Although it's starting to feel like Spring is finally on its way, most of this month Columbus has been covered in an endless white blanket of snow and ice. It was all very exciting at first, but after the novelty wore off I became reluctant to venture out into my garden or go for walks on the treacherous icy roads. So, you may notice my February inspiration includes some happy colorful escapism!
Music
Making a big change from last month, I've recently been listening to a lot of Chillhop while I work. I find that the repetitiveness gets me into a good work flow and helps me to focus. My favorite (read: the one I play on repeat every day) is this Zelda Chillhop mix! In fact, I'm listening to it right now as I type...
Books Games
I haven't been much in the mood to read this month for some reason, and have turned instead to video games! Continuing with the Zelda theme, I've returned to my ancient GameCube to play The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The graphics have held up surprisingly well over time, and there's nothing quite like being able to sail all over their adorable open world setting in my little dragon boat when feeling cooped up in the real world.
Art
This month, I've been visually craving bright happy colors and pick-me-up pieces. If you have too, look no farther than YoYo the Ricecorpse. A friend first introduced me to her work through her delightful, whimsical Webtoon Ramen Friends, which is at the same time incredibly relatable and constantly surprising. I love the roundness of her characters, and the simple joy they seem to express. Her work never fails to make me smile.
Crafts
This may seem like cheating, but this month I was mostly interested in drawing as my crafty outlet. It was nice to take some time to doodle up a few things just for myself, without wondering if it would be successful or relatable enough to make into a card. I was very pleased with how the bathtub illustration (cover of this post) turned out, and found it very relaxing to create. I would like to do a few more in this series, with different plants and characters.