The last two days have been wonderful and I haven’t really been anywhere. To the shops to by a pineapple, a pricey one at that too, I hope my £3 pineapple is worth it.

One thing I’ve realised so far this year, a thought that came up in my 2017 review starting 2018 from the book My Best Year, is that your comfort zone has different sides to it. See I know that one side is that I got out of my comfort zone of traveling to further away places by car, train and plane. Getting out of it meant forcing myself to be uncomfortable in order to experience new things and be open to more joy. I had a great year! The other side is that getting out and about became the zone I always seemed to be in, I was packing, unpacking, checking how far I needed to drive on google maps, making hotel bookings and train tickets. I actually now quiet like that zone.

What really made me uncomfortable was being still, spending more time at home. Since moving back to my hometown one thing I’ve found hard is to be in my full creative spirit while living with family. Even though I have a room of my own that is private so there’s little chance of someone walking in and being like ‘Oh, I like that…’ when somethings half finished and I don’t want anyone to see. So when family decide to go away on holiday, I get right back into creative mode but I want some balance. I should be able to feel that way everyday, even 15 minutes of journaling or painting a day works wonders for gradual pages and productivity. And though I’ve spent the last two days mostly chilling, I haven’t really spoken to anyone. I can see and feel how isolated I kept myself in the past, I do like painting in solitude and having time to myself but getting out and connecting with people is important too.

Even though the last two days have been blissful, I feel kind of frumpy and my to do list is still beckoning me. It’s more of a relief to know that tomorrow work starts back as does the gym, maybe a language class and then a busy weekend of Yoga meditation and Sikhi. Still, I want more moments like this this year, where I give myself permission to keep my computer shut down and go to my creative desk to play or to press play on something and stretch my legs on a sofa.

Artist date, me time at home activities:

• I did Simran along with playing a tamborine!
• I made stacks of vegan banana and blueberry pancakes with nutella!
• I went through all my yoga books and planned the next class then a few others that stood out, I prepped the music and practiced it.
• I made a vegan pizza with an array of toppings, sweet potato chips and some how had enough room for Ben and Jerry’s Vegan peanut Oero ice-cream.
• I watched Netflix films Punjab 1984, about a time of political turmoil where a mother goes on a journey in search of her missing son who has been misjudged and labeled a terrorist. As well as Baljit Singh’s story of from Alcohol to full time Parchar and Jagmeet Singh’s story into Sikhi. I spoke to both of them at Basic’s of Sikhi camp and are both wonderful. Watching them inspires me and I think of another comfort zone trait, speaking in groups and public speaking in general. That and I really would like to do a Sikhi story video one day, Maharaj’s Kirpa maybe speaking out more will be a new ‘zone’ I uncover and like to be in.
• I watched a film I’ve wanted to watch for ages Precious, based on the novel Push and the story of Malala, a teenage girl who advocates girls and women’s rights for school, she was shot in the head and survived I finished a journal page I felt nervous about putting together, I did it anyway, using the drawings I did in a life drawing tent at Wildernesss Festival back in the Summer. When I finished I started another, like a ripple effect I can add to it in free moments!

I like painting along to uplifting music with a timer set or film/tv show as it keeps me sat there doing something. It’s a process I loved to do while living out of home, however if I was intuitive painting or wanted to really go into my painting in a different way I would create in silence. The words of all three films were so inspiring, courageous and at times brought up my own issues from the past to muse over then let go, or channel creatively.

• I’ve used some of the time to read Kundalini Yoga- The Flow of Eternal Power with a cup of tea and candle lit and looked into SAS: Who dares wins TV program as people were raving about it, it’s all about dropping the ego and conquering the mind, remind you of any yogic or spiritual wisdom?
• I set up my intuitive painting area by my morning meditation area and updated my journal portfolio page.