Major

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. I've been feeling a lot better lately but not 100%. Hopefully it will slowly climb there. In the meantime I leveled with my doctor about how bad I've felt and I'm waiting on the results of more indepth tests in-case there is something underlying. Fruit really has been my best friend lately. That and figuring out when and why I want sugary/carb laden foods. While I can throw away unhealthy foods at home, my coworkers think it's pretty awesome to have the office stocked with chocolates... So I've gotten in the habit of telling myself it's for them and not me- actually imagining myself stealing their lunch out of the fridge if I want to eat the community bag of Reeces Pieces. It's worked surprisingly well! We can do this!

At the start of the year I told myself I was cleaning up my diet and eliminating sugar, exercising more -the works. Unfortunately I wasn't entirely committed. Sugary food tastes awesome! Some days I ate great, other days reverted back. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and I've noticed unusual symptoms. Like clockwork, a few hours after eating, the tips of my fingers go cold and blue. Little things started to piss me off to the point I was nearly throwing objects ( I am in no way an angry person)! I get the shakes, and eventually need to put on two jackets just to feel some semblance of warmth. I realized last week that the quickest way to feel warm and 'stable' again is to jam something sugary in my mouth. Mentally, this made me feel awful but at least my fingers were functioning. I headed to the doctor where both thyroid and A1C tests came back normal. So last Saturday I truly committed to no sugar/grains and for the weekend I felt awesome. I was warm all day and actually smiling -not wondering what my body is trying to tell me. Monday and today however, the coldness is creeping back and I'm just hoping I'm not back at square one. I'm not asking anyone provide me a medical diagnosis, Only, has anyone had similar symptoms cutting back on sugar? I'm hoping it's my body readjusting to living without the steady supply of carbs and sugar I'd previously been feeding it. On a positive note, my fitness level has gotten better! Not knowing what's wrong is taxing and for now I'm going to have to accept the fact that this game of life has suddenly rebooted me on a harder difficulty.

I stuck it out and finished my piece. If I hadn't made the commitment, it would have stayed in my doodles folder. I've actually felt happier the past two days knowing 'hey, I created something!'

Thanks! For this first one, I picked a piece I have already started and gave myself two weeks. That time has flown by, especially since I haven't been taking my drawing seriously for so long. My current guidelines are two weeks for an unfinished piece, and one month for a new one. It depends on how you work and function best. Does one week for a picture seem doable to you? if so go for it! I'm giving myself some slack to remember how to draw so to speak, and for the real world to get in the way. I may adjust it as I go along. April 1st, I'll post my piece!

Thanks! For this first one, I picked a piece I have already started and gave myself two weeks. That time has flown by, especially since I haven't been taking my drawing seriously for so long. My current guidelines are two weeks for an unfinished piece, and one month for a new one. It depends on how you work and function best. Does one week for a picture seem doable to you? if so go for it! I'm giving myself some slack to remember how to draw so to speak, and for the real world to get in the way. I may adjust it as I go along. April 1st, I'll post my piece!

I'm learning to do the same thing, and new to N/F. I'll have had a full time day-job for one year now and I haven't made any artwork I'm proud of in years. I've set myself a deadline (three days left to finish!) and wrote out a whole list of more deadlines throughout the year to stay accountable. I've been getting home, eating dinner and drawing. The household I'm currently in loves watching TV shows for the rest of the night, but for the past two weeks, I've had to make the difficult decision of saying no and sitting myself down to draw in another room for at least 30 minutes. That way if I have other things that need to get done, I can attend to them after drawing. Otherwise that half hour almost always ends up 2 or more until it's time to go to bed. Good Luck rebel artist!

I hate deadlines. But I've found out I also work best when they're there. Without them, I accomplish a whole lot of nothing. Once I'm down to the wire, everything superfluous disappears and every decision matters. There's no more second guessing. And while I may never chase down any bad guys in real life, I imagine the flow of time to be similar. I haven't made any artwork I've been proud of for years. Today marks three days left of my self-imposed deadline to make a good drawing. I'm both terrified and completely ready to punch out my newly created enemy. Here I go! Anyone else work best defeating deadlines?

Glad to see fellow rebel newbies! Totally late reply, but vacation threw my availability out of whack. I enjoy fantasy artwork have thought about pursuing illustrating children's books (I'll have to get a lot more focused if I'm going to level up my art career). My favorite skill is understanding how the right colors can make a better picture. I'll have to check out those podcasts. P.S.I love that fitness is such a great balance to hunching over and drawing for hours.

My name is Laura and today's the day I'm joining the Rebellion community. I used to be highly active in competitive sports and it's time I earned back what I once took for granted. Several times I tried to jump into my old exercise routines which led to rolling in pain for days... On top of that I psyched myself out of getting a job doing the one thing I love -digital illustration- and have ended up in a normal day job with little prospect for advancement. I picked up a copy of Level up Your Life about a week ago and I know I'll never revert back to my old mindset. I can't wait to start leveling up and encouraging others along the way. One of my goals is to help others with their artwork, perhaps I can find some fellow artists along the way!