Day 7

Today's Prompt:

Where did you travel this year? What was your favorite part? If you didn’t get to travel, where do you want to go next year?

Charcoal pencil sketch of a detail from a New Orleans cemetery

This year, I went to Seattle in June, San Antonio in August and October (with a side trip to New Orleans).  I went to Seattle to run my second marathon and see all of my old friends.  My mom also flew up from Texas for this trip, because she misses visiting me in Seattle.  Seattle is quite possibly the most beautiful place in summer, but my favorite part was definitely getting to see old friends and eating at old favorite restaurants.  Ruining my toes in the marathon was my least favorite part.

I went home to San Antonio a couple of times this year, just because it seemed prudent to take advantage of all of that free time I have these days.  It seems pretty rare to have the opportunity to just go home and hang out for a couple of weeks, so I decided I should do that while I can.  Again, my favorite part was the people (and breakfast tacos).  It was great to see my family and friends.  The timing even worked out so that I got to see college friends living in London and Houston on a day trip to Austin, perfect.

While home in October, my parents and I took my grandparents to New Orleans.  My grandma grew up there and I'd never been.  I wanted her to show me the places she grew up and tell me all of her stories from growing up in and later visiting New Orleans.  My favorite part was sharing some of my grandma's history with her.

Day 6

Today's Prompt

What was your favorite month of 2011? Why did it beat out all 11 other months?

Okay, I cheated.  This pastel sketch is actually from this summer, but I didn't like anything I drew today.

The best month of 2011, for me, would have to be August.  It was the first month of no job, so I went to Texas for a few weeks and had a great time with my family.  Plus, the early part of unemployment can be awesome.  I got to unwind and let go of a schedule.  I studied for and took my first (of seven) licensing exam, which felt personally enriching.

Day 5

Today's Prompt:

Did you meet any new friends this year? How did they impact your 2011?

Just playing with some pastels

I've been branching out, in terms of activities, this year and have met many new acquaintances, but I think it takes time and lots of shared experiences to really count someone as a friend.  That being said, some of the people I've met in recent years are now becoming friends and it's been great to see that.  We moved to Los Angeles almost 3 years ago, and luckily, we already had some family and friends here, but we've been trying to build our community.  It's rewarding to see those efforts coming through.  I've also had the opportunity to travel back to Seattle and San Antonio this year and see old friends.  In terms of impact, I would just say that friends bring joy and variety to your life.  They also help you make vital connections to your surroundings. 

Day 4

Today's Prompt:

Sum up your year, via haiku.

Lose job, woe is me
Question, study and create
Flourish, hopefully

Someday, I will stop talking about this damn job loss.  I did other stuff too, I swear, see below.

Baked many a cake
Hundreds of miles were run
Travel to two homes

Day 3

Today's Prompt.

What lesson did you learn in 2011 from “The School of Life” rather than a classroom?

Pencil sketch of how I choose to define myself (by my awesome bedhead)

In 2011, I learned that my career cannot be my definition.  In times like these, I simply can't count on it as a source of my identity.  It's been a hard lesson, but I've tried to be open to new experiences and I'm finally feeling positive enough about other things that I'm less upset about the fact that I can't find a job.  I've also learned that my career may not end up looking very standard.  Lately, I've been cobbling together random freelance work and that may be what the future has in store for me.

Day 2

Today's WEverb11 prompt is about music.

What song did you listen to in 2011 to completely change your mood?  Think about ways you can add more music to your life in 2012. Charcoal pencil drawing of some type of aloe plant Agh, how to choose just one!  I'm going to choose 'Lost in the World' by Kanye West featuring Bon Iver.  It's upbeat and dancey, but with a slow, pretty part at the beginning.  My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy is a great, but totally explicit, album.  And, yeah, sometimes Kanye is a bit ridiculous, but there are so many songs that are great to dance/work out to. In 2012, I'd like to add more live music to my life.  I don't even remember the last live show that I went to.

WEverb11 and Sketch-a-day:1

I loved my Photo-a-day project in October, so for December, I planned to do a Sketch-a-day.  Then WEverb11 came along, and I decided to combine them.

Day 1 Prompt:

Choose one word.

Encapsulate the year 2011 in one word. Explain why. Imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2012 for you?

Thread, pastel, pen, wire, gold leaf, pencil, acrylic, charcoal pencil

For 2011, I chose 'Discover'.  Since this summer, I've been unemployed and I've been using the extra time to try and discover what it is that I love to do.  I like doing and making lots of things, but I am still trying to find that one thing that I love.  The one thing that I can spend so much time with that I become amazing at it.  If anyone can tell me how to make a career out of being pretty good at a lot of things, please share.

For 2012, I hope that 'Doubtless' will be an appropriate term.  I just want to be back to the point where I am absolutely sure that I'm on the right path.  I lived that life until 2009 and it was pretty sweet.