...because these days I feel like that's all I have the energy for. TT
Lately I feel more than ever like I can only handle things in bite sizes. So many things I want to do or need to finish that feel overwhelming... Things that have been on the backburner that are difficult to bring myself to work on—when will those ever be done? It's going to take so much time. And as they're "bigger" projects I feel more pressure to make them up to...some kind of standard.
I wonder why this is significantly more of a struggle for me now than before.
Perhaps an unhealthy need for instant gratification I've developed? Reduced attention span and ability to focus for long periods required to make a satisfying amount of progress? My creativity running dry fast and in bursts and not wanting to waste that inspiration? Too many interests, thoughts, and ideas I want to move on quickly to?
Always feeling like I have to deliver to a high standard? Not that I really deliver but I definitely feel the burden and paranoia of those expectations... Even for small things, I'm still expending a lot of time overthinking, reviewing, redoing, feeling pressure, feeling guilt... I can't just do things once or halfheartedly and call them done—but it's more handleable in bite size!
Definitely could also be having less time to spend to work on hobbies as well as having multiple interests... There are sometimes periods where I have little free time, but that's not true right now. But even with my time, I think that now more than ever there's more things to spend it on? Dividing my time between a lot of different desires or needs, and especially now with prioritizing exercise for my health.
Actually, it's ironic because I certainly feel frustrated at how many singing projects I'm in that are still stuck in the pipeline unreleased (though to be clear: this post isn't just about singing projects) and part of it probably is wanting to experience that dopamine of finishing things or putting them out for the world to see—releasing small projects has been super fun! The irony is that I myself in my state of overwhelm am taking forever to finish my part on certain big singing projects... One that I'm mixing, one that I'm animating... Giving those up and commissioning someone else I've contemplated yet I don't want to let go ;; Although I may have bitten off more than I can chew, they're both things I greedily want to get better at and should practice! (Both of those projects are still missing other components so I'm not the only bottleneck but it absolutely weighs heavily on me nevertheless...........)
-
Oops so much for quick thoughts LOL this turned into a much longer post than expected! Irony.
Recently with me considering if I need to find a hobby that doesn't contribute to my eye strain (which I always have thanks to my job) one idea was learning to play bass guitar which I'd wanted to do back in high school? Absolutely inspired by K-On! and the most iconic anime bassist Akiyama Mio. 👑 Then this idea was enforced from watching Bocchi the Rock! last season and encouragement from Fome and other friends who either also play instruments or just started learning themselves.
So as part of the noodling process I went to look at basses at a store, learned about the different models, held one for the first time, tried out what it would feel like to hold down and pluck the strings.........
 |
| of course picked out the one most similar to Mio's hehe |
I'm not sure! I think a dealbreaker for me is finding an instrument that I'll want to spend time with—that suits my specific visual preferences and physically feels comfy. But also don't want to spend too much money and I like the idea of owning secondhand (more eco friendly as well!) which would even further limit my choices lol.
And of course, I just don't think I'll be very good at it, being musically and rhythmically more challenged than you'd expect for someone who enjoys singing. Struggling is not fun. 🫠 Who's to say whether I'll end up finding instrument practice to be a cause of stress or a relaxing pastime as intended?
But the part that's relevant to this post is that...I don't know if I can justify starting a whole new hobby when I feel like I still have so much to finish or should do to get closer to my goals. ;; I'm going to keep thinking, well, if I have time to practice the bass then I probably have time to do any of the 8451854 things demanding my attention!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
So stupid but even for posting this inconsequential rambling I was like, "Screw it I'm just going to publish without proofreading!!" but still couldn't resist temptation and went back and rewrote a few things because I used too many em-dashes and it was bothering me. lol perfectionist insanity
