Recovering from surgery means I’m currently getting back into my routines and rituals at the rate of my body’s ability to do things. What does that actually mean? Mostly, it means going slower than I usually would. Tackling tasks at a more casual, less frenzied pace, even if a deadline is screaming at me. Recognizing when I can’t complete something in time, or when I can’t give a project the energy and detail that it needs, and either saving it for later or abandoning it completely. Triage stuff, but at a languid pace.

Abandoning projects is a lovely, luxurious thing to do. Making plans is equally splendid – a glorious feat of imagination – but abandoning them is also quite healthy and natural. It’s lovely to grieve plans, to earnestly mourn what could have been. Sometimes pieces of an old project can be repurposed, or an entire piece can undergo a kind of resurrection and rebirth process, but that’s really up to the project and the dirt I’m planting it in. I never abandon projects with the intention of coming back later and looking for some harvest; I feel it’s more honest to abandon with the sole intention of mourning and moving on. If I end up with some undead cutie rising from their grave later on, that’s just a bonus.

I’ve previously hinted on this blog that I’ve been working on a couple of projects to bring with me to West Virginia for this year’s VoidCon (my partner Afton is also making cool stuff to vend at the con – if you’re attending please stop by our table and say hey!). I’ve already made a couple of fun sticker designs a reality (including a satire of one of my favorite diner chains ubiquitous to Los Angeles, Norm’s). It was extremely satisfying to bring these designs to life. But I also became inspired by author Joe Koch, who put together a zine for the convention (I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of his zine – he always creates such beautiful prose!). So one of my projects is going to be a zine that includes a short story of mine, “The Gingerbread Man”. I just finished up the cover and I’m in the middle of designing this little book’s guts at the moment – fingers crossed that I complete this in time for the convention! I’d really like to make this self-imposed deadline, but if I don’t, I’m not pushing myself too hard on it, and I’ll definitely have the zine up for sale at Full Moon Market before the holidays roll around.

If you can’t make it to VoidCon 2024 but would like to go, feel free to check out Castaigne Publishing, Weirdpunk Books, and Full Moon Market for a taste of the con vibes <3