2020 was unproductive for me to say the least. 2021 probably won't provide a better global backdrop, either. I know one thing for sure, though. From now on, when I pray, "Father, thank you for this day," I won't take a normal, healthy day for granted. This year, I want to make the most of what I've been given.
the way down
As I watched the early stages of COVID, I began limiting outdoor activities in January, and social distancing was officially mandated months later. Being separated from people all year is draining. Even if I'm a quiet person, I get my energy from those around me. Obviously the global pandemic produced heart-wrenching footage and headlines from China, Italy, South America, and my local area, but 2020 threw another unrelated set of troubles at me, too. Going through everything without being able to go out and have fun left me beaten down and unfocused.
the way back up
After an indoor year, going out became such a fantasy. Outside of work or special events, I viewed makeup as little more than complementary to my outfit. Now, a simple grocery trip feels so exciting that it feels worthy of my cutest clothes and makeup.
I'm more of a lipstick and complexion products girl, so face masks forced me out of my comfort zone. I started watching >100K beauty youtubers like Lauren Mae Beauty, Hannah Louise Poston, and Angelica Nyqvist for eyeshadow tutorials. It turns out nobody makes tutorials anymore, but GRWMs and other modern equivalents incorporate self-reflection about makeup, particularly the wastefulness of large collections. (This is an aside, but this is a pocket of Youtube where girls act like it's normal to have a storeroom full of PR makeup and still buy makeup on a monthly basis. Then they constantly preach down at viewers for our consumerism, all while sharing affiliate links and hyping new releases lol. It's wild. Last time I watched makeup Youtube, no one knew what PR was. They just shared techniques and did skits.) It's bizarre what happened to makeup Youtube, but the new "minimalism" wave resonated with the wastefulness of my time and resources during 2020. It's silly, but it snapped me out of my funk.
panning
Minimalist makeup youtubers value panning and product empties. When they continuously collect new releases, either through PR or compulsive shopping, they rarely use a product more than once. #Projectpan and #panporn criticize this behavior and are full of well-loved makeup, like this Instagram girl's powders.
Panning obviously encourages you to buy less and all that, but the message that stands out to me is to use the things you love. Makeup gets discontinued all the time, so there's a natural tendency to save your favorites. That's wasteful, since makeup is more likely to expire than empty. If it's your favorite, you should use it every single day!
panning other areas of life
I guess the concept is obvious, but panning spoke to me. The wisdom can be applied anywhere - unfinished projects, videogame backlogs, unread book collections, skipped Bible readings, stocked up baking ingredients, unused art supplies, ignored MOOCs, forgotten exercise equipment, and hoarded assets and libraries...For each item in those areas, I could have been developing skills, gaining new perspectives, and having fun. Otherwise, it's just junk taking up space and expiring.
In 2021, I'm going to be more intentional about enjoying my time at home. It's February, and I already finished 2 books, made freezer cookie logs, and finally completed a playthrough of Planescape: Torment. This is coming from a girl who was too bummed out to finish a single game or read a single book all last year, too. The pandemic may have disrupted my life, but stifling myself isn't healthy.
Happy (belated) New Year. Enjoy 2021 to the fullest. :)