Snowflake Challenge: If I had the talent ....

[dragonyphoenix]

In your own space, talk about an idea you wish you had the time / talent / energy to do. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

January tends to be a sad time for me. My mother's birthday is in the middle of the month and ever since she passed away, I tend to get depressed. This is the first year I've seen it coming. Usually I'm in the middle of it and wondering why I'm do down. Anyway, it's a time of the year I just don't get things done.

Specific things I don't have the talent for (yet!) are drawings. I'd like to draw an image for It Seems the Hills and Rivers Have Been Waiting a story where a pig farming trans woman becomes a Jiang cultivator except she can't really cultivate, she's just super strong because she builds her muscles. Anyway, they have her in cultivator garb and her hair keeps whipping into her face and mouth. Apparently it's a magical thing that it doesn't happen to cultivators. So I want to draw her in cultivation garb with her hair whipping into her face.

I also want to draw Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji holding each other and floating maybe with a "I'll never let you fall" caption.

Knitting. I'd like to learn to knit and I tried watching a video. That did not go well.

I'd like to go for walks in a more wooded area. Since I injured my knee, I've been sticking to flat walking paths and now it's too snowy and wet.

Comments

[brokenhighways]

I feel like knitting is one of those things people either get, or they don't and like you, I can never get the hang of it. One day (maybe...but probably not :P)!

[dragonyphoenix]

I used to crochet when I was a kid. My grandma taught me. I feel like I could pick that up since I once knew how.

[flamingsword]

The anniversary of my brother's death is the 21st, and I always take that day off to be a sad pile of mopey navel-gazing, which was my deal with myself. I take one day out of the year to be as tragic and full of tears and snot as I want to be, but the rest of the year I have to try to live my life outside the scope of depression. It may not always work, but it cuts down on feeling bad about feeling bad, y'know? I don't know what kind of deal would work for you, but I hope you find one. Depression sucks.

Knitting was really hard to learn on youtube, but it is technically possible? Once you understand that it's all variations on "pull a loop through this other loop" then after that it's just a matter of variation of which direction you are pulling those loops. Then you just have to find a video where they are using really big yarn where you can see what they are doing super clearly, and give yourself permission to suck at it for the first couple of scarves (or whatever) that you make.

I hope your knee gets better in time for the part of spring that makes you want to hike! Being outdoors in nature is supposed to be really good for all those healthy brain chemicals I always hear so much about, lol. Good luck!

[dragonyphoenix]

*hugs* I like the idea of taking Mom's birthday off to grieve. Maybe I'll make one of her favorite meals too.

I'm seeing a chiropractor regularly and my knee is getting better but slowly. I'll definitely try hiking out in the woods when spring comes 'round.

[flamingsword]

*gentle hugs*

May it happen for you.

And I am glad that chiro is doing good things for your knees! Thank you for taking care of yourself.

[dragonyphoenix]

Nice poem. Thank you

[tsuki_no_bara]

first, i'm so sorry about your mom. i like flamingsword's idea of taking her birthday to just... feel your feels, and really grieve for her. it might not make the rest of the month more bearable, but it might help to deliberately devote a day to her, to remember her and miss her.

second, do you know anyone who knits, who could show you? even online (over zoom or facetime or something). sometimes it's easier if you can interrupt someone to ask if they can do it again or explain what they're doing, rather than trying to learn from videos.

[dragonyphoenix]

Thanks. I did take her birthday off. That day itself wasn't bad but I got real depressed the day after. I'm starting to feel better today.

I've found a local knitting group but I'm waiting for Covid to die down more before joining them.

[mithun]

Knitting tends to always look bad at first. Pretty much everybody's first knit products are skewed and uneven. It gets a lot better once it gets drilled into the muscle memory enough that it automates and the stitches start turning out equally tight/loose etc. and building an even, uniform surface.

Hoping you'll feel better emotionally and physically soon, & best wishes with your art! ♥ Those fanart ideas sound like they could make pretty cool art pieces. It might be interesting to draw them multiple times, with a long time of drawing other stuff inbetween, and see how it gets closer to your original vision each time...? I've seen artists do that kind of thing, where they take an old art and redraw it with their current skills.

[dragonyphoenix]

It's not so much skewed and uneven as the knots get really tight. I'm going to join a knitting group once Covid dies down.

Thanks. I am starting to feel better. I've also seen artist take an old picture and redraw it to see how they've changed their style / improved. I'm looking forward to trying that myself.