5 Things That Are Making Me Happy Right Now
A Clean House
This year instead of going out to a fancy anniversary dinner (due to COVID closures), we hired an amazing crew to give our house a much-needed spring cleaning. It’s a bit of a guilty pleasure but OMG so worth it. One of the things that motivates me to keep working hard to build up my career is the idea that someday I could afford to have someone clean my house FULL TIME. Yeah, baby that’s what I’m talking about! It’s not that I can’t clean. I just fucking hate it.
I mostly hate cleaning because it takes time away from doing what makes me truly happy (See no. 3, below). A chore that you think is going to take 10 minutes ends up taking 3 hours because you see all the other housework that needs to be done once you get started. You’ve been there, you get me.
So, yeah, if you have a creative person in your life and are wondering what to get them as a really nice gift? Housecleaning.
Studio Vlog Goals:
2. YouTube
I’ve been eschewing TV news & drama for comedies and artful things. Here are two YouTube channels that I’ve been getting into lately:
Natasha Newton Art — Natasha likes in Surrey in the UK and shows little tours of her studio, garden walks, and outdoor adventures. Her painting styles a quiet homage to folk art in muted tones, and her vibe is soothing and casual. Not to mention the scenery is breathtaking. Her video about how to paint on seaglass is partially responsible for getting me back into my message stones.
Furry Little Peach — a.k.a. Sha’an D’Anthes is an Australian illustrator with a colorful palette, youthful style, and energetic vibe. Her main man, Rocket often appears to pitch in as a willing partner. Their enthusiasm is palpable.
Both artists have a great quality to their videos and edits, which can most likely be attributed to a background in the design world. They’re setting the bar for me as far as video making goals.
3. Painting
I’ve got a project in the works right now to focus on building my illustration skills. But in between that tight, structured drawing I need to loosen up, and painting has been doing it for me. This piece is an abstract color study. (sold)
Lauren Lapkus and David Spade
4. The Wrong Missy & the uprise of the goofball female lead.
Yes, It’s trope-y, predictable & formulaic but only in the way that it reminds you of your other favorite movies of this genre: Silly, raunchy sophomoric comedy. Only this time the goofy comic lead is a woman! (Lauren Lapkus) And she’s freaking hilarious. David Spade goes back to plating the straight man, with a little bit of the Richard vibe from Tommy Boy.
If you liked 50 First Dates, We’re the Millers, Forgetting Sara Marshall, Trainwreck, and the like, Then this should be right up your alley. Funny, great chemistry, beautiful locale, beautiful people, just the right amount of Gen X middle school humor, and cameos by Rob Schneider, Molly Sims, and — no kidding — Vanilla Ice. See it on Netflix, here.
If you’re looking for something more age appropriate for kids that features quirky confident female characters, I suggest:
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
An actual Book to read.
PLUS the audiobook is narrated perfectly by John Ritter.
And I haven’t seen it but there’s a film adaptation on Disney+.
Troop Zero
If the Island of Misfit Toys decided to form a Girl Scout knockoff group. Sweet, pure, inspiring, and fantastic supporting roles by Allison Janney, Viola Davis, and Jim Gaffigan. Great for the awkward pre-teen in your life. On Amazon Prime.
5. TikTok
“I keep hearing about this TikTok, isn’t it just for kids?” NO. It’s for everyone, and the awesome thing is it’s just FUN. No politics, no judgement, do your own thing and be your own person. Yes, there can be trolls just like everywhere else, but for the most part everyone on TikTok is all about either entertaining one another, educating, or lifting each other up. And yes, there are a lot of kids on there, but there’s a lot of everybody else too. So if you’re #over30, #over40, an #olddude or #grandma, you are welcome on TikTok.
“But what IS it?”
You can watch (but not post) the videos online, much like Instagram’s user interface.
For a selection of a few recent favorites, click the links below:
@sterlingtorres - shuffle dance & tutorials
@NYskatequeen - old school skating & humor
@danfleyshman3 - solid marketing & entrepreneurship
@garyvee - the king of entrepreneurship & branding (explicit language warning)
@jera.bean and @ashleyrosereeves - TikTok tips
And, the reigning Queen of TikTok, @charlidamelio at 56 MILLION followers and counting.
And don’t forget to check out ME on TikTok!
One of my videos has over 62K views! Update: I’m now at over 1,000 followers, and over 300K views!
Besides learning how to dance and how to TikTok, there is a ton of other content! Everything from Gardening to Yoga — Way too much to cover here. Comment below if you’d like a deeper dive into TikTok and some great accounts to follow.
Bonus
This Spotify playlist, shared with me by an amazing female friend. It’s very chill if you need some soothing background music to help you get into a flow state.