January 1 2026

I was never able to sit myself down to write anything about November because, for the first time I can remember, I went that whole month without making anything. I had a nice time. I slept in and I baked cookies and I played a lot of video games, but I never quite sat myself down to actually make art.

It’s strange to think about, easy to overthink. The twelve-year-old in me screams that this is the beginning of the end. The pressures of adulthood chipping away at my ability to love and create and have fun. But when I was twelve I was scared of a lot of things, lonely and overwhelmed, and my sketchbooks were the only way I knew how to play. I’m still not very good at play but I’m learning. Damn it all, I’m really putting in the effort of learning. I want to be someone who can relax when there’s not a project looming over them, and November felt like the first real steps of progress in that journey.

November had Thanksgiving, which went better than I could have dreamed. It also saw me fighting for a promotion, applying and interviewing and running myself ragged with uncertainty.

Now December is passed and that promotion is officially mine (starting today, or I suppose tomorrow because new years day is a lovely day off). It’ll be a few long weeks of training, maybe longer, before I’m doing the new work. I’m excited. I’ve found a career I actually believe in, not a small boast in this economy.

I spent the last week in Ireland with my partner and father-in-law and that side of the family. It was a full long day of travel each way. The weather was beautiful, the roads were terrifying. My partner got sick almost immediately, which severely limited our touristy options, and I caught that illness right before we came home which made the returning 24hr of airports and planes extra miserable. I took a ton of photos when we did leave the house though, and have been slowly working through them, trying to paint my favorite of the landscapes. So here’s some pretty Irish views, my most creative project of this last month.

These are all from a long walk on our first outing. I’m hoping to have more for you next month, some attempt at capturing the old castle and cathedral we visited near the end of the week. We’ll see how much creative energy the new job leaves me.

Happy new year!