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Angela Hamilton

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year on paper

We can do better than just getting by

June 10, 2016 by Angela

if you are a subscriber to #yearonpaper you might’ve seen what inspired me to write this post today. earlier on in the year, there was a moment when i felt i was just getting by, in every sense of the word. actually, lots of moments. i was pretty busy working so i felt like i was certainly getting by, but mentally i, as i wrote, wasn’t thriving. there wasn’t much making me feel just excited or passionate. there wasn’t anything driving me to get outside of my comfort zone. there i was, just getting by.

so i wrote the line in the title of this post. i honestly just felt kind of bad that i was in such a rut because for one, it lasted forever and i do feel like i’m still working on it (major), and two, i know there are so many things to be excited about or at least propelled by in life, that it seemed unfair to myself and everyone else that i wasn’t out there trying.

heavy stuff. so my #yearonpaper assignment to myself after reading this was to reflect on the last few months and think about all the little victories. after doing this, i came across something i hadn’t noticed in awhile… lots of little victories! and even some big ones.

over the last few months i decided to throw myself into both my work—that’s two major jobs plus a lot of part time things like the blog market—and the project i’ve been working on. plus, i copied my friend janell when she wrote about all the little things she’s been doing (have i referenced this yet? i feel like i almost have a million times) just around her house and in her life—lots of little things like spring cleaning and getting healthier that have led to changes.

i started a cleaning list of my own and ended up scouting out some new recycled goodies for my home, started collaborating with a couple artists on some pieces to make my home happier, decorated my office, and lots more little, TINY things. there was a week where i exercised each day for five days straight which embarrassingly had not been done since college and i can’t begin to explain how much better i felt afterward (and since have been trying to recreate it).

print by ps lettering shop.

just like my running…which is awkward and far too public on the busy streets near my place, and includes lots of walking and stopping to literally smell the roses and quite audibly sigh at the brightness of the bougainvillea, i feel like these past few months have been filled with hiccups and brief pauses but more importantly, always, continued progress. i can feel myself more actively making an effort than i have in awhile in most facets of my life (read: most… i’ll get there). i am rounding the corner to last august when i felt things started to go really wrong for no particular reason at all just everything at once, and it’s taken time to not just get back—it’s not about getting back because there was not really a space mentally i wanted to get back to—but move forward.

today, look back on something you wrote or thought six months ago. have you changed, have you moved on from that? how? have you felt yourself just getting by and how did you—if you did—rise above it?

Filed Under: writing & inspiration, year on paper

#yearonpaper | 06: “just be yourself”

May 5, 2016 by Angela

as you might’ve seen, i have a backlog of posts i want to share, including #yearonpaper entries. but i got stuck on where to go next, so i sort of avoided my journal for awhile. in forcing this entry, i landed on this phrase: be yourself. i realized that in very tiny ways, i haven’t been myself in a lot of instances lately. also, that i, in actuality, do in fact want to be myself. woah!

just be yourself
my mixed feelings on los angeles continue for this reason.

[Read more…] about #yearonpaper | 06: “just be yourself”

Filed Under: writing & inspiration, year on paper Tagged With: #yearonpaper, journal

#yearonpaper | 05: solitude

March 9, 2016 by Angela

Processed with VSCOcam with f1 preset

night hikes are a big thing in los angeles and i’m not really for wandering the canyons in the dark but we went out one evening in a we-haven’t-exercised-today kinda moment and as it turns out it takes a lot longer than a sunset to wind your way back through a canyon. very worth it though with the city twinkling in the backdrop, the glow of the sun which never fully disappears beyond the horizon, and wildflowers all sprung up because southern california wastes no time when it comes to springing into the warmer months. i thought these iphone photos would be perfect to illustrate my latest journal entry on solitude. thoughts and prompts in the post! [Read more…] about #yearonpaper | 05: solitude

Filed Under: adventures, writing & inspiration, year on paper

#yearonpaper | 04: positivity

February 15, 2016 by Angela

last week i wanted to experiment with my camera a bit and not wanting my notebooks and office goodies to be the subject of yet another impromptu photo shoot that i’d later lay on a splattering of blog and social media posts as if they were stock photos, i opted to do the same things with my plants. charity + i went to the DTLA flower market right after this little shoot. afterward, i had bouquets mixed in with these succulents and my little, partially munched on fern that was almost kitty lunch (thankfully not toxic). then came valentine’s day, when kevin stopped by the farmers market and picked out a couple spring bouquets that replaced all my dying market bits. i know having flowers is sometimes silly. if they’re not in the ground they certainly don’t last long, even shorter when i’m tending to them. but they sure do brighten up the place. we’ll call these little ones the survivors. even the fern. i’ve had them all month now (big feat, right?) and they persevere. and even though market flowers don’t stay in my life long,  having a brighter, lighter space with them makes all the difference.  [Read more…] about #yearonpaper | 04: positivity

Filed Under: writing & inspiration, year on paper Tagged With: #yearonpaper, journal, positive thinking

#yearonpaper | 01: following your curiosity

January 14, 2016 by Angela

i’ve been talking about starting a new journal for what seems like months now (find the evidence here + here). usually when it’s a little slower in december i plan out my year (which i recently learned isn’t a very effective way to establish follow-through…more on that later) i should’ve taken this time to catch up on my side projects, like building an email list for #yearonpaper, but i decided to relax instead. i know. terrible! we went to san francisco + big sur for one weekend (photos soon) but you know what i did mostly during my small moments of relaxation? sat on the couch binge watching reruns. (could you tell?).

Follow Your Curiosity | iffoundmake.com | #yearonpaper

but it wasn’t all unproductive. no, i still haven’t got you all on an email or bugged all my real-life friends to join in (asking people to start journaling with you is apparently not all that normal), but one thing i did spend time with was elizabeth gilbert’s big magic after reading the review from my instagram friend, jaimie myers. like i said in this post on blog market, i took my time. between that and a post i read by made vibrant on following your curiosity, i felt like this topic would be a good way to kick off a year of journaling regardless of how prepared i am (or not) for this project and this year in general. [Read more…] about #yearonpaper | 01: following your curiosity

Filed Under: writing & inspiration, year on paper Tagged With: #yearonpaper, journal

DIY hand painted journal

December 18, 2015 by Angela

Two big things happened recently that I’m excited to share: 1) I thought of a name for the journaling community I’ll be starting up in the new year. But more on that later! and 2) I decided on a journal. I searched on Etsy, at Barnes and Noble (they have a huge selection of beautiful, thick journals, but none were for me), and even headed to the mall. Finally, I found the perfect journal. I wanted there to be a creative element because like I mentioned before, I like being able to mix media and add a craft element when I write too. This cover was the perfect canvas for some painting… [Read more…] about DIY hand painted journal

Filed Under: DIY, year on paper Tagged With: #yearonpaper, diy, diy painted journal, year on paper

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