goals – Elysian Artiste

it’s almost the roaring twenties again!// feat. end of the decade book tag and more rambles

Published on December 29, 2019December 29, 2019 by 💫Ava💫4 Comments

So I just looked at my calendar and realized that in two days the decade is over. It was literally just January first and all I wanted to do was blink and now its almost twenty flipping twenty!

Welcome back to my itsy-bitsy corner of the web! Once again I am sorry for my inconsistent posting, I kinda have a bittersweet relationship with my blog. Some days I am in love with it and I would write posts all day and other days I just feel burdened by it xD

But enough of my rambling! I have a lot of stuff planned for this post that will hopefully be interesting and fun so let’s get started!

the 2010s. The decade of Vine, and memes and oK bOomEr and more awesome stuff is ending. It actually doesn’t make sense like all of a sudden I’m panicking and wondering how this happened so fast. GUYS I’M A LITTLE SCARED TIME IS GOING BY WAY TOO QUICKLY.

now let’s talk about boOOooOOOoooOOOooks!

^_^ end of the decade book tag ^_^

I found this tag on youtube and thought it would be fun to do! (SINCE THE WHOLE DECADE IS ENDING AND STUFF!) Let’s get started!

1. favorite book/ series of the decade

I have enjoyed so many great series throughout the decade and it’s so hard to choose! I think my top two would be the Lunar Chronicles and The Chronicles of Narnia! I also really enjoyed the Grisha series!

2. book that has impacted your reading the most

I’m not really sure! So many books have impacted me a lot so its really hard to remember which ones truly stood out. I think maybe Darius the Great is Not Okay, or Operation Beautiful.

3. book you recommended the most

Ahhh I don’t know! Once again there are so many books that I have read and loved that I am uncertain which ones to recommend xD! I think maybe Darius the Great is Not Okay!

4. prettiest book of the decade

What’s up with all the hard questions OMG. There are so many pretty covers that I can’t name them all but my top three are Finale, Cress, and Six of Crows!

5. favorite author of the decade

This is soo hard! There are so many amazing authors and it’s incredibly hard to choose my favorite because I adore all of there writing styles and the way they build their worlds and develop their characters. I think my favorite is probably Marissa Meyer. She has inspired me to write so much and I adore her world-building and her characters!

6. a book(s) you want to read before the end of the decade

Welp, I achieved my goal of reading 100 books this year so I think I am pretty much-done reading!

7. a genre you hope to read more of

I want to try to read more non-fiction. As much as I adore fiction, reading too much fiction has given me a lot of unrealistic ideals and has become a huge outlet of procrastination and avoiding things I need to get done and get over. I hope that reading more non-fiction will help me appreciate the world a bit more instead of getting jealous of or falling in love with fictional characters

8. reading plans for the end of the decade

I don’t really have many!

9. reading plans for the new decade

I hope to start book journaling and keeping track of everything I read. I want to kind of write down important parts or quotes from books so I don’t forget them! I want to try to read 150 books in 2020 and try my best not to reread books but actually read new books outside of my comfort zone.

10. habits you’re leaving behind in the 2010s

Comparing myself to others. Negative thinking and negative thoughts about myself. Procrastination and self-loathing.

^_^ some goals for 2020 ^_^

blog more consistently
think more positively
act friendlier
stop having huge crushes and focus on building friendships
stop worrying
exercise more
finish and publish a book
learn guitar
act in a musical or play
start a buisness
start a youtube channel
try getting a job
draw more
make more friends
spend more time with God
read my bible more
stop falling in love with random people
make my dreams come true

The 2010s was a huge decade for me! I have gone through and accomplished so much. I’ve had ups and downs, made friends and made frenemies, made choices good and bad.
I am so excited about 2020 and the years that come after. I can’t wait to see the things in store!

What are some things that you have done this year? What are your goals for 2020? What are you the most excited for?

hello October!! ft. recent reads, latest obsessions, and goals!

Published on October 1, 2019October 1, 2019 by 💫Ava💫15 Comments

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers!

Welcome to my itsy-bitsy corner of the web! Today’s post is all about what I did in September and my goals for October! Let’s get started!!

✰recent reads!!

I was able to read quite a few books last month that I had wanted to read for a while!! Here are some of my favorites!!

Caraval: this book is so STUNNING!! I had it on my TBR list for a long time and once I got it I kind of procrastinated reading it, but then I opened it and just read it. I fell in love with the characters and the world-building and I couldn’t put the book down! I really recommend this for anyone looking for a fresh and exciting read!

Pumpkin Heads: This book is so so adorable!! the art is so gorgeous and the plot is ridiculously cute!! It really got me into the fall mood. I love the POC rec and the cute characters and everything! I really recommend this! like just read it while sipping apple cider!

#Famous: I loved this book! The plot was cutely unique and the characters were really funny! I recommend this for anyone whos looking for a sweet romance!!

How We Roll: This book was really cute and tackled a lesser-known illness in an amazing way! I really enjoyed this book.

Verify: This book was an awesome retelling of 1984 and Fahrenheit 451! It was page-turning and hard to put down and I really enjoyed it!!

some other books I read that I enjoyed were: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the universe, Vow of Thieves and The tea dragon festival!!

✰latest obsessions!!

warning: these are mostly going to be musicals because im obsessed with them.

hadestown:

Hadestown is an amazing retelling of the Greek Myths of Persephone and Hades and the Myth of Orpheus and Euridice. Its set in Americas 1920s/30s and has great songs and awesome costumes! I love it so much!!

six the musical:

Six is a fun and unique musical about Henry the 8ths wives! The songs are catchy and the whole musical is really cute and screams girl power! I love it so much!!

anastasia:

Anastasia is based on an animated movie about a historical Russian princess. Anastasia has always been one of my favorite movies, so I adore the musical version of it, the songs bring back so much nostalgia and its playing at my local theatre and I really hope I can see it!!

marvel:

I recently have gotten a little obsessed with marvel (thanks to tom holland) There movies are pretty cool and their characters have complex personalities and cool powers.

playing the ukelele:

I’ve had a ukelele for a while but a few months ago I finally learned how to actually play it. Now I have been writing my own songs and using it to do worship with my Youth Group. After I fully master it, I hope to learn how to play guitar!

✰october goals!!

✰ blog more consistently

✰ practice singing

✰prep for NaNoWriMo

✰ stay positive

✰ exercise more

✰ volunteer at the library

✰ go apple picking

✰ read in a forest

✰read more nonfiction

✰recap!!

September was a great season! I hope October is even better, I can’t wait for my birthday which is on the twenty-seventh!

What did you read/ do in September? Do you like musicals? What is something you like to do to get ready for fall?

✰ keep smiling, ava!!

5 easy ways to boost productivity! + free to-do list printable

Published on July 19, 2019 by 💫Ava💫6 Comments

Welcome back to my itsy bitsy corner of the web! Or if your new here, thanks for checking out my blog. You can find more about me here!

Today’s post is all about how to boost productivity and get more done in less time.

1. Set a Timer

Estimate the time you need to tackle different tasks and set a timer for each of your tasks. When it comes to the time limit, move on to another task.

2. Eliminate All Distractions

I recommend putting your phone on airplane mode or turning off your notifications. If you’re using a computer to work on a project close out all the other applications. Try to go to a quiet place or alert the people around you to not bother you.

3. Listen to Music

Distractions should be avoided, but sometimes a bit of music in the background can help you focus.

Of course, it doesn’t need to be the Hamilton cast recording on full blast, but a bit of Beethoven may do you some good. If you’re not a fan of classical music, there are plenty of relaxing, lofi study playlists on youtube. The songs are really nice and it does help you focus.

4. Take a break from technology

The Internet has become one of the number one distraction. To increase your productivity, try to do as much of your work offline as possible.

I find it easier to brainstorm with pen and paper than on a notes app, because not only is it relaxing, it’s easier to stay focused on.

5. Just Start

Often times, starting is the hardest part. People often wait for the perfect time to start a project, but usually, there is no perfect time, and they are really just procrastinating and they never start.

Once you get started, you will quickly get into a rhythm that could last for hours!

The last thing I have for you guys is a little printable to-do list/ planner. This is great for jotting down things to do and planning your day out.

click here to download!

Thanks for reading this post, I hope the tips helped! What are some ways you stay productive? What projects are you working on? How do you manage your time?

Why I’ve been gone//+ I hit 1k on instagram?!

Published on July 16, 2019July 16, 2019 by 💫Ava💫7 Comments

Welcome back to my itsy bitsy corner of the web! Or if your new here, thanks for checking out my blog. You can find more about me here!

If your one of my regular visitors you might have noticed that I haven’t posted for quite a while. Recently I have of been in a creativity block, I have been a bit unmotivated and it has been a little harder to come up with unique and interesting blog post ideas. You may have even noticed that some of my more recent posts have been a little jumbled and not as long as my other posts. It has been pretty refreshing to take a break from my blog, It has helped me focus on some of my priorities like studying more, but I have really missed blogging and sharing my thoughts with you guys. So I’m happy to say that I am back.

I am going to try to post twice a week; Tuesdays and Fridays, like I tried to do before. Tuesdays will have a more bookish theme and Fridays will have more of a lifestyle theme. And I will try to keep you guys updated by posting on my Instagram @elysianartiste.

Speaking of Instagram, I recently hit 1k+ followers which I am sooo thankful for. As a teen blogger, It can be easy to get discouraged and feel like your content is trashy, So it means so much that 1000+ people appreciate my content and enjoy it! I honestly never imagined I would get that far. I am really thankful that my parents entrusted me with Instagram because they aren’t really huge fans of social media, so I am so grateful that they allowed me to use it.

If you are allowed to use Instagram, I really recommend you follow my page @elysianartiste, I post daily, and I have fun quizzes and stuff on my story and its easier for me to engage with my followers.

If you arent allowed to use Instagram I totally feel you. It took many tries to get my parents to agree to let me use Instagram as another platform to express my creativity. If you really want Instagram, I recommend setting aside a time to talk to your parents when they are not busy or working on anything else. Explain why you want it, The benefits of having it, and ask what the boundaries are and If they do allow you to have it, respect the boundaries. Once they see you obeying the boundaries it allows them to trust you more and eventually they will give you more freedom.

So yeah, short story long that’s why I have been gone and not so active with my posting. I am really excited to get back into the blogging world. I have a bunch of great content that I cannot wait to share with all of you!

Thanks for reading today’s blog post! I am excited to get back into the blogging world!

january recap (Fiverr, bookstagram and fave reads)

Published on February 6, 2019 by 💫Ava💫25 Comments

Welcome back to my itsy-bitsy corner of the web! I am so shocked by how fast January went. I feel like the whole year will disappear if I blink!

January was a crazy-fast month. It was fun, sometimes stressful and an exciting start to 2019! I am so excited about February and the rest of the year to come!

Also, guys, I am so sorry about not being consistent with blogging. I always plan to write and post my posts on certain days but something always keeps me away from it! So yeah I am sorry I haven’t been blogging as frequently. Life really has been crazy (I feel like I always say that!)

Anyways, let’s get started!

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart

I feel like I read more but yeah!

My favorite book I read I think is Darius The great is Not okay.

*sobbing* It was such a sweet relatable book! I am definitely going to review it soon! (when I am done crying in the corner)

I am trying to read 150 books this year and according to Goodreads I am five books ahead of schedule, and I think that’s good…?

Last month I accomplished two things I really wanted to do.

One I started a bookstagram! Yes! I have been wanting to do this ever since I started book blogging and it is so much fun! If you have a bookstagram I would love if you follow me! @elysianartiste

I also have started a fiverr!

Fiverr is an online marketplace for freelance services. I have posted some blog design gigs that I would love for you to purchase. And for a limited time, anyone who signs up to buy on Fiverr, clicking this affiliate link will get 20% off there first purchase! (this will give a small commission to me which I would really appreciate!) I would love if you buy one of my gigs!