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Try something new

7/31/2014

 
This summer has been CRAZY BUSY. But not so terribly busy that I haven't found time to try some new things.
Top three new things I have done this summer:

1. TRAVEL TO NEW PLACES 
I went far away to Sicily, but I also went to the BlackRock Medieval Festival in Augusta, Michigan which is not too far away. When I can't go somewhere far, I go somewhere close by but new-to-me. I love to explore new towns and see what makes them unique. Get in the car and go 30 minutes in a new direction, or get on your public transit and get off at an unfamiliar stop. Ask your friends for their favorite underrated places. You are never too old for a field trip!

2. MAKE NEW FRIENDS
This gets harder as we get older, I know. But reaching out to someone new and making a connection is still exciting as an adult. With the benefit of the internet, you can make friends with people who don't even live in your town. I have discovered that my kids gravitate towards other kids who have interesting parents--which makes it easier for me to make new friends, for sure. I'm also currently attending grad school and making friends there. I love meeting new people and hearing their stories, and if we meet in person you will discover that I do a lot more listening than talking.

3.LISTEN TO NEW THINGS (in my case this is both music and podcasts)
 I'm currently enjoying a podcast by SeanWes, which focuses on business and creativity. Last week I was combing through the back catalog of his podcasts and came across one that suggested rising earlier than usual to devote time to writing. I've been doing that for a few days now and I plan to continue on--there's something about those quiet early morning hours that seem so much more productive than the end-of-the-day hours. 
If your life is super hectic, and you are wondering when you will have time to listen to a podcast I urge you to get creative with your time. I listen to podcasts when I clean the house--it takes an otherwise mundane task and turns it into a somewhat enjoyable task. I also listen to podcasts when I'm in the later stage of artwork (once all the design choices have been resolved and I am on auto-pilot).
As far as music goes, you can ask for recommendations from friends or you can rely on the algorithms of Pandora--whatever fits your style. 

Those are my top three new things this summer. Tomorrow is the first day of August and summer will be winding down. I will be buried under a pile of books as I try to get a jump on assigned reading for the fall semester. 

    Kara DeCarlo

    Visual artist & librarian. 

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Photos used under Creative Commons from Jim Larrison, beketchai, KathrynW1, Orin Zebest, gruntzooki