Well! My winter has been going pretty well as far as mood. Using my light box also helped me maintain something resembling a normal sleep schedule, instead of my body insisting it couldn't be nighttime, because there hadn't been any daylight yet! However, I wasn't really very motivated, which is different from being depressed. I have interest in doing things I find enjoyable, but my body hasn't been responding with physical energy to get things done. From experience, this should start getting better very soon, so I'm trying not to let myself get discouraged. I'm thinking that I should do as many photo shoots as possible through my more productive time of the year, although I've also been suffering from lack of concentration lately. It's frustrating being bored, because you can't even focus on a five minute YouTube video!
However, I'm doing a lot better today (after being sick for almost a week on top of everything else!) These are a few things that I've been wanting to share, that won't require a ton of writing on my part.
For one thing, I'm going to an annual Pullip doll lovers event called
PUDDLE. This year it takes place on June 6th, in Elk Grove, Illinois, which is a suburb of Chicago. I've been wanting to go to another doll convention since the Tonner event, and there really don't seem to be that many out there anymore. The Barbie convention is out of my budget, besides which I'm not that big of a Barbie fan overall. I'm hoping that PUDDLE will be an enjoyable experience.
Partially to get to know other Pullip doll collectors before the convention, I'm going to be trying to post more Pullip pictures on my
Instagram account. This is the best I could do last month, but March should be better.
Of possible interest to doll photographers are these two sets I saw in the #SNAPSTAR line. I think Aspen's studio is more interesting, as it has the star shaped spotlight *and* a separate spotlight with three color filters. Echo's set only has one spotlight, although it also has the "pink carpet" props. Anyway, these sets might be a budget opportunity to pick up some small-scale lights for photography.
I have so many posts that I've been wanting to make! Hopefully, the rest of 2020 will be better for this blog.
Barb, we are always happy when you do post, so no judgement. I have a ton of things to do and I rejoice if I can just begin something.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information on this doll. I don't know about her. I am sure you will have big fun at the upcoming doll convention. I love going to doll events and conventions. I can't wait to hear about your adventures there.
Aww, thank you, Dorothy! I also have a ton of things to do, and I'm hoping that I can begin (and finish) more this month.
DeletePullip dolls come from Japan. Even though I've seen Pullips off and on for years, I wasn't interested in them because of the head being so much larger proportional to the body. But I've gotten used to it, at least with the Pullips. I forgot that Madame Alexander has a convention too! But I only have two Cissys, and the Travel Friends dolls, so a Madame Alexander convention wouldn't be very interesting for me either.
If it makes you feel any better, I rarely have the attention span for a five minute you tube video. . . Actually I'm at the point where my favourite tv show is five minutes long and designed for small children! Lol.
ReplyDeletePuddle sounds fun. I wish I knew of stuff like that around here. Is Chicago far from you?
Those Snapstar sets look interesting. Might look them up and see if there are any elements I could take.
Lightboxes rock!
Are you watching Gudetama? :D I don't know you accomplish things as well as you do with that kind of attention span. Seriously.
DeleteChicago is just about a five hour drive; it's about 550km from here. Five hours driving, for me, is not that bad, and I'm planning on getting in on Thursday and leaving on Sunday (there are unofficial things going on Friday.)
I'm definitely happy I have my lightbox to help get me through the winter.
Lol, I'm watching Bluey. Sometimes even streaming it once the kids are in bed. This year so far, I've been pretty good at tricking myself into getting stuff done.
DeleteFive hours isn't a bad drive. Unless you're in a rush.
This Pullip meet sounds nice. We don't have a lot of dollmeets in my country. Especially more organized ones. I hope you will feel better soon :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you like the picture. :) I hope the outlet toy store gets one or both of the sets.
ReplyDeleteBronchitis is hard to live with, so I hope that you and your family get better soon!
Thank you, Natalia; I am feeling much better. I wish I knew any doll collectors (besides Tammy) who live close to me, but I'm glad that this convention is relatively close. It's too bad that there aren't a lot of dollmeets around you.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you posting again Barb. It's a great photo of your little Pullip. We don't have any Pullip shows here, but doll meets of any kind are usually great fun, so I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. :)
ReplyDeleteBig hugs,
X
Thank you! I'm glad I'm going to be meeting Pullip collectors, because there don't seem to be a lot of us! I'm nervous about meeting a bunch of new people, but nothing ventured, nothing gained!
DeleteHi again! I'm glad to hear you're feeling a bit better now. It's hard to be motivated when you're also feeling low on energy. When I'm going through a rough patch, what works better for me is try not to think on on the ammount of things I have to or should do, but instead focus on one thing at a time. If I don't do so, I feel overwhelmed and I end up being less productive.
ReplyDeleteThe Snapstars playsets seem to be a cute idea, and I do agree that Aspen's seems to be more interesting. The light filters could offer interesting effects for doll photography.
Hope you start feeling better soon and that you have a lot of fun in the convention. Hugs.
Thank you for the advice on focus. It is definitely better not to try to be accomplishing a whole bunch of things at once, when your mind/body are not cooperating.
DeleteI am interested in the light filters as well. It might be fun to experiment before buying something larger and more expensive.
I'm pretty much back to normal health-wise, thanks very much!
Don’t feel bad about not having the energy to post. It happens to me all the time. Sometimes just replying to comments is tough! When I start struggling, I simplify things into "baby steps", like writing only one sentence or working on just part of a craft. It takes a little longer to finish, but the project gets done all the same��.
ReplyDeleteThose Snapstar sets are really neat! Personally, I kind of like Echo's set. Her video camera, spotlight, and green screen would make excellent props. Hopefully, our Walmart will get them in stock��.
I hope you enjoy the doll convention. I hear they are a ton of fun.
I need to get better at the baby steps. Sometimes my brain needs to be convinced that a starting a project doesn't mean that I have to put in a lot of work at that point.
DeleteI had fun at the only doll convention I've been to, but I hope this one will be better.
Hidy, I accidentally deleted your comment on my last post! I was able to answer your question regarding library hours, though! Hope all is well with you and that the early arrival of spring has helped your SAD somewhat.
ReplyDeleteIs there any word on the convention, in light of this coronavirus mess???
We're all okay here, thank you. It's feeling a little cramped being at home with Mr. BTEG and the Dancer almost 24/7, but at least we have food and shelter, for us and for the pets.
DeleteI got an email a couple weeks ago from one of the convention runners, who said that they're not canceling the convention yet, as it is still a good while off. Hopefully with the arrival of warmer weather, virus transmission will taper off, as it usually does.