Side Notes is a monthly wrap up where I share the interesting, and incredibly inspiring things I found during the month that I couldn’t fit in any post. Expect awesome recs, awesome books and awesome bloggers.
Also expect: fangirling (lots of it) and a glimpse into my life — the happy, the chaos and all.
The Japanese has this eating game called yaminabe.
Literally translates to “dark night (yami) pot (nabe)”, it’s a whole ‘nother level of pot luck where you and your friends gather around a cooking pot and, with the lights off, throw in whatever ingredients each of you brought into the pot. And you have to eat whatever you got.
That pretty much sums up my August.
Life just threw in whatever it wants into my pot and all I could do is eat what I pick up and get through it. It was a tornado of a month and I’m just glad it’s over.
On that note, there won’t be any #DrawMyBooks section this month because I only read one (ONE) book in August and I decided I’ll just put it together with next month’s books. It’s kinda sad but not entirely surprising. Our semester started this month so I spent most of August getting back into uni mode and juggling college and my creative hobbies.
But enough about that, let’s get on with this!
In the Blogosphere
Queen of Spreadsheets, Shealea, shared some ah-mazing tips on making use of spreadsheets to up your blogging game.
Rebekah talked about disability discrimination and how it’s still an issue today and you need to read it N O W.
Alex listed three reasons a good idea is optional in creating. And if you’re a creative, specifically a writer, this one’s for you.
Debbie discussed about relatable villains and questionable heroes and mentioned The Darkling so you could be sure it’s a great post. (No bias here at all.)
Jenny shared how she fits self-care into her everyday life, because self-care isn’t just the occasional mani-pedi session but something we need to incorporate into our daily lives.
Ashley wrote an amazing piece about finding closure when a friendship ends — and it is super relatable!
“It’s true that in losing a friend, you still go through the five stages of grief.”
Jade listed down five ways to increase your motivation when you’re struggling with depression.
Nancy mused about finding time for the things that you love and listed some of the things she makes time for. AND I’M ALL FOR IT.
Abi published this super empowering post on embracing your sexuality as a woman.
Phil talked about “The Urgent Rush” which is when parents get worried that their kids don’t develop a certain thing at a certain age.
The Awesome Side of the Internet
Yes, yes. I know. The Internet can be a jerk sometimes. But it is also filled with authentic and incredibly inspiring human stories. I always believe it only takes one kind heart for other kindness to join in 🙂
<3 This creative video I found on Twitter
<3 Ava DuVernay inspiring message
<3 If you watched Bear in the Big Blue House back when you were a kid, someone found the lost last episode of the series here. A guaranteed tear-jerker.
<3 These beautiful art by Hayley (@FrockMeImFamous on Twitter) and the touching story behind it.
<3 These precious boys dancing to the music of this precious violinist.
I Need To Start a Garden EP by Haley Heynderickx
Shoutout to my best friend for recommending this artist to me (she knows my music taste so well <3) Haley is an absolute fab, adorkable human being and her songs just bring me inner peace – the kind you would need when you’re going back to school. Give “Oom Sha La La” a listen. It’s such a happy song but also very honest. You can check her out on Spotify here.
Blogging Buddies Facebook Group
Created by the blogger fairy godmother, Ruth, this Facebook group is an amazing place to connect with fellow bloggers and ask for blogging-related advice and share tips as well. Thanks to this group, I discovered tons of awesome bloggers whose websites I wouldn’t have been able to stumble upon otherwise!
Little Victories – Kickass Stuff that Happened This Month
- Got friends on all my classes, yay!
- Started a blog Instagram account and reached 50 followers in two weeks, omggg??? (As a context, it took me 2-freakin-years to reach 100 followers on my old account)
- Drank more water, whoop whoop!
- Reached 500 followers on Twitter, whattt <3
- Finished a month’s worth of art journaling! (contrary to popular belief, I’m not good with keeping up long commitments like drawing everyday for a month so this is really a huge achievement for me)
Little Detours – What Kicked My Ass This Month
(because we’re not perfect, and it’s good to share your awful moments)
- My calculator game was off like you wouldn’t believe. As an accounting student, I need to solve long problems as fast as possible, and I was just a hot mess for the past few weeks while solving sample problems, ugh. Get it together, Kate!
- I had a mini writer’s block and wasn’t able to write my September posts on time. BUUUT! I used a five-item to-do list every time I started to feel overwhelmed and it helps a lot!
- I wasn’t able to create a lot of art.
Little Milestones – Things I Want to Achieve or Do Next Month
(because according to Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies, I am an Obliger and I need outside accountability to reach personal goals)
- Finish my Kate Harker illustration.
- Repot my cactus, Watson’s babies. (Still had to do this. I’m so sorry, Watson!)
- Reach 950 followers on here.
Next Month’s Self-Improvement Challenge
Read a Rumi passage a day for thirty days. (Wish me luck!)
Who’s currently your favorite artist? What were your goals in August? Did you achieve them? Share them all below!