12.27.2021

Oh...the feeling of building a site, going "I am a WIZARD! I am a GOD of CHAOS and POWER!" and then proceeding to accidentally break half your code...aie...

Pleased to say I've been reworking a bit of the layout lately to be a bit more readable (despite using a large screen for browsing, it's no fun reading lines of text across a big screen.) It needs a bit more work, but we are getting somewhere.

What's new?

• Recently completed "MEMORY.78", a short, relatively unreadable (in the sense that I have used a false placeholder language for all dialogue) comic which you can check out in the GALLERY.

• Recently got bitten by the "graphic design" bug -- I'm currently in the process of designing the landing page for another site, and it got me wanting to play more with the font I was using -- so here is a "IPSUMAPPER", an utterly fake word derived from LORUM IPSUM, of course. I forgot how much fun it was to make goofy typography logos that would absolutely not fly in any sort of business or professional capacity. The Infinite Shoals logo was the start of that, and I cannot be stopped now.

Personal Things!

• It's hard not to be disheartened by the state of the internet every day. Even my sole social media platform that I still use seems to only stir up greater feelings of disappointment or stress. I suspect it is time to move on, after all, but it is hard!
• Christmas was lovely. I was gifted a midi controller, something I ABSOLUTELY was not expecting but am very delighted by. I have quite a few music-related items now that I really want to use. I will have more space to work soon, so it's gonna be go time.
• I'd like to write a retrospective for MEMORY.78 and the FIRST HOLIDAY PARTY -- lots of firsts for both of these things!

That's all I have off the top of my head for now. Here's to 2022 in a couple of days.

12.17.2021

Not a lot to share today, but just a few thoughts on my mind. The holidays are nearly upon us, and I am still moving through that little comic. I am a little frustrated because I feel inadequate as a creative quite often (it is so easy to compare yourself to others, especially your peers, and nothing good comes of going down that rabbit hole), but I also read a lot of fun interviews from professional manga artists this morning, and it was quite humanizing to hear about their struggles towards enjoying their own work, or the intent behind their work. That said, in the end, in my own sphere, I smile every time I look at my work in progress, and surely I should hold that feeling close to myself.

Lately I have been trying to be more careful about the media/entertainment/"content" I consume...well, this has been a process that I have been going through for some time now, especially as my own free time seems to dwindle and the routines of "adulthood" take up more focus in the front of my mind. I think it is...unpleasant to feel this way, so it is a little weird to admit it, but I think I get frustrated with media a lot easier these days. I encounter something, and the reaction of "Oh, I like this" or "Oh, I hate this" comes a lot quicker. Perhaps this is just a matter of my personal tastes having become much more defined, but I do not like that feeling, of realizing I dislike something...I don't think it's really socially acceptable to express those feelings, and oftentimes the work I have stumbled upon is so innocuous and just for fun, so there should be no reason to feel such a strange gut-reaction. So I often just bury or ignore those feelings, and make a mental note to avoid that work, but it doesn't change the fact I feel a little grumpy afterwards. I wonder if other people feel the same way, or if they are more easygoing or forgiving about these matters. Nevertheless, I try to be true to my feeling, and try to understand the root cause. But sometimes there is no real defined answer, or one that is logical, so once again, I bury them. It's frustrating, to not have a real tangible reason to something!

In spite of all these confusing thoughts, I cannot really be unhappy though. I continue to work on my hobbies, and continue to find happiness in that. Maybe I'll have some time to really square away some more website items this weekend, or maybe during the holidays.

12.10.2021

Things have been surprisingly good lately. I think there is something to be said about how modern social media commands so much of my mind if I get overly immersed in it. Having stepped away from it and trading it off for surfing at my own pace, I have been in a very positive frame of mind, and far more creative than I've been in years.

Anyways, another wip, and a random paint. I haven't done painting in YEARS (I admit, too "painterly" for me, I have always been drawn to utilizing harsh angles, gouging lines, and clear, mechanical processes when it came to creating personal art), I have never been a strong painter, but the fact that I even bothered to do it...I think that in itself says a lot about how I am feeling, that I would be happy to try something I know I am not necessarily accomplished in, but would have fun doing for myself anyways.

I think I had someone once ask me who I would have as Tracey's face model...the answer is probably something vaguely Bowie-esque...sorry Mr. Bowie...

12.5.2021

Updates will be slowing down! I realize this was a pretty brief initial burst, but I am feeling incredibly motivated right now, beyond any capacity I ever thought I'd have again, to work on a variety of different projects. More of those will be shared as they get closer to completion.

In the meantime, a wip of a little holiday comic I threw together. I don't know that I'll end up translating it back to english LOL, it is pretty saccharine.

(CSP model set up is my hero...)

12.1.2021

Have another very early idea in the works for a very, very small, laid-back collection game, sort of a combination of Animal Crossing, Neopets, and most importantly, TOMODACHI LIFE... I am still debating about whether I should handle projects on this site, ever since I started moving more towards an "explorable world". But we'll see, I'm pretty undecided about a lot of things.