ISSUE 9 ◦ by Heidi Horchler

Creatures of Habit | 4.10.20

Something I’ve been working on this year is to become more organized. (My parents & those of you who’ve known me for a long time just laughed - I can hear you.) I realized when I was back at school that part of the reason I did well is that I’m good at following directions. Maybe it’s all those years of theatre, but hey give me something to do, how you want it done, and I’m your girl. I got this. But just me by myself? - no parameters, no schedule, no one telling me “Ok, blog is due on Monday, video is due on Friday, this art project on this day, the next art project on that day,” and… I’m kinda lost.

The only problem is that I have things that I want to accomplish (goals) and in order to reach those goals, I have to adjust my habits. To that end, I’ve been studying guides on business and creative productivity. The latest of the reads is Atomic Habits, by James Clear.

In his book, Clear points out that most people, when trying to gain a new good habit or get rid of a bad one, usually make the mistake of biting off more than we can chew. If we go from no workout to working out, we hit it hard for two days, exhaust ourselves, don’t see any results, and figure “why bother?” Thus the high burnout rate of New Year’s resolutions by February.

The answer is not to take on a huge new task, but to alter our systems. We create small (atomic) habits, built into ones that we already have in place. For instance, if your normal system is to wake up, feed the dog, & have a cup of coffee; then you can add in a simple habit such as wake up, feed the dog, do 3 pushups, have a cup of coffee. By giving yourself small attainable goals that fit into your already established routine, you create a new habit.

I usually fall short of goals I set for myself and to be honest, this very newsletter was a way of forcing myself to be accountable. If I say to myself “Oh, I’ll do a blog post next week,” then by not doing it, the only person who knows about the failure is me. But by publicly offering a newsletter and promising delivery of it every month, if I fail to produce then I let down more people than just myself. So for those of you who read regularly, thank you. You’re helping me in more ways than you know!

The next stage of accountability is going to be focusing on specific projects and getting them done. I will highlight individual projects in my BLOG POSTS, starting Monday (see what I’m doing there?), but here are some ideas:

Using the #The100DayProject challenge on instagram, I will use the hashtags #100daysofdrawing and #hhdraweveryday. Drawing every day will help me develop the sketches and ideas I need to work toward my professional goals, and having the accountability of the challenge will help keep me on track.

IDEAS:

• ABC Flashcards: I made my kids a set of alphabet flashcards when they were little (below). I used a free graphics program that came with our computer, printed, and laminated them with contact paper. They resurfaced recently and I thought it would make a fun activity for parents as a free download to print, color and practice ABCs with their kids. This will be a challenge, as I’ll have to do 26 drawings, as well as the letters.

• CHARACTERS: I’ve had a few books in my head for years now that I’d like to illustrate. I’ve never really been into drawing people, and this is where I’ll need this skill.

• THE PEARL: The name of one of my picture books. If I can ever get this to come to fruition, it will be amazing.

  Follow along, and let me know what you think!

Things to watch, read, or listen to:

Just for fun

In Memoriam

Lastly, I would be remiss not to acknowledge the craziness that is going on in the world today. With COVID-19 wreaking havoc, it has given a lot us pause to be thankful for our health, caution for our interactions both in public and at home, and consideration for those in the trenches - those who are ill; those who have friends or family members dealing with it and not being able to help; those healthcare workers giving their all; and others who are providing us with food, transportation, and other necessities at this time. 

In our family, we recently had a scare. My dad was taken to the hospital with similar symptoms & taken to ICU for trouble breathing. While we were waiting for test results, I have to say it was the most scared I’ve been in a long time. Thankfully he was COVID negative. The symptoms were due to a nasty infection, and as I type this he is preparing go home today.

But the experience, if nothing else, taught me empathy for what those family members must be going through: the ones with a loved one in critical care, and no way to see or speak with them; not being able to hold their hand, hug them, or tell them you love them; the patients who bear it alone and the nurses who must stand in as surrogate family.

My heart goes out to everyone at this time. Healthy or not; employed or not; those who have to work from home while schooling your kids; those with grandkids that you can’t visit for the time being, and those who are working night and day to help others. I’m not going to tell you to wash your hands or wear a mask or any of the other “You shoulds” that we’re bombarded with on a daily basis. You don’t need me to tell you that. But if you have a moment, take a deep breath in, deep breath out. Be kind to yourself, and extend patience & understanding outward. Hate, fear, and derision will only fuel the fire. Love and empathy quench the flames.

May you and your loved ones be safe, healthy & happy.

xo

Heidi

This month’s project:

This month, I’m sending you to my video to Make a Collage Box! It is adaptable to your skill level and/or materials available.

If you’ve missed previous projects, check them out here!

Announcements

I was interviewed for Voyage Phoenix magazine! Read it here.

My online store is live! Click here to view.

Also a reminder about email notifications for my blog posts: I’ve set up a new email list for them! This will be separate from the newsletter subscription, so it will require you to enter your email again, this time on my blog subscription form, here (scroll about halfway down). But don’t worry, no one sees your info besides me, and I will never EVER share it.

Please leave a comment on my videos on YouTube or Instagram.

Thank you — as always — for your support.

Heidi

P.S. As always, feel free to ask questions. Reach out through any of the social links on my website (below) or email me at heidhorch@gmail.com.