It's the Friday after Thanksgiving and several weeks since I stopped frequenting Facebook and Instagram. I can only say that my life has improved many fold since then. And though I know I will return to both at some point in some capacity for professional reasons...right now I loathe the though of it.

I read a lot more. I've begun to play my instruments again. My mind is calmer, clearer. I still have a drafting table full of papers and books, receipts and bills, the odd items which don't have a place yet...it hasn't helped me organize that yet. But I feel life more presently than I have in a long while. It's very positive.

I have also become more social now that my substitute social life is behind me. And with that comes laughter, connecting, and living.

Many people use social media platforms to grow their businesses and get their names and their work out there. I am not opposed to this at all. It has been an advantage for me as well. But when I return it will be a more governed tool. Otherwise I would just as well prefer to increase my reputation as an artist and designer sans technology. But the world lives online, and so to some extent, Lorien Hall the professional, will too.

I love the image at the top of this post. It's rich in color and mood. Very appropriate for seeing November into its final week. I love this month. I love its sunsets and dried up leaves. Walks in the brisk air. Snow begins to fall and the scent in the air shifts as the seasons which came before decay into earth. It's somber and reflective. Like rich gold that sits on the heavy water; the sinking sun mirrored onto the wide and idle river.