January 2020 Recap

I swear that this year just started and now January is over. What? Somebody slow down old man Time please. Well, let's get on to this month's recap and see what I haven't have done.

What I Did

• Got to go to Ikea as a family, which is always fun. We enjoy browsing and finding all sorts of new ideas.

• Went to the March for Life with my pastor and his family. It wasn't too cold, which is nice, and I didn't lose any siblings in the crowds, so that's good.

• I got a new camera! I've been looking for one for a while and I finally found one that I think will work for me. Now I just have to work on my photography skills.

• Got a nice break from work. My schedule has been a lot lighter this month, which has been great and encouraging for me.

• I also started an art account on Instagram. That way I can stop posting all my art on my personal account. If you're interesting in checking it out, you can find me @rachel.e.art.

Read

Loki's Wolves- K. L. Armstrong (4 stars)

Cress- Marissa Meyer (5 stars)

Fawkes- Nadine Brandes (5 stars)

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages- Trenton Lee Stewart (5 stars)

The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden- Karina Yan Glaser (4 stars)

The False Prince- Jennifer A. Nielsen (4 stars)

The Queen of Nothing- Holly Black (4 stars)

Watched

Cats (The movie. It was good. Ignore the haters.)

Frozen II (So, so good. I adored it, and cried a lot)

Grease (a pretty fun musical, from a very different era)

The Mask of Zorro (super fun action film)

Only Yesterday (a very different Studio Ghibli film, but I enjoyed it)

On the Blog

• My top two posts this month were my post on making poor characters and my discussion on womanly arts. I enjoyed writing both of them, so I'm glad you guys liked them as well.

• I've been trying to get back on track with my posting schedule. In December I had a hard time posting on the days I wanted to, but I managed to do it on time most of this month.

Writing

My goal this month was to prep New Magic for my critique partner, and I did accomplish that. I sent it off at the end of last week. Other than that, I didn't do much writing this month, but that's okay.

Art

I just have to show off my January theme for my bujo. I was inspired to a 1920s theme and I love how it came out. Gold gel pens are the best.

I did this fan art after watching Only Yesterday. It was a fun little piece to make.

I also found a book called One Zentangle a Day that I've been working through. It's helped me get out of the rut I've been in creatively and I'm enjoying taking time almost daily to make a tangle. If you're interested, I could do a whole post on the tangles I've made.

February Thoughts

• I've got to figure out what I'm going to work on next in writing. I'm not sure if I should start another editing project or maybe do some writing on something else.

• I hope to work some more on my Lord of the Rings drawing project. Maybe get done Gandalf and start on another one?

• I plan to finish Northanger Abbey and possibly start Persuasion. One of my goals this year is to finish reading all of Jane Austen's novels, and after I read those two, I'll have accomplished it. (And it's always good to complete goals early.)

How was your January? Did you make any progress on your goals? Tell me in the comments.

Suggested Posts:

Pros and Cons of Becoming a Writer

2019 Recap and 2020 Look Ahead