I started pulling away from social media right after the election. I was just so mad at society that I didn’t want to engage with it at all. I actually spent about two weeks after the election not even looking at news. I was just too angry and every mention of the incoming administration drove my stress levels into the stratosphere. But after a few weeks I realized that sticking my head in the sand wasn’t a healthy or smart way of dealing, so I went back to the news and social media.

So around the end of June the whole universe started telling me I needed to not just make art every day, but share art every day, so I set a goal to make and share art every day from that moment (June 30) until DragonCon. 60 days of daily drawings! And I’m no good at habit building, routines, or challenges, so making this public declaration was a BIG DEAL!

So I started this year with big plans: I was going to draw every day! I was going to blog every week! I was going to combine the two and post a sketchbook review every month! Clearly, as proven by the title, that didn’t happen.

As I write this it is 96 degrees outside. The hottest day of the year so far and the start of a weekend-long heat wave. It’s expected to go over 100. It sucks. I hate hot weather.

I don’t know what was up with February, but I drew a lot less than I have in the previous few months. I don’t know, February is always a weird bummer. It’s dark and cold and rainy and I mostly just want to stay inside, sleep, and watch Parks and Rec for the thousandth time. But I did some stuff worth sharing!

I am a hot mess. It’s a lifelong chronic affliction. Remember that, it will be relevant later.

I just rewatched Gilmore Girls, including A Year in the Life. People are always surprised to learn that I love that show - a feelgood small town mother daughter drama is not my usual thing - but I love it. It makes me fantasize about finding my own quirky little town in some picturesque location where it’s always sweater weather and being the beloved town weirdo in a place filled with eccentric characters. So, yeah, Gilmore Girls is a fantasy fairy tale and I love it.

I feel like January is the “first pancake” of the New Year’s resolutions timeline. It’s always a disaster. You should know going in that it’s going to be a disaster. But you have to get it out of the way so you can get to the good second pancake. So you make your messed up disaster pancake, feed it to the dog, and move on to the next one. Or you don’t get pancakes. And who wants to live in a world without pancakes? Not me, thats for sure!

Happy 2024, friends!

2023 was WILD! This was the year I really, finally, pushed through my pandemic anxiety and rejoined humanity. I mean, I dabbled in it in 2022, but the anxiety won more often than not. This year, though, I (mostly) kicked anxiety’s ass! And so, in no particular order, my favorite things from 2023: