! That way, when you're stuck in the Starbucks line from hell, or envisioning your own personal hell while sitting in the dentist's waiting room, you can now express that angst and fury on paper!

The doodle above (huge Guillermo del Toro fan here) happened early morning in my hotel room at WonderCon while waiting for my con buddy. What I'm saying is, there's always a way to find the time.

Why bother making doodling a habit? Here's a great quote that really nails it:

Are you still on the fence? Here's another bonus: you can listen to your favorite murder podcast while doodling! It's like killing two birds with one stone, hehe... I mean...win win!

Next newsletter, I'll dive a little more into why it's ok to embrace your 'dark' side and not be freaked out by it. Maybe it'll lead you to some ideas for your own greeting cards!

https://www.zazzle.com/collections/dark_greetings-119643647678209119

That’s it for today - I hope you have a creative weekend! Cheers!

Here’s to hoping for your return by hitting that subscribe link on top. Welcome new subscribers - much appreciated!

Dark Greetings....and ‘see’ you in two weeks!

Pia

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If I haven’t heard from you in a while and you’d like to say hi, please drop me a quick message by replying to this newsletter or writing to [email protected]

You can also communicate with me via the usual methods on social media. Or find ALL the links and go down the rabbit hole here!