Happy New Year! (Updated 1.1) (Patreon)

Belated Happy New Year, everyone!

I was pretty busy around the end of the year until New Year's Eve since some relatives and also friends came to visit me and also stayed overnight over the days in my tiny flat, so I was barely able to be active online and was also only able to sporadically work on my projects and commission work over the last weeks.

After this long break, my urge to draw something is very strong now. My mind is still overflowed with character ideas and fanart scenes I want to put on paper, and my to-do list from last year just got longer. At this point and also as a part of my new year's resolution, I think it is just a natural thing and part of my artistic journey to come to terms with the realization that my own vision and all things I have in mind and want to draw will always be in a dynamic, never-ending state, and instead of always building up unnecessary stress and pressure by thinking about the ideas that have not yet been completed as a project, I should see everything as part of a natural long term learning process where I just focus on my skills and my working methods, while the ultimate goal should only be to steadily improve over time, no matter how or by what means.

It is also part of my conclusions after giving myself some time to reflect about the origin of my mental health issues and struggles that have been drastically built up over the last months for all kind of reasons. For better prospects, it is definitely important for me to set things more into perspective and to change my mindset and self-perception regarding specific art and work-related aspects to tackle those mentioned struggles.

All this is feasible without having to compromise my creative output. In fact, working on projects became more fun for me, now that I'm more aware of my weaknesses, strengths and workflows that really suit me and my daily life. I have many plans for this year, however, with all my conclusions and my resolution in mind until now, I think it is for the best, that I keep it for myself for now and leave it at the excitement until I can surprise you with visible results. I firmly believe, that it is not impossible for me to be more productive this year with less stress.

While such resolutions and goals can come with their own challenges, I have the confidence that I can overcome them, also mainly because I know I have supportive people around me who back me up and let me know how much my work meant to them, which is one of the most fulfilling and heart-warming aspects for me as a creator. Without all the encouraging words and support that goes beyond the financial help, I would also have lost sight of my own steady progress and the joy behind my creations, which I would hardly have been aware of, since all the problems and grueling circumstances over the past year really clouded my mind non-stop.

I hope all this doesn't come off too cheesy, as bad as I sound with my choice of words. At the end, all I want is just to express how very grateful I am for every way you've considered to support me so far. I also hope that you will join me again this year on my artistic journey!

Let us all hope for a better, much healthier year! I wish you all the best!

Cheers~

 Thaumana!