Hello, friends!

If you've followed me on social media for any particular length of time, you'll have likely noticed that I tend to go through long periods of radio silence. All of a sudden I'll get a little burst of energy and focus, and then I will create and share from dusk to dawn until something interrupts that pattern of behavior. This is something that has proved frustrating not only for myself but for potential clients as well. I never could quite put my finger on why my mind seemed to work that way, so I have taken a pretty long hiatus from comic book conventions, commissions, and taking on artistic work in general. Why was the 11th hour always when I finished projects? It's exhausting. My mind is so full of ideas! Why can't I sit still long enough to put them to good use or to even have the energy to complete them once started?

Well, at 35 years of age, I have finally been given the answer a few weeks ago. I have ADHD and it's quite severe. As in, nearly every single box on the assessment was "very often" as far as how ADHD impacts my life. I have felt a strange combination of elation and sadness over this diagnosis. It's wonderful, because oh my goodness! I am not crazy. I am not imagining things. Life really shouldn't be quite so difficult, and I don't have to work nearly so hard to function now with medication on board. I no longer feel like I'm wading through molasses just to get the most basic of day-to-day tasks done. I feel so vindicated!

On the other hand, it's been very bittersweet. I'm sad for my younger self, especially teenage me. She was a very angry, sad person. It took nearly all of my 20s to learn how to let go of all that anger and frustration. It didn't have to be so hard for her. I wish she could have had an easier time making friends, going to school, and just enjoying her youth.

But wow am I looking forward to returning to my projects and creating beautiful art on the regular again! I am currently remodeling my bedroom and office, but soon my office will exclusively be an art studio! How fun is that? I've moved my day job things to my living room in a lovely little armoire to help myself focus on work and to allow more room for my artistic endeavors. I will have my kiln and fancy pants professional printer set up by the end of the month.

In the interim, I have decided to start taking on commissions again, but in a very controlled manner which will use some of my ADHD tendencies (hyperfixation) to my advantage. Instead of taking on work that's more or less a free-for-all, I will be offering a menu of very specific types of art on a rotating basis. For example, I love drawing these cute little cupcakes with faces. For a limited time, I will have Cupcake Caricatures available via ko-fi. When my attention on that wanes, I will switch from cupcakes to chibis or from chibis to imps, etc. More information on up-and-coming projects and commission availability will be shared soon.

Cupcakes not really your thing? I understand! I now also have memberships available on ko-fi that will give you access to all sorts of things including commission availability exclusively for members and VIP access depending upon which level you choose. Here's to looking forward to more art and better things! 

Thanks to everyone who has stuck around through thick and thin. You're so loved and appreciated!

Much Love!