The diffculty with finding a moment to pause

 Sometimes life just gets a little busy... especially during the holidays

I have a way of getting carried away with life. Work, socialising, family... dating. They all seem to find some of my time, they all have a place in my life. Pausing to take stock isn't something I always get to in a hurry. Weeks will pass and my well intentioned hour of writing turns into an hour of cheering up a friend who needs my time.

Giving that up isn't who I am, and I knowingly let my writing suffer sometimes. But I enjoy making people happy, it's where I find the most joy. And although writing is a passion, I find that there's always a quiet 2 a.m. on a Saturday that I can devote to a self indulgent chapter in a novel or a 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning I can dedicate to perfecting a smile on a painting. People are what life is about, a novel won't keep you warm at night.

With all that said, I know that the holidays exacerbate this so called problem, and once the cold January nights roll in I'll find I have too much time on my hands again. So I will make the most of all the love from friends and the joy of the holiday season and pick back up where I left off with my art and writing soon enough.

The Redbubble art challenge

First kiss gold by KarinaLawrence
Weeks three and four came and went in a blur. Week three was a good week that saw my two loves collide. Writing and art.

It all started over on Twitter with the #FP (Friday Phrases) challenge lead by the amazing women behind @MusaeMosaic.The women that run this challenge are strong, talented and beautiful beyond words, I have great admiration for them and want nothing but happiness for them. Life has been tough on them lately and my new year wish is that life gives them a break and a chance to take a deep breath filled with joy.

The #FP challenge is simple, every Friday they provide a theme and you write a tweet or series of tweets based on that theme... even though sometimes I only loosely link up to that theme...

First kiss gold t-shirt by KarinaLawrence
The simplicity of the challenge definitely appeals to me. I like that all I need is 30 seconds to type whatever pops into my head and put it out there. And because it goes on all day each Friday you have an indefinite amount of tries to find a beautiful image in a simple phrase. Some of my best lines have come from a spur of the moment Friday Phrase tweet.

Tweeting out random thoughts is very different to novel writing, there's no planning, no continuity, no big picture... Both appeal to different sides of me... the one that enjoys immediate gratification and the other that likes to see the payoff of a long term plan. 

Week four was all about nature and wildlife... and I kinda fell in love with this little doodle of a penguin. I'd like to say that more thought went into the week... but sometimes the simplest ideas are the best?

Plethora of penguins by KarinaLawrence

So until the new year I have a few parties to attend, some bottles of booze with my name on them and some late nights planned.

I also have a painting to get back to... it's starting to worry me how long she's been faceless. Some things you can't rush though, they can't be off the cuff... because otherwise all the small details wouldn't exist.

I guess that's the difference between flash fiction and a novel, between a rough sketch and an oil painting. And my love for both types of working is equal, after all small wins and achieving long term goals are what life is made up of... Before the new year is done though, this painting will also be done...








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