My 2019 Favourites

I’ve compiled a list of the things I’ve loved most in the year for the past 3 years (see 2018, 2017 and 2016s lists). It’s a lovely opportunity to reflect on what’s brought me joy and how I embrace what I’ve loved even more in the year to come.

 

This year’s list is a real mixed bag, including physical things, software, places and experiences. But I’ve loved every single thing on this list. It’s worth me noting, right at the start of this list because I’ve been asked before, absolutely none of this post is gifted or sponsored. I just want to talk about somethings I like so I can share the goodness and reflect back on how what I’ve enjoyed has changed year on year.

 

So, in no particular order, these are my 2019 favourites: 

Frame

I started going to classes at Frame in July on the recommendation of an old housemate, and I’ve gone solidly two or three times a week ever since, which as someone who used to avoid all exercise but particularly group activities, that’s pretty huge. Finding workout classes I can look forward to, see progress in and do with a real mix of people who are having a great time too, has changed how I feel about my body. I’m going into 2020 feeling stronger and more grounded in myself than I ever have before, and Frame has been a huge part of that.

Blundstone boots

I’ve had these dress style boots for a few years now but I’ve really found myself reaching for them more and more this year, as I have with a few other pieces that had sat at the back of my wardrobe. My decision at the start of the year not to buy any clothes has really shifted how I view what I have and it’s encouraged me to change up what I pick out every day. It’s taught me that the more I wear a piece the more I love it, nothing makes me happier than wearing something good quality that I’ve worn in so much that it’s almost a part of my body.

Woodcarving

Every year I endeavour to try my hand at a new kind of making, in the past I’ve given pottery and screen printing a go. This year I tried woodcarving a go. As someone who’s otherwise a bit of a wimp and hates a sharp blade, it felt like a weird choice. But learning how to safely use a shave horse or hold a small straight knife to turn a log into a spatula or butter knife was so satisfying and empowering. Stepping away from the screen to have a singular focus and imagine an object in 3D was so refreshing and something I want to keep doing more of.

Sigg bottle

This year, I’ve taken some baby steps towards being a little bit better hydrated. I still have a lot of work to do. My sigg bottle has been a part of that shift, mainly because it’s been hardier and way less maintenance than any other bottle I’ve had. I’m even considering taking the leap to a slightly bigger one to encourage me from partial raisin to well hydrated grape.

Procreate

Before this year, Procreate had firmly been my second class digital illustration tool. But a combination of issues with Affinity Designer that I just can’t get to the bottom of and Procreate’s addition of text and export as gif functionality, it’s now the app I reach for 95% of the time. It’s encouraged me to play around more with animation, and I can’t wait to see how far I can push my skills in 2020.

Cornwall

I made my very first trip to Carbis Bay as an excuse to clear my head back in May. I loved it so much I went back later in the year. There’s something about that bit of Cornwall, its combination of landscape, accessibility and artistic history, that makes me feel at peace. I think it’s going to be a place that I come back to time and time again. 

Rotring pencil

This is a deceptively simple little tool. My Rotring 300s have been the work horses of every session of notetaking and thumbnail sketching of this year. They’re reliable and lovely to hold, and not so nice that I’m afraid to use them. Hopefully this time next year, I will have found a coloured pen/highlighter I love that will work with them. But for now my Rotrings and I can work through any creative block just fine.

Audible

According to my stats page, I’ve listened to over 9 days worth of audio books this year. Some have been hits, some have been misses, but having a new way to consume books has pushed me out of the usual reads I would pick up. I’ve read way more non-fiction, particularly autobiographies, than I ever have before. I’ve developed an audio book taste (read by the author is always my favourite kind of narration) and developed a deeper understanding of everything from the life of Samantha Power to surveillance capitalism to rewilding.

Film camera

I’m finally on the last roll of film I bought at the start of the year. That means I’ve taken enough photos to fill well over half of the ginormous photo album I’ve been curating for the past 12 months. The combination of my cheap old film camera and subpar photography skills don’t always lead to magazine quality snaps, but I’m so happy to have pages and pages of memories I can thumb through. I love the magic of going to get my film developed and never being quite sure what I’ll get back. Pro tip: Snappy Snaps is 10X better than Kodak if you’re in London and need your own film developed!

Laptop stickers

While it feels a bit cheeky to end this list with something I’ve made, if I don’t love the things I create for myself the most what’s the point? The stickers I made earlier this year have made proud to carry my work laptop around the office. They’ve started conversations and, perhaps more importantly, they’ve restarted the urge in me to just make things for myself for fun.

Natalie