Creative Block is a weekly newsletter that gives you a glimpse into my life, creativity, design, and music. It's like a little pick-me-up that you get delivered straight to your inbox each week.
On December 8th, I turned 31, but to be honest, I didn't really want to celebrate it. This past year has been a tough one for me on various fronts—mentally, emotionally, and physically. I've found myself getting easily irritated, and even the things that usually brought me joy started to feel like burdens. Slowly, I began to distance myself from others, almost like I didn't want to be seen, and sometimes that feeling still lingers.
I'm sharing this openly because, despite writing these newsletters for all of you, most times I'm writing them for myself as well. It's a way to remind myself to keep moving forward, to keep pushing on. When I see that some of you resonate with what I've written, it reminds me that I'm not alone in this, and I hope the same sense of peace that it brings to me can reach you too.
I decided to take some time off in December. I felt like I was losing myself, questioning my talents, my roles as a husband, son, friend, and artist. It felt uncomfortable at first, just sitting and watching TV or taking a nap. I had this nagging feeling like I was missing something, a part of myself. It made me realize that in some way, my identity and value had become tied to my work or the idea of always being busy. Thankfully, my wife was there to remind me of everything I had accomplished throughout the year and that it was perfectly okay to rest. Y
Sometimes, I find myself asking, "What is rest, really?" Is it doing nothing at all? Is it doing something without the pressure of it feeling like work? Is designing a poster just for fun considered rest? I'm not entirely sure, but what I do know is that I needed my mind to unplug and simply enjoy the little things—conversations with my wife, watching anime, chatting with close friends, taking naps, playing games, and more.
Recently, I had a meaningful conversation with my friend
after reading his latest newsletter titled "January’s for Reflecting, Not Resolving." It struck a chord with me—it's perhaps one of the most genuine things I've read in a while. So many of us rush to set our goals for the new year in December and forget to truly live and savor December itself. We spend 11 months working and then dedicate the 12th month to reflecting and preparing. If that works for you, that's great, but I'm learning to take my time.Honestly, sometimes I think our drive to make new year's resolutions isn't because we want to, but because we feel pressured to keep up with our peers. We worry that we'll fall behind if we don't set our goals before January. But let me remind you that your journey is your own, and you should go at your own pace. It's perfectly fine to rest in December and start planning in January, February or whenever. There's no need to rush because you aren't behind. The only time we feel behind is when we're trying to run someone else's race.
As we step into the new year, let's carry this lesson with us—to be kinder to ourselves, to embrace rest, pace ourselves, and to savor each moment as it comes. May the year ahead bring us all the peace and clarity we seek.
This newsletter might feel like it’s everywhere and that’s because these are just unfiltered thoughts that I wrote last night. Thanks for reading!
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Great read. I have to remind myself that there is no need to rush anything. I put that hard pressure on myself from 2020-2022 and the results from that was terrible anxiety. Eventually, I learned to relax and take is slow. This year, I'll be exploring fictional writing along with advancing my painting+drawing. I'm all too excited about this but I know that keeping my pace slow and focused is absolutely necessary. 💙
I really love the idea of going at your own pace. I usually have a vision board for the year done by now, but I’ve been letting myself think and ease into figuring it out.
I have enjoyed reading this newsletter so far and I’m excited to hear more of your revelations in this new year!