ins, outs, etc.
Since I’ve last sat down and wrote a blog post, much has changed. For starters, I was living in Nashville with Zack, my partner, and feeling ever-so certain about what the rest of my year would hold. As always, life has a way of surprising me with twists, turns, and changes of plans, perhaps the biggest being my turn away from studying art. While I have discussed it at length over on my YouTube channel, it’s fitting to share it once again, as I made the switch over to being an English major (on the editing and publishing track, if you’re curious). I’m still holding onto art, though, if only as a minor. I couldn’t abandon my childhood passion entirely!
With the start of the new year comes many wonderful new opportunities, beginnings, and resolutions. As you might expect, I’d like to write (and read) more in 2023, including here on my blog. I’m aiming to put out at least one blog post per month, as to not set a goal I have no chance in hell of reaching. Luckily, I have a lighter class load this upcoming semester, so I am hoping to take more time to indulge in my creative practices and hobbies. While I find resolutions exciting, though, I wanted to share my “ins” and “outs” rather than my lofty goals I’ve set for myself. I’ve been loving this format over on TikTok and I wanted to give it a go.
ins:
Fresh air
Mediterranean dishes
Whimsical merriment
Reading/learning something new
Soft sweaters
Lord of the Rings/Tolkien in general
Doing the Wordle
Tumblr
Mixing metals when styling jewelry
Labrinths
Being shamelessly passionate
Ribbon
Gratitude
Writing down dreams (hidden meanings?)
Dinner parties
outs:
Taking Instagram seriously
Nihilism
Piles on the floor
Future tripping
Red meat
Hating yourself
NFTs
BeReal (I’m so sorry it’s just not for me!)
Endless scrolling on social media
Surface-level relationships
Wasteful consumption
Microtrends
Being rude to service workers
FOMO
Driving places/traffic
My roommate Ella and I have dubbed 2023 the year of “whimsical merriment,” which originally started out as a joke. As time has passed, however, its become a resolution of sorts to incorporate more meaningful and fun moments into our day-to-day lives. You may be wondering, what exactly is “whimsical merriment?” (A fair question, might I add— Ella and I were wondering that ourselves when we first started using the term). It came from us watching the Lord of the Rings over this winter break, and watching Bilbo’s birthday party. The scene exemplifies “whimsical merriment”— time spent with those you love, celebrating even the smallest aspects of life, from time outdoors to a meal shared tenderly on a warm evening. “Whimsical merriment” is simply those small moments, often overlooked, that are so magical. A cool breeze through an open window, making yourself a cup of coffee, laughing with your friends— needless to say, we need more of these small wonders in 2023.
As you may be able to tell, I’m also re-entering my Lord of the Rings era again, both by watching the movies and reading the books. I’m even convincing Ella to be fan! I could ramble on and on about why (in my humble opinion) they’re the best movies and books ever made, but that’s for another time. I’m actually hoping I have the chance to explore Tolkien’s writing further in some of my English classes here at UNC! I won’t go into detail for each item on my “In” list, but I wanted to provide a bit more context for the two points discussed above.
It was actually quite difficult for me to muster up an “Out” list, as I tend to avoid projecting negativity as often as I can. As a result, most of my “out” list is perhaps a bit specific to me rather than being general. For instance, I’ve developed a deep distaste for Instagram recently, favoring TikTok for sharing content about my day-to-day life. Instagram no longer inspires me, and I have opted to stop taking it so seriously and try posting whatever I feel like. I want to experiment with sharing longer captions or more textual elements (perhaps even my in/out list for the new year). Regardless of how I move forward with Instagram, I certainly feel like taking it seriously is OUT! Casual and candid moments of everyday life are in!
Much of my lists, as I mentioned, are quite personal to me, but, regardless, I still wanted to share them. I’m including my 2023 playlist here as well for further New Years inspiration. Let me know your “Ins” and
”Outs” for 2023 on Instagram!
I’ll talk to you all soon.
XX, Sadie Jane
