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BooksandTrees

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I managed to exercise for 1 hour and then play the drums for 30 minutes. I had so much fun. It was the first time I've played in a year and missed it. I stopped because I got stressed learning something new, a common issue for people who quit video games looking for a new hobby. 

But I enjoyed it.

One of the other things that is a trigger for me is redundant tasks at work. If I'm doing something with load times it will make me want to play runescape or pokemon go because they're somewhat afk games. But I know that will be bad so I don't do it. I remember the brain fog and exhaustion it gave me and I enjoy the mental clarity I have. 

Solutions I've had are little exercises, stretching, podcasts, dancing to music, and partial journaling like right now. I don't read or anything that takes up brain power because I think physical movement provides energy and prevents tiredness and boredom which also are 2 huge triggers for gamers. 

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I had a good day at work today but was tired afterwards so I just laid down and watched tv after work and ate dinner for about 2 hours. I then played the drums for about half an hour or longer and had fun. I was very tired after that so I'm laying down again. 

I have some anxiety because I want to animate right now but I spent all day on the computer and it's pretty tiring to use it again afterwards. This is why I'm happy to be playing the drums and exercising. I can get away from the screen a bit and relax. 

It's a little frustrating though because I'd like to animate on weekdays. I think it's just recognizing when to do it. Like today I started work late so I ended with late. Tomorrow I'll end earlier so maybe I can animate a bit before my girlfriend comes over. 

I don't have to do everything every day. Those days of chasing 99 stats are over. Just living life is important. 

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I played boardgames last night and enjoyed it. I've come to the conclusion that I was able to write my stories very fast because I enjoy thinking about them for days before I write. So it gives the impression that I effortlessly wrote the story but in reality I brainstormed for weeks. 

I was getting frustrated with drawing because i couldn't naturally draw what my characters would look like. This was stressing me out and making me think I hated this hobby. 

What I'm gonna do is start scrolling through reference images on what I want characters to look like and then make a character profile. Then I can have a real idea for how I want characters to look like. 

I was starting to wonder if creative hobbies weren't for me.

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10 hours ago, BooksandTrees said:

I played boardgames last night and enjoyed it. I've come to the conclusion that I was able to write my stories very fast because I enjoy thinking about them for days before I write. So it gives the impression that I effortlessly wrote the story but in reality I brainstormed for weeks. 

I was getting frustrated with drawing because i couldn't naturally draw what my characters would look like. This was stressing me out and making me think I hated this hobby. 

What I'm gonna do is start scrolling through reference images on what I want characters to look like and then make a character profile. Then I can have a real idea for how I want characters to look like. 

I was starting to wonder if creative hobbies weren't for me.

Can't count how many times I have felt this way about art, too! I think it's a lifelong journey of dealing with frustration- drawing is so complex and deep that the amount of things to learn seems endless. But, I hope that you'll continue to make progress! For me, looking at where I was year ago and how I have improved since often is a good motivator. What do you do to keep yourself interested in art?

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11 hours ago, Pochatok said:

Can't count how many times I have felt this way about art, too! I think it's a lifelong journey of dealing with frustration- drawing is so complex and deep that the amount of things to learn seems endless. But, I hope that you'll continue to make progress! For me, looking at where I was year ago and how I have improved since often is a good motivator. What do you do to keep yourself interested in art?

Thanks. I just get motivation by thinking of something I find to be annoying and think of a way to make it overly dramatic and use cartoons to portray it in a funny way to make light of a situation. Then I'll want to draw it.

I just started looking at reference images for the characters to draw so I'll do that this week. 

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Something I struggle with is doing stuff after work. Most of my hobbies are creative and it's nearly impossible to just do that for a couple hours after working 9 hours.

I've been thinking about why that's a problem. 

It's because I need some sort of release both physically and mentally after work. I think that's why porn and video games become such a common outlet after a long day. 

So what can replace those? I think it depends on how I'm feeling. If I'm feeling restless and jittery I propose exercising right after work and then showering to clear the mind and body. If I'm exhausted then I propose a small nap and then decide after. 

I also think it's important to make sure I'm hydrated and have a healthy snack after work that's under 200 calories and little sugar to avoid a spike and crash in energy. 

I can decide on creative hobbies or routine hobbies after. It's easier to masturbate and play video games but they've not served us well and I need some stability now that I'm not studying anymore. 

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11 hours ago, BooksandTrees said:

If I'm feeling restless and jittery I propose exercising right after work and then showering to clear the mind and body. If I'm exhausted then I propose a small nap and then decide after. 

11 hours ago, BooksandTrees said:

I can decide on creative hobbies or routine hobbies after. It's easier to masturbate and play video games but they've not served us well and I need some stability now that I'm not studying anymore. 

5 hours ago, BooksandTrees said:

I dealt with boredom by talking to friends on the phone and watching hockey. I realized that hobbies aren't jobs and I frequently treat them like jobs. I'm allowed to do them when I want and not feel huge obligations. 

It's okay to feel a bit out of place after finishing a long-term project. I felt like that after finishing my thesis and final exams. It will take you a few days to adapt. Myself, I'm feeling somewhat lazy the past few days, but then again, I don't feel anything really chasing me to the point of driving me anxious either. The main thing is to not overdo anything to my detriment.

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4 hours ago, Ikar said:

It's okay to feel a bit out of place after finishing a long-term project. I felt like that after finishing my thesis and final exams. It will take you a few days to adapt. Myself, I'm feeling somewhat lazy the past few days, but then again, I don't feel anything really chasing me to the point of driving me anxious either. The main thing is to not overdo anything to my detriment.

I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to be productive all day long. 

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Today was good. I was productive at work, had a dentist appointment, and then got more work done. 

I then had therapy, meal prepped, and watched my show for 30 minutes. After that I colored in my coloring book, played the drums, and watched hockey. I feel like I did exactly what I wanted to tonight and I'm happy about it.

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I finished the concept art for all my cartoon characters and now I'm going to start sketching the actual art. I'm very excited. I'll hopefully come up with good art pieces and then start doing background and mid ground designs. I hope to have something by Christmas but realistically I think some time in January and just enjoy the process. 

I also discovered better pieces for my drum kit that sound way better so I'm excited to try those. One I get this week and the other I gotta wait til Christmas because someone asked what I wanted. 

Christmas as an adult is not as exciting as being a kid because i am fortunate enough to have a good paying job so i can get anything i want besides a house or car etc. So when someone asks what I want i just get annoyed that i have to wait a month rather than get it now. I think as kids you see Christmas as the big day for gifts besides your birthday so you're constantly looking forward to it.

That is unless the gifts are surprises, which I'm doing with my girlfriend this year. I'm excited for it. We both have no idea what we're getting. It's really nice. 

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3 minutes ago, BooksandTrees said:

I passed my exam! I'm so happy and proud. I'm finally done with it! The joy I'm experiencing is immense. The journey to this point has been unbelievable. 

Awesome! Enjoy yourself for a few days after all that hard work.

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On 12/1/2021 at 3:46 PM, BooksandTrees said:

I passed my exam! I'm so happy and proud. I'm finally done with it! The joy I'm experiencing is immense. The journey to this point has been unbelievable. 

Oh my goodness congrats!!! I know how much and how long you've been studying for it, this is such an awesome achievement. Hope you'll be able to celebrate in some way 🙂

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On 12/12/2021 at 9:01 AM, Amphibian220 said:

 

When I see you doing well I feel better.

How physically taxing is drumming? Do you get a good cardio workout from it?

 

Thanks and same here! I feel like they're not physically taxing yet because I'm still learning things slowly. It's tiring once I play the one song I know though because I don't stop for 4 minutes. 

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