Ever So Slightly.......Rubbish!

How on earth did I manage to get through the year without blogging! I have been full of good intentions for so long, always thinking that I should blog about this or that and never actually getting round to it.

The truth be known, I am not entirely sure that anyone actually wants to read about my life. I read lots of other blogs, all fabulous, with engaging content, wonderful photographs and from talented and knowledgeable people who have lots of interesting things to say. Here's little me, who spends her life juggling three hundred things and firefighting her way through life, with a mind full of so many ideas about what I want to do with my art and my business.

I see so many accounts on social media, run by women who seem to have the ability to manage multiple businesses, families and still look glamorous and put together all of the time. I feel like I am winning at life if I manage to have a shower and wash my hair, with enough time to put on some makeup and not look like I have been dragged through a hedge backwards (which on some days I actually have been!).

Why is it that we compare ourselves so much to others? Why do we feel inadequate if our homes are not styled to look like something out of a country manor, or we are not decked head to toe in the latest country fashion? Or is it just me?

My life is wonderful in so many ways, however I am juggling a consultancy business, a part time job, running a small livery yard from home and trying to find enough time to focus on my art. Add to that running a house, cooking, cleaning, shopping etc and it's no wonder I look like a washed out rag!

However, one of the things I try to do every day, is find something to be grateful for. Even the smallest thing. I am a firm believer that the more positive you are, the more positive things happen, the law of attraction is a powerful thing and I try hard to remember every day that you never know what is going to be thrown in your path. If you had told me four years ago that I would be striving to make a living from painting, I would have laughed. The desire to be able to give up all the other things I do, to focus purely on my artwork, is strong and I don't think it will ever go away until I have managed to achieve all the things I want to, and even then there is always more to be done.

So I will continue to wear jumpers with holes in them, hair piled on my head in a messy bun, posting honest content and try hard not to compare myself to others. I am fairly certain that the reality behind those accounts that I strive to emulate, is very much like my own. Just a woman (or man) with a desire to be the best version of themselves they can be, putting their best foot forward and ensuring they project the positive image that we all see, despite there potentially being a toddler hanging off a leg, just out of shot, or the fact that from the waist down, they are actually wearing jogging bottoms and slippers and beyond the photographs that they post is a giant pile of washing, last night's dirty dishes and a hoover that has been tucked into the corner of the room for the last three days, that they just haven't had the chance to use yet!

The best thing I believe we can all do is support all those businesses we follow, remember that behind every social media account is a person, who had to start somewhere, spent years working hard to get to where they are and probably feeling exactly like I do at the moment. It is all worth it in the end.

Keep hustling, keep strong and remember, there is always something to be grateful for. I for one am grateful if you actually managed to read this far and not fall asleep or decide that I am wittering on about something I know nothing about!