A few years ago now, I was studying New Year's Resolutions. I was in Canada for a semester at the University of Victoria and I had a class called Motivation, Emotion and Wellbeing. In this class, we spent a portion of time examining historic and current research into why people do what they do - and why they don't do what they really should do.

• Why does a student only begin an essay the night before it's due instead of writing it during the week?
• Why does a person recently discharged from hospital not do their physiotherapy, despite knowing its importance? 
• Why do people give up their New Year's Resolutions after a couple of weeks? 

I think understanding the process of decision making has been a huge help in actually achieving goals. Now, a disclaimer. Just because I was a student in that class doesn't mean I'm now cured and have perfect motivation for everything - far from it. But people don't just do things. There are a number of factors at play before a person decides to get up off the sofa to go for a run - too many to go into now  - but my take away from that portion of the class was that New Year's Resolutions are way too specific. 

Uh, yeah, of course you're going to give up on your goal when what you told yourself on the 1st January was "I'm not going to eat any processed sugar at all and I'm going to go to the gym three times a week - no matter what!" No matter what? So nothing can get in the way? What happens when you get that cold that's been going around and you miss an entire week and a friend makes you a carb heavy meal to get your strength back up. Ooops, guess I broke my resolution. Time to give up. 

That kind of statement is extremely harsh and inevitably brings up a load of guilt when you can't fulfil it. So in my research for this class, I came across the idea of assigning a word to the year. Just one word but it needs to encompass what you would like to achieve. For example, when I first read this in 2014, I knew my word for the year was 'travel' as I had visited three continents that year and grown a lot as a person because of it. 2016 was 'career'. My focus was getting my first graduate job but had I not achieved this, my resolution word would have still been kind on myself. If I had got to the end of 2016 and not got that job, I had still progressed my career by graduating from university.

By staying broad, you make things achievable and there's room to breathe when you need a break. I love this as a concept because it ties so nicely in with No More Zero Days - the idea that even a little progress is better than no progress at all, no matter how seemingly insignificant it may be.

So all that was a very roundabout way to announce that my resolution word for 2019 is 'creativity'! I want this year to be the most creative one yet, whatever that may look like. I have a lot of different projects bubbling away and I know that there will be others that will be very spur of the moment too, like this flower pressing frame below (only 85p, thanks IKEA!). I can't wait to see what 2019 brings!

Oh, hello! Look who's crawled out of the woodwork!

It's been... a while. And for that I apologise. I've been busy and life, as I'm sure everyone is aware, is very good at getting in the way. I've been getting really good at almost being an adult. I moved in with my boyfriend and got a new job in the third sector. To watch my health, I run a couple times a week, practice yoga, and I've recently started rock climbing. I track my pension plans and I've opened a long-term savings accounts. When I write it out, it all sounds very grown up and responsible so really, it's really no wonder I took a dive headfirst into art as an escape.

And when I say art, there's been drawing… and sketching… and illustrating... and painting and inking and collaging and a whole lot more. I’ve been having a creative renaissance that would make my high school art teacher’s draw drop.

While I no longer sketch every single day (phew), I'm still sketching a lot. In keeping with 8-year-old Emma's opinions about art, it's been a lot of drawing bears and dogs and fantasy creatures. But this autumn, I also signed myself up to an illustration course which has proven not only to push me out of my comfort zone and try lots of new mediums (I'd never in a million years thought I'd be collaging as an adult) and has held me accountable to draw something each week. The guidance from the teacher has been supremely helpful and introduced me to dipping pens, which are basically quills. Funny I get on so well with them, huh?

That said, I have still been travelling and I do have some posts to make! Last autumn I was out in Northern Ireland and the US. In spring, you could spot me along Hadrian's Wall as well as in Bruges. This summer I was on a roadtrip around the Highlands (finally climbed The Storr!)... Lots to talk about.

I've said this before and not entirely followed through (and doubtless I will say it again...) but in an effort to catch up, I will be dumping all my photos and then maybe if I manage to find the time in between working full time, stay active, and being creative, I'll add a bit of text. (No promises!)

Creative posts to follow shortly - watch this space!

I have by no means travelled most of the world. I've covered a good few countries and definitely visited a couple that are perhaps more unusual for a Brit to visit  but I'm not a massive globe trotter. That said, when I told people I had a flight booked to Gibraltar, I got some puzzled looks.

Why wouldn't I - a psychology graduate - want to go to a place that is synonymous with culture clash? And as if that wasn't enough, a place known for its geology unusual and native monkeys? And they speak English and use pounds. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for an easier first 'official' solo holiday.

One thing I am having to get used to now I live in Edinburgh is connecting flights. When I lived in London, I took the many international airports absolutely for granted. This time around, I was looking at a regular 3+ hour flight to Gib as well as a flight down to Heathrow. But as I have, for the most part, been blessed by the travel gods, this went off without a hitch.

Gibraltar, being a spit of land jutting out into the Strait, has a somewhat... unconventional airport. Unconventional in the sense that the area it's built on isn't exactly wide enough and an artificial runway has been extended out into the sea and the road to Spain goes straight through the middle so traffic has to be stopped. Very disconcerting as a passenger when you find yourself getting closer and closer towards a body of water having just spotted cars queuing up. It felt a bit like an accident waiting to happen...

But I made it! And after grabbing a shuttle bus to the main town (the busses were super duper cheap - I was very impressed) I made it to my AirBnB (entire flat to myself - thank you very much, discount codes!). My flat was very cute and Mediterranean, with white linen curtains and a courtyard with leafy green plants in terracotta pots.

Nipping out for a bite to eat, I made my plan of action for the next few days. I didn't have long to explore the unique territory.

First thing on my list, of course, was The Rock.

And that meant seeing Barbary Apes. 

(Although the animal nerd in me hastens to add that they are actually macaques and not apes.)

Any excuse for some wildlife photography, really! 

Not a bad view from the top either...

One side of the Rock bare while the other is covered in vegetation.

The Rock's official flower is Acanthus mollis, commonly known as bear's breeches, 

While I had chosen to take the (swaying more than I was comfortable with!) cable car up, it was a nice enough day that I decided to walk my way down. Map in hand, this offered great views of the Gibraltar Bay and across to Spain.

I also had a clear view to Europa Point at the tip of the overseas territory.

On my walk down from the top, I was eager to stop in at Saint Michael's Cave. Prehistoric history nut that I am, I was extremely excited to visit a place where neolithic remains had been found!

The cave also often gets used as a venue so there was some amazing lighting inside!

Back outside, I encountered more macaques. 

The macaques had a bad rep in the past as people would feed them, so they'd be known to chase tourists down and pull at plastic bags. The Gibraltar government put a stop to that a few years ago with a £4,000 fine if you're caught slipping them food(!) Only rangers are allowed to feed them now which means everything is a bit more relaxed on the Rock.

View over Gibraltar town.

A suspicious pup I met on my way down.

And some more views out to Spain.

And more macaques.

Part of my entry into the nature reserve got me into the Moorish Castle.

The castle has stood since the medieval era and was home to Gibraltar's only prison until 2010! 

Gibraltar town itself is strange in that there are some things that are totally British - the many pubs, English is everywhere, pounds on signs, etc. - but then I'd round a corner and encounter an entire wall of Mediterranean bougainvillea. Culture clash!

Next post will cover the second half of this trip and my attempt to see North Africa (which has been on my bucket list since I heard about Gib!) but if you got through this blog post without once thinking of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, you're a better person than I!

The Rock of Gibraltar | The Pillars of Hercules