August Update ("July Round Up") (Patreon)

Hi everyone! I am not actually charging anyone this month (all the content I post this month is for ~freeee~), but just as a PSA: Something went seriously sideways with Patreon payments. It seems like they may have fixed it? You may want to check in on your payments to any other creators! 

(I guess it's a good thing I'm not even trying to get paid right now since they disabled Payoneer and that's the way I get paid as a Canadian. Lol!! 🤪) 

Since my last update I'm already feeling a lot better. I have been meditating a LOT and I'm not saying that to brag, I'm saying this because at this point I've meditated so much that I feel like I've lost touch with the concept of what a month is. Which isn't great because I still live in a world where people seem to care about deadlines and, like... rent I guess. I'm working on finding a bit more of a balance, but I feel more centered than I have in a long time. 

When things seem to be speeding up and getting exponentially more difficult and confusing, I am learning that the best response is to slowwwwww down. This morning I read a saying "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" and I think I'm going to adopt that for myself. 

I feel a bit disconnected from what I was working on, but even more connected with my dream to become an artist.

I've been doubling down on this as an intention, really working on visualizing the type of emotion I want to provide in service to the world. I've been working on trying to deprogram the beliefs that have been holding me back, like "it's not safe to be an artist" (an extension of my overall "the world is not safe" program I'm trying to let go of), and "I'm not good enough to do compete/do this full time".

I think I will eventually return to some of these projects, Skuttleboat Cove especially, but I'm trying to learn to listen to my intuition and draw my energy from a more joyful source.

It doesn't look like much on the outside, but on the inside I think it's working :) 

For example, somehow by just sitting and not pushing on studies for awhile I came up with a new method that goes Values > Multiple Gradient Maps > Smoothing and paint-overs that I think? I'm going to stick with for awhile. I need to get much faster at it, though.

much pear wow

(If that method doesn't make sense, don't worry, it's not that important :) but it's a cool combination of the things I've been futzing with for many months)

There will be more to share this month, but I'm trying to get back in touch with the concept of a monthly cadence ;) so I wanted to get this header out towards the front. 

In closing, please admire the potatoes I grew this year on my balcony:

and also this mushroom that sprouted in a house plant

That for some reason my mastodonnies wouldn't??? let me eat????? (mods???)

Everyone take care and be safe. Love each other as much as I love all of you!!!