★ MERMAY 2018 ★: my experience, what I learned, & would I do it again? (Patreon)

I hope your day is going well so far~ Now that Mermay is officially over and I've had some time to reflect on it, I want to share my experience and how things changed throughout the month. This year's felt different from the last and I want to explore why and how that happened. I'll break it down into digestible categories so you can easily navigate through the sections. Without further ado, let's get into it! :D

★ What was my experience like?

Usually, I feel like a month goes by so quickly, but when I had to sit down every day (weekends too!) and make a full piece, each day seemed to get longer and longer. After the first week I'd say I got into the habit of creating with the intention of completing something and things were pretty much smooth sailing until we hit the halfway mark. 

At the end of two weeks I started to seriously doubt whether I could finish the challenge. I considered stopping things and going back to my normal routine of drawing digitally. I felt like my creativity had started to run dry and to put it bluntly, I started to feel the difficulty of the daily challenge. But I knew I didn't want to stop there and that if I did I wouldn't feel happy with myself. So I realized I had to make some changes and adapt to my emotions if I was to continue and make it to the end. 

I started exploring new compositions, new designs, and new styles to shake things up and reinvigorate myself to continue creating. It helped a lot to understand that there were practically no limits to this challenge other than the theme and that gave me the courage to push my ideas and the physical materials I used in new ways. It sparked a second wind in me and I felt excited to see what else I could come up with! I was able to complete the challenge with a newfound perspective on creating as well as a renewed interest in other materials, subject matter, and general approach to..., not to sound fakedeep, but life really. It felt like a whole new world of possibilities had opened up and gave me an increased interest in art! ヾ(*´∀｀*)ﾉ

★ What did I learn?

2018 was the second Mermay in a row that I've fully completed and I'm surprised to learn that it never really gets...easier. Sure I know what to anticipate in terms of how much I need to complete, but you can never really plan for life and unexpected things will come up. The actual act of creating never gets easier, you just get better at putting in the effort to make something. 

All of that makes me understand that just because something is hard or challenging doesn't necessarily mean that it should be avoided. If anything it helps me realize that life isn't without difficulty and that sometimes you have to work through that difficulty to emerge on the other side better and stronger. If I hadn't sat through my discomfort and dislike of the challenge and instead backed down because I thought it was hard, I would never have completed the month and been able to see what I was capable of. 

All of this is not to say that if something isn't working out that you shouldn't change course. By all means nothing in this world is absolute! But I have a better understanding now that life will continue to be filled with challenges and that some? Are well worth the fight. d(=^･ω･^=)b

★ Would I do it again?

I would! It's always interesting trying your hand at a monthly challenge, because if you let it (and I try to), you can really find yourself changing and learning new things over the course of 31 days. I like to approach each challenge with an open heart and mind and allow myself to evolve with it. I'm usually met with both unexpected and happy surprises and honestly it's just fun seeing what you can come up with! Plus I've found a revived interest in traditional materials and that's been a fun bonus. >u>

I'll definitely need time to recuperate and just do different things in the meantime, but I'm endlessly grateful for the opportunity of contributing to Mermay and am always excited to share my creations with the community! ^^ I attribute a great deal of the challenge's success to this community and I love that we can go on a journey together and just explore our creativity. It's incredibly meaningful to share the month with you and I want to thank you for all your support and love! ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡

 ★ What you can look forward to! 

Mini prints and originals will be available in my Bigcartel later this month! :D I'm currently in the process of drafting and designing the zine (it's gonna be super cute and summery!) and plan to have it ready in July. I might make some stickers, but we'll see how things go! ^^ I hope you'll look forward to them, because I can't wait to show you! 

  :｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:♪･ﾟ’☆ 

Again, thank you so much for your support and your time and for just being here honestly. I'm so happy I get to share art and create with you and I know that together we can accomplish any challenges that may stand in our way! Hope you have a wonderful week, I love you lots! 

(♡ ὅ ◡ ὅ )ʃ♡

Vicki