Silver Linings

When life throws you a curve ball, shout plot twist and keep going. @karina_lawrence on insta   That’s what I’ve learned from my years of writing. Sometimes the unexpected just happens, and it shocks you, but you should never let it stop you. Knowing what your goals are in life is important, and I find that no matter what else goes on around me, I always have those to keep me on a steady course. This month has been all about tightening up skills. It’s good to have focus, I find if I don’t have a goal I flounder, and I don’t look great in yellow and blue stripes (please tell me at least one of you got that joke). It all goes back to when I was seven and I decided I wanted to be an artist. I would copy cartoon characters from comics and tv shows, the x-men and Dragon Ball characters were top of the list. But as time passed I wanted to be seen as more grown up, I started writing poetry and wearing black. I was a very young goth and clearly very self important... some things...

This year for me is all about finishing things I’ve started. My faithful cat, Kimi @karina_lawrence on instragram Last year ended with me feeling stuck in a rut. The same things seemed to circle back around like my life is a never ending loop of events. The same feelings, the same fears, the same anxiety. So I decided this would be the year I finish things... you know that long list of stuff you halfstart or half plan or intend to do one day? This is my year of tackling that list. Some are small things, like I keep taking up French and not practicing it enough. I’m happy to say I’m on a perfect streak in my Duolingo learning app. It might not be the degree level French I dreamt of as a kid, but I’m finally putting effort into learning and practicing what I consider one of the most beautiful languages in the world. I’ve started sketching again, finishing small art ideas like this one... where I mix my passion for yoga and nudes... Shoulder stand by Karina Lawrence on Redb...

Life unfortunately has no rule book, no set of instructions, and no guarantees... well, maybe death and taxes.  I’ve started 2018 in a very different situation to where I was when 2017 began. Although for most 2017  was a tough year, my year had some really high highs. I got a job I enjoyed, in an industry I'm passionate about, using skills that were otherwise going to waste... I got experience I needed to move on, I was just not expecting to have to move on so soon. For nine months 2017 was all smooth sailing, personally and professionally. I created more art than I have done in years, collaborated on multiple writing projects and progressed the novel I've been working on for the past 15 months... (more on that to come) The final three months of the year felt a bit more like skidding on my knees over gravel. Good things came of that too though... I will always try to find the silver lining in any situation. Things I learned last year: 1. Digital art It was some...

Time for the first #throwbackThursday of the year.  Writing poetry has always helped me pull out the weird voice in my head and give it a good talking to. The sticky thoughts that clog up my daily routine are easier dealt with on paper. My mind likes to find a rhyme, the rhythm of poetry synchronises with my thoughts and it’s something I’ve always felt in tune with... no matter what anyone else thinks, I love poetry. And I’ll never forget the creative writing teacher who told me poetry was just not for me... it always reminds me that you can’t let anyone else define you. Be who you want to be, live how you want to live. You get to make your own rules, and only you can bend them. Sirens Her ghoulish teeth dripped with spit  Sharpened claws caked with grit And still, she approaches And still, you allow it Her mouth expels hate and bile  Foul sounds behind a smile And still, she approaches And still, you allow it Broken bones inside your ears ...