Happy Saturday my lovelies! Can you believe we’re in September? It’s finally spooky season! As someone who loves Autumn and Winter, I can’t wait for Halloween and then Christmas, and the weather to get chillier. It’s this time of year when everyone starts to put away their Summer clothes and pull out their cosy jumpers and ankle boots.
And that leads me onto today’s post; as you may know, over the last few months I’ve been doing a sort of fashion challenge – project 333, and for the first 1 3/4 months it went great. And then, I sort of fell off of the project 333 wagon. But you know what, that’s ok.
I think part of the reason why I struggled to keep up with the project was because I hadn’t thought about how long 3 months really is, and in what 3 months I would actually have to keep my 33 items and the project going for. And what I’d completely forgotten was that Autumn would begin half way through the project. Which meant that my wardrobe of choice probably wouldn’t be suitable for the change in temperature.
Another reason why I failed the project was because I went on a bit of a shopping binge. You see, over the last few weeks I’ve really been thinking about the clothes I love and the style that I love to wear, and to tell you the truth I caved and went on a shopping spree and picked up a few new t-shirts, jeans, cardigans, jumpers and basically anything I loved that would fit with the aesthetic I love.
So yeah, I failed project 333, but that’s ok; because I learnt a lot from the project not only about the importance of trying to avoid fast fashion and being more conscious with clothes waste but also about my own sense of style and what makes me feel good. When I go shopping I try and stick to brands who are more eco conscious and have values I believe in.
What I have decided to do now, is donate the clothes that I don’t wear anymore, and put together a condensed capsule wardrobe of sorts with around 40 pieces of clothes and about 5 pairs of shoes. When I pick up anything new I give myself the task of thinking of at least 5 different outfits I can make with it before deciding if it’s something that is worth buying, so I’m not picking up one-wear-wonders.
So, what does my wardrobe contain now?
Well, I have a selection of t-shirts (I’ve been loving tying tee’s up with high waisted skirts and jeans), mom jeans (with one pair I have personalised with fabric markers, you can see them in the photo above), jumpers, cardigans and skirts.
Here’s some pieces from my updated wardrobe:
It’s funny looking back over the last few weeks at what’s changed and what hasn’t, one of the biggest changes being how much my hair has grown and that I’ve dyed it a dark auburn colour! Here’s a rough run down of what my entire wardrobe entails now:
And those are all of the items in my new wardrobe! There’s a few more classic items like a few more vest tops and black and white tshirts, but that’s about it for what I’ve got. I’ve also included my black military boots, some brown ankle boots, two pairs of platform trainers, black flats and a pair of white converse.
All that’s left is to find a dress that I like and feel comfortable in for lots of different occasions and I think that’ll be everything I need in my wardrobe. Another thing I’ve found a love for is gold jewellery and headbands. Headbands in particular at the moment because my hair is growing out and is in between styles, and these have been super helpful in helping me tame it a bit.
Even though I changed my capsule wardrobe from my project 333 one, looking back I still like all of the outfits I made with that wardrobe, but I feel a lot more happy with my updated one. I think my favourite items are the mom jeans, my personalised mom jeans, camel cardigan, printed t-shirts and my grey halter-neck waistcoat top.
Although I didn’t manage my three months with my 33 items, I don’t see it as a complete failure, because at the end of the day I found out what I do and don’t like to wear, which is one of the main goals of the project, so in some ways, the project was actually a success? I’m looking forward to seeing how my wardrobe evolves over the next few months, and if I can find a dress I feel comfortable and happy in. I think my new goal for my capsule wardrobe of sorts is to stay under 50 pieces in total, and not have many items I rarely wear.
And that’s about it for today! What’re your favourite pieces from your wardrobe? Let me know in the comments! I always love replying to you and seeing what you’re up to. And don’t forget you can always keep in touch and up to date with what I’m up to over on my instagram @theweightofmyworlds and on my pinterest also @theweightofmyworlds!
Stay safe my lovelies and have a great weekend! Love,
Hello my lovelies! I hope you’re having a great weekend so far and that it’s not pouring down too much! (That being said, I kind of love thunderstorms..) So, this week shops have begun opening again and lockdown measures are beginning to lessen, which is great news; and if you’re off out to them, please be safe and wear a mask! It’s amazing hearing that lockdown is sort of at its end now, and with shops opening it certainly feels a lot more like how it used to be; but at the same time it feels so strange because I’d gotten so used to everything being shut and no one going out!
Being in lockdown has allowed me to do a range of things I’d either forgotten about, didn’t feel like I had time for and has given me some time with myself and my thoughts. And with everything that’s happened (and still happening), if I didn’t take care of my mental wellbeing, my mind would end up a bit like this:
Naturally, having my mind acting like that is not ideal, so I’ve been taking care of myself by doing all sorts to manage my wellbeing; and I’ve learnt quite a few things about what makes me feel good and sets me up to have a good day.
So, what have I learnt? Well…
Something as small as a good cup of tea can work wonders when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
I’ve been trying all sorts of teas during lockdown and have finally landed on one that I absolutely adore, redbush tea. It’s naturally sweet and smells great. Plus it’s naturally caffeine free, and as someone who has anxiety, decaf is all I drink. I also used to have a heavy sugar and then sweetener addiction, and during lockdown I’ve managed to curb that to the point of only needing one sweetner in my tea since redbush is so naturally sweet. Anytime I feel like I need five minutes completely to myself, I go and get myself a lovely cup of tea and chill out for a few minutes.
Audiobooks are a great escape from the news.
The news has gotten so overwhelming and is the same thing repeated over and over again, so I’ve been limiting how much time I spend listening and watching it and have been listening to audiobooks instead. I found they’re a great way to escape the never ending covid news and just tune out and chill out for a bit.
Plants are an incredible way to brighten up any space and simply put, bring me joy and peace.
I have fallen madly in love with house plants over lockdown. Maybe it’s not being able to go outside much or something else, but I’ve gone from having three fake plants to over 10 alive ones during my time at home. I’ve found they’re a great distraction from everything going on, and they’re something you can focus your energy on even when you don’t feel like looking after yourself. And on top of that you’ll breathe easier with more plants in your space!
Redecorating is a great way to feel refreshed and give you that new start feeling.
I had been in the same space for several years, and it was a pretty dark room due to there being slanted ceilings and only one window. My brother had had the smallest room in the house for years and long story short he kept asking me when I was moving out (gotta love saving for your own place..) so he could have my room. So, I thought about it and decided it’s about time he got a big room. And so, over the course of a weekend we painted, moved furniture and reorganised each others room; now I’m in the smallest room in the house. You might think having a tiny room with only enough space for a clothes rail, bed, desk and bedside table would feel cluttered and give you anxiety; but it’s actually been incredibly refreshing and has encouraged me to completely declutter all of my belongings to what I actually need. My room feels fresh and bright and is the new beginning that I needed.
No one is looking at my scars when I’m out without makeup on. My skin looks fine with and without makeup.
Since we’ve all been inside for a long time, a lot of us who would normally wear makeup regularly have reduced our days wearing makeup to virtually zero. And as nice as I feel when I’m wearing a full face, not being able to touch my face for fear of my makeup coming off everywhere just isn’t worth it anymore for me. So now I only wear a full face when I’m doing a photoshoot. And even then it’s a much paired down makeup routine to my previous one. When I do go outside I wear a tiny bit of clear brow gel, clear mascara and lipgloss; and even then that’s a rare occurrence. At first I was concerned that my acne, rosacea and psoriasis scars would make people stare at me, but to be honest, no one really cares at all. And now I don’t even wear foundation in most of my photoshoots!
A light projector is a great way to rid you of night worries.
I picked up a light projector from amazon after switching rooms with my brother because I had individually stuck 800 glow in the dark stars to my old ceiling and my new room felt weird without them, so this was a great replacement. The light can change colours, project water and stars around the entire room. Plus this projector light is also a speaker and has a timer setting so you can leave it on when you go to bed without fear of it staying on all night and overheating. I like to put on a mix of red and blue light with the stars whilst I listen to meditations or read before bed. It’s super relaxing, and I’d recommend it to anyone who struggles to get rid of worries before bed.
Yoga is a form of meditation for me.
Before lockdown I would practice yoga on and off every now and again, but about halfway through lockdown I started practicing yoga for 30 minutes each day to chill out and reset. I’ve been watching Yoga with Adriene on YouTube and am about 3/4’s of the way through her 30 day yoga practice/challenge. These have helped me unwind after a day at my desk and spend some time acknowledging my thoughts and feelings and let them be what they are. Yoga is something I don’t go a day without now because it allows me to release and explore anything I need to without pushing my feelings down until they inevitably explode out of nowhere.
Just because I’m not going anywhere doesn’t mean I can’t look cute.
Something I used to do before lockdown was wear simple outfits during the work week with a hint of my unique style, and then go all out at the weekend. But since we’ve been inside an awful lot, I have taken pleasure in dressing completely unapologetically in my unique style, going all out with my outfits every day. Gone are the days where I would save outfits for an occasion; because after all, you don’t buy clothes to have them stay on the hanger only to be worn once in a blue moon.
Shaving my hair off is the most freeing and liberating thing I could have ever done.
As you probably know, at the beginning of lockdown I shaved my head. It was something I’d always wanted to do, and lockdown gave me the perfect opportunity to do it. Shaving my head was scary yes, but oh so worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat because I’ve never felt more like myself. It’s helped me reassess what about my appearance I relied on as a comfort blanket and how I feel about how I look. I feel beautiful with and without hair and let me tell you, not having to do your hair in the morning is an incredible feeling.
Time really does heal.
So, at the end of February my ex and I broke up. We’d been together for over 8 years, since we were 15 years old. He was my first love and to be honest I think we weren’t sure what we wanted anymore. To tell you the truth one of the good things about going into quarantine is that its allowed me to process my feelings and work through what I needed to work through, and now, four months on I feel amazing. Time really is a healer and quarantine is the enforced time I needed for myself.
Days doing nothing are necessary.
Looking online I saw so many people talking about how they were working on their next project or finding a side hustle during their time at home, and it made me feel like having a day to do nothing was a waste of all of this new found spare time. But, as someone who hasn’t actually been furloughed and worked the entire way through lockdown whilst simultaneously running her own business, my spare time actually felt shorter than ever before and I began feeling guilty for wanting to spend the day in front of the telly. However, if you don’t take time to look after yourself and recharge, you’re going to burn out. So, I ended up taking a few days holiday during lockdown to literally do nothing. And they were just what I needed to recharge and refresh myself ready to get going again. You haven’t always got to be doing something!
Photoshoots are a great way to boost your mood.
Something I’ve been doing is having photoshoots with no real goal or purpose in mind other than to turn up some music and vibe; and let me tell you, it is such a great way to give you a mood boost. Plus, you get some super cute photos out of it too! I like using this as a tool for testing out new outfit ideas I’ve had as well, and the second I’m vibing in the outfit, it instantly brings a smile to my face making everything even cuter.
Family quiz nights are perfect for catching up with family without the awkward ‘how’s your love life?’ questions.
Most of us have been talking to family and friends even more than before over the last few months, and for my lot, we’ve been having two different game/quiz nights, one board game night on a friday with one side of my family and a quiz on the saturday night with the other side of my family. I love a quiz so these have been so much fun, and since we’re all focused on the game/quiz, all awkward questions you don’t want to answer hardly ever get asked.
Skincare routines are a small way to show yourself some selfcare.
I’ve taken this time at home to fully delve into my skincare routine and find things that truly work for my skin. In the morning I use my Carbon Theory soap bar, followed by a serum or complete care cream (I alternate these daily) and then in the evening I use an aloe vera cleansing foam followed by an aloe vera moisturising gel and then my adapalene retinol cream. I’ve stuck to this routine for about 3 months and my skin has never felt better. Yes, I still have my adult acne, but the texture of my skin has changed and I think my skin tone has evened out a bit. 5 minutes in the morning and evening to look after yourself can really work wonders.
Tarot card readings help me feel centered.
This one isn’t for everyone, but I personally love doing tarot readings. I like to burn some incense sticks, put on some relaxing music and then give myself a tarot reading, focusing on whatever question or worry I’ve had going through my mind. The cards don’t give you direct answers of course, but they can give you a gentle nudge into a direction you could take. And I personally find a little bit of calm in allowing other forces (believe what you want to believe.. if you don’t believe in that sort of thing that’s your choice and you do you) to give me a bit of guidance on what I can do.
Routines are necessary to keep me productive on weekdays.
As nice at it was to work in my pyjamas every single day, it stops the day from being broken up and you can lose a sense of what day it is. So, I’ve created a routine which I stick to every weekday to help my days stop blending into one. I wake up at 6.30am, go get breakfast by 7am, have a cup of tea and then wash my face and brush my teeth; then I watch some youtube or tv and then start work at 8am. I then work until 4pm with a lunch break in the middle and then at 4.30pm I start cooking my tea. By 6pm I workout and shower, then play some animal crossing, watch some tv and then get ready to go to bed and then go to sleep by 10pm. Having structure has helped keep me productive and make sure I’ve scheduled in some time for selfcare.
And those are what I’ve learnt from being in lockdown!
I feel like I’ve grown a lot during lockdown, at the start of lockdown it had been about 3 weeks since my ex and I had split, I was in a completely different space mentally and physically, I was surrounded physical clutter too and I was stressed about all sorts. But now, I’m single and happy, I’ve moved into a new space, I’ve thrown away and donated the majority of my belongings by going minimalist, I’m finally on top of my savings and can manage my finances with (some level of) confidence and I’m now adult enough to keep plants alive and I give even less of a care about how others view my appearance!
Looking back at who I was at the beginning of lockdown is truly like looking at a different person. My family and friends have said I seem more like myself and happier than ever and I can’t help but agree with them. Truth be told I think lockdown was the time out from the outside world that I didn’t know I really needed.
What have you learnt from being in lockdown? Let me know in the comments!
Hello my lovelies! I hope you’ve all had a good week and are looking forward to having a little more freedom now that the lockdown rules are slowly reducing. Now, as you may already know, June is pride month. And since this is my first ever pride month being what I would consider ‘officially out’ as pansexual, I’ve been taking some time reading and learning more and more about pride and the history of the LGBTQ+ community.
So for today’s post I’m going to be giving you a brief lesson on some LGBTQ+ history. Most of my knowledge has come from the LGBTQ+ community, the Stonewall charity (thank you for teaching me about important moments and dates in history and supporting the community for so many years), some LGBTQ+ books (I will be making a list of these in another post very soon) and other websites that I have found online.
I’ll be going through the key dates that I’ve learnt about from Stonewall and some of the history I’ve learnt from some LGBTQ+ books I’ve been reading. Also, if you want to learn the history year to year, please check out Stonewall’s ‘Key dates for lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality’ as it’s super informative.
And with all that said and done, let’s jump into our time machine and get started.
One of the biggest moments in LGBTQ+ history, was the Stonewall riots in 1969. These were a number of violent demonstrations by the LBGTQ+ community against a police raid on the Stonewall Inn. The Stonewall Inn was a pub, and it’s patrons had regularly faced unjust harassment by the police; and on Saturday the 28th June 1969, at 1.20am, eight police officers raided the inn. There were around 200 people in the bar that night and they had had enough of being raided time and time again and refused to accept what was happening to them. So, they refused to cooperate with the police.
The police decided they were going to take every person there into custody and to the station, but the police wagons were not there yet. So this meant patrons had to wait in line for 15 minutes, and if they weren’t arrested (it was illegal to serve alcohol to gay people, for gay people to dance together, to be dressed in drag and women were not allowed to be wearing less than three items of feminine clothing) they were released from the front door. However, to the police’s surprise, those released weren’t leaving, instead they stopped outside and a crowd began to form and watch.
After several minutes around 150 people were stood outside, and when the first police wagon arrived the crowd had increased to at least ten times the number of people who had been arrested. The crowd was tense, and it was when a lesbian was hit on the head with a club after saying her handcuffs were too tight whilst being escorted/thrown into to the police wagon that the crowd finally snapped.
The crowd then attempted to overturn the police wagon, and beer bottles and bricks were thrown. The police were outnumbered by approximately 600 people, ten officers barricaded themselves in the Stonewall Inn for their own safety as everything was being thrown at the building, from bottles to bins; smashing all of the windows and then a parking meter was uprooted and used as a battering ram on the Stonewall Inns doors.
The police trapped in the inn were then freed by the Tactical Police Force of the New York City Police Department when they arrived. And they arrested anyone they could get their hands on and put them in wagons ready to go to jail.
By 4am that same night/day (early morning? However you like to class the early hours of the morning), the streets were finally clear. 13 people were arrested, with some members who were in the crowd being hospitalised and four police officers injured.
Pretty much everything in the Stonewall Inn was broken. No one knows if it was from the riot or the police.
The news of the riot quickly spread through Greenwich Village and then, the following night, the rioting surrounding Christopher street began again. Thousands gathered in front of Stonewall, which had reopened. The crowd filled Christopher street and spilled out into the near streets. Fires were started in bins, and then the police arrived once again with the battle continuing until 4am the next morning.
On the Wednesday, approximately 1000 protesters gathered once again, with another battle between the crowd and police taking place. Protesters and police were injured, shops were looted and five people were arrested.
And that was the riots that put a lot of wheels in motion for the LGBTQ+ community and the changes needing to be made.
A few years after the riots, the first Pride was held in London in 1972, attracting around 2000 participants and has grown ever since!
And then in July 2013 the Marriage Act 2013 was passed in the UK Parliament which then came into force in 2014 with the first same-sex marriages in England and Wales taking place on the 29th March 2014!
Love is love. Love will always win.
I could make this post about 1 million times longer because we have a lot of history. You can check out a timeline here which was put together by Stonewall. And finally, last bit of history for today, here are some names you need to know and remember:
Sylvia Rivera – a queer, Latina and self-identified drag queen who fought tirelessly for transgender rights and the rights of gender non-conforming people and was said to have thrown the first brick in the Stonewall riots. She also started S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) which is a group focused on providing shelter ans support to queer homeless young people with Marsha P. Johnson. She also fought against the exclusion of trans people in New York’s Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act.
Marsha P. Johnson – a black trans woman, sex worker and activist who spent the majority of her life fighting for equality. She was a mother figure to drag queens, trans women and homeless youth. She was alongside Sylvia during the Stonewall riots and founded S.T.A.R together. They were central to the start of the gay liberation movement of the 1970s in the US.
Josephine Baker – a bisexual woman and entertainer of the Jazz Age. She was one of the most successful African-American performers in French history and used her platform as an entertainer to advocate for desegregation. She refused to perform in venues that were segregated and even spoke at the 1963 March on Washington. Josephine also served as a spy for the French in WW2, passing secrets along that she heard from the German soldiers when she performed for them.
Karl Heinrich Ulrichs – a gay man who was the first person to publicly ‘come out’. He was a judge in Germany until his colleagues found out he was gay in 1854, after resigning he became an activist for gay rights.
Michael Dillon – the first trans man to undergo reassignment surgery and transition. He then became a doctor and then served as a naval doctor.
Bayard Rustin – an openly gay man who was a close friend of Martin Luther King Jr, and organiser of the 1963 March on Washington.
There’s so many incredible people that are a part of our history, and if today’s post has taught you anything (I hope it has!), it’s that learning about your history is important and you can never stop learning!
Did you learn anything new from today’s post? Are you celebrating pride this month? I’m excited to be celebrating my first pride and I am extremely grateful for all of those who have fought for what we have right now. Love will always win. Happy Pride Month my loves!
Have a great weekend my lovelies, stay safe!
Love,
If you can, please check out the link here to sign petitions you might not have seen yet, donate and help fight racism! #BlackLivesMatter
Happy Saturday everyone! This week I’ve been busy journaling, catching up with friends and family and I’ve been practicing some selfcare. And speaking of journaling and selfcare; this week I’m going to share with you my top 5 favourite storytime posts I’ve written.
I loved writing this post. For ages I wanted to find out my ancestry and I still go back to look at my 23 and me profile regularly to see that I’ve got more and more DNA relatives!
This post will always hold a special place in my heart. For as long as I can remember I’ve hated my stomach, and that all changed when I wrote this post. I think it’s the furthest I’ve ever pushed myself out of my comfort zone as an experiment and I have stopped hating on my stomach every since. I mean, I still have other parts of my body I like more, but I’m a long way away from hate.
I got a lot of responses from this post. And I think it’s because I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any posts like this about new years resolutions. And I’m happy to say that this one will always be a favourite of mine because I think it raised an important point for lots of people who weren’t a fan of themselves, and why they should learn to love themselves and spent their time on better things than self-hatred.
I am still so so happy that I wrote this post, and it partly came with my new years resolutions and it’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to play the piano. And guess what?! I’ve kept up my learning since this post and I’m not about to stop now! I can’t believe how far my learning has come and I can now play a few beautiful songs from memory and read sheet music!
This post was one I had wanted to write for a really long time, and it’s a post all about my job, why I decided to become an apprentice in my 20s and why it’s important to celebrate your successes, no matter how big or small they are!
So those are my top 5 favourite storytime posts from this year! It’s amazing to me that we’re already 3/4’s of the year through and that I’ve had my blog for over a year and a half!
Have you got a favourite post of mine? I like writing these posts every few weeks as it’s a great way to reflect over what’s been happening and what my favourite topics are to write about!
And that’s all for today! I hope you enjoyed today’s post, it’s always great fun writing about my life, interests, hobbies and being creative in general; coming up with new ideas and posts for you is something I always try to do, and if you’ve got any ideas for posts you want to see from me, let me know in the comments below!
Happy Saturday lovelies! How’s your week been? Mine has been pretty busy but great, because I finally received my certificates for my apprenticeship! Which led to the post I’ve decided to write today!
Here’s a little about me that you might not know; I’m 23, and I’ve been working as an apprentice for the last year and a half. And this week I got my certificate for finishing another qualification level in social media and marketing and I’ve just enrolled to do the next level up for the next 2 years!
Here I am with my college assessor getting my certificates!
Part of why I decided to write this post is because I was reminded this past week that we rarely celebrate our achievements and successes, and it’s important that we do, because even the smallest successes are just that, successes.
Celebrating the little things are important because it increases your self-confidence, self-esteem, it creates a positive mood and you can learn what helped you and why you succeeded so you can do it again!
So, why did I become an apprentice?
I decided to become an apprentice after being unhappy working in a supermarket for a little over a year doing shift work with little sleep. I am however, still grateful for that experience as it helped me develop my people skills!
I never really knew what I wanted to do as a career, other than that I wanted to do something creative. And when I decided I wanted to change jobs, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and it was then that I started thinking about uni and why I didn’t go to university.
There’s several reasons why uni just wasn’t/isn’t for me right now. One being that I couldn’t pick what I wanted to study, there’s too many options and I’m very indecisive. And secondly, because of that, I don’t want to start a degree and then realise it isn’t for me and have student debt at the back of my mind.
So, it was then that I figured an apprenticeship or traineeship was the right thing for me to do. And here’s why: I get to earn money whilst I learn and gain a new qualification and skill, I don’t have to pay for my training, I get experience in a field I’m interested in, get trained in something completely new and I get to join a team of great people.
So where do I work?
For the past year and a half I have been working for a great non-profit organisation called The SUN Network as a social media and marketing manager apprentice. The SUN Network is a small organisation and we gather feedback from people who have accessed/tried to access/are accessing mental health or drug and alcohol services within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, as we believe the people who have accessed the services are the best to influence and shape how those services work in the future.
At The SUN Network we amplify people’s voices and help create opportunities for them to be involved by attending workshops, meetings and by anonymously and confidentially sharing their experiences with services. Working at The SUN Network is great because there’s only 5 of us in the entire team, and we all have lived experiences with mental health and/or drug and alcohol challenges, so we are all very passionate about being able to help other people.
Being 23 and an apprentice does feel a little weird sometimes, partly because apprenticeships are usually associated with people just coming out of school who haven’t worked before. But, I then just remind myself that everyone does things at their own pace, and I love my apprenticeship, job and team. And I love that I am learning new skills whilst getting paid!
If you’re wondering whether or not you want to go to uni or an apprenticeship, I suggest having a look around the different universities and looking online for apprenticeship opportunities, and then you can decide what is best for you. Moral of the story is that you’re never too late to try something new, who knows, you might find your calling!
And that’s it from me for today, it’s a short and sweet post this week because I’ve been super busy! But I always love making some time to write/chat with you. Maybe in a few weeks I’ll let you know what a day in my life and job is like. Have a great week everyone!!
Hello lovelies! How was everyone’s week? Are you looking forward to the Bank Holiday Monday? I know I am! So, you can probably guess from the title of today’s post what I’ll be chatting/writing about. I have been learning to play the piano!
Ever since I was little I wanted to be musically talented. You know what it’s like, ‘I want to be a popstar!’ and all that. But, sadly for me, that was not to be. I have zero musical abilities and have tried, failed and vowed to only listen to music over and over again and give up on my dreams of being able to play an instrument and sing.
Well, about a month and a bit ago, I decided that I was going to learn to play the piano once again. And this time I promised myself that this time I WOULD NOT GIVE UP. If you’ve been in this position before and tried to learn an instrument then you’re likely familiar with feeling super motivated and determined and then trying to play a tutorial from YouTube and then realising you’re in over your head. And then giving up.
Also it didn’t help that last time I tried to teach myself the piano I was trying to do it on a small kiddies keyboard that was bright pink.. you know the ones, you get them from Argos for about £20. Bargain for young kids who are just starting out if you ask me! But maybe not ideal if you’re teaching yourself.. especially if you’re in your twenties..
And when I tried to learn before I had no intention of starting with the basics, I couldn’t read sheet music, couldn’t use both hands to play anything and just generally couldn’t do anything other than the start of maybe one song without any cords.
So, what changed this time?
Well, I decided I wanted to learn to play again when I found a fairly decent keyboard in our loft! This time I WAS going to learn and I was going to take it seriously and practice everyday and actually have some structure to how I was going to learn.
I’d seen adverts for the app Simply Piano (by JoyTunes) more times than I could count so I thought I’d give that a go. The app is a subscription based app but for me, I figured that would give me the motivation I needed to keep learning and not give up on it.
The subscription is about £38 for three months I think, which originally I thought was a lot, but when you think about how much actual lessons with a tutor cost per session, its really cheap! (By the way this isn’t an ad or anything, this is just what I’ve been using and liking!)
So.. on to how the last month and a bit has been. Well, I have been doing at least 30 minutes of piano practice everyday (I try to do 1 hour per day, but sometimes you just haven’t got the time!) and I am actually seeing progress!
I can now read sheet music, which I never had any idea on where to start in learning how to read music before. So that’s as big achievement for me. Also, I can now play quite a few songs with sheet music and I’ve been learning how to play some piano songs I’ve loved forever with the help of some easy YouTube tutorials.
One song I’m super proud of myself for learning (it’s only the super simplified easy version) is Yiruma – River Flows In You. I’ve added the video I learnt from below! Totally recommend this channel for beginner piano tutorials!
I’m definitely going to continue learning and practising the piano because I absolutely love it and I feel like it’s helped me with my mental health too. Music is something I’ve always used to relax and just tune out of whats around me, so being able to play it means the world to me! And I never imagined I would get as far as I have with my learning, and I’m not embarrassed to say I’m super proud of myself for sticking with it!
There are some things to remember when learning to play a new instrument or skill in general; first up, don’t give up! We all have bad days and good days, so even if you’re having a bad day and just can’t seem to get into a groove (pun intended haha), keep trying! Because the next day, you might be able to do whatever you struggled with without any issues!
Schedule away some time everyday to practice, so you know you’ve got time to work on yourself! This has really helped me to keep up with my lessons and progress, because if I didn’t put a reminder in my phone, I’d completely forget to practice.
Learning a new skill won’t happen overnight. It takes patience, practice and time!
Finally, BE PROUD OF YOURSELF. Making the decision to learn a new skill, no matter what it is, can be nerve racking, but so worth it! So be proud of the little things, for me learning to recognise a note on sheet music is huge for me, because I never imagined I’d be able to read music.
Here’s me playing River Flows In You based from the video above! Please be nice, I know it isn’t perfect (and I didn’t have the cables to record it any other way so the quality isn’t great..) but we all gotta start somewhere!
Another thing I’m super proud of is that I’m beginning to be able to play with both hands consistently without looking at them both constantly, which is pretty incredible coming from someone who would play the right hand from music tutorials with both hands..
Alright, I think that’s enough waffling on from me for today haha! Let me know in the comments what instrument you play or would love to learn to play. Also, when I’m confident in my keyboard/piano skills is that something you would want to see? Let me know!!
Have a great day everyone! And Happy May Day for Monday!
Love,
p.s. Here’s me playing the extremely simplified version of ‘Comptine d’un autre été’ from the same YouTube Channel shown above!
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The Weight Of My Worlds 