Daily log
25.3.2023 I've been having fun getting back into pixelart, and am looking forward to expanding the cafe more! One of the first things I plan on adding is some tables, a proper pixelart menu and a lil pc you can launch and play around on. (mainly cause I want to make a cute fictional computer OS, you can see a mockup in my sketchbook
23.3.2023 Life has been overwhelmind lately: I seperated from my partner, had to leave behind my house, moved back to my childhood town with my sister and am now contemplating changing my career into front end development. Something I've always kind of done in my work, but never fully. Maybe it's time I commit. And if I'm gonna be learning properly, I might as well dabble in indie game dev, right? I've done two game jams now as an artist, and am looking to do my first solo one too this year. (check out my page on itch.io) I hope to capture my journey on here as well, as this website is one of the first 'gamified' experiences I've build and want to keep on building. Maybe write some webbased minigames to find around this place, to learn game dev and have little projects with a managable scope.
So yeah, I'm doing my best shaping my new life. I've got incredible support I'm so so grateful for. I'm feeling hopeful.
22.11.2022 Can you believe it's been two years (and a day) since I've set up this site? I certainly cannot! It's been a good while since I've done anything meaningful to this place, but that doesn't mean it isn't still important to me. I get so many sweet comments in the guestbook that cheer me up so so much, and the creative journey this place has set in motion for me has been incredible!
To catch you up: this place, and your comments, made me truly believe that my art was worth making. That it could make a difference in somebody's life, even if it was just a highlight of their internet stroll that day. And that I could make the art that I want to make, instead of the art I thought I needed to make. So here we are: two years down the line. I've created almost every single day. I have found my voice, started going to therapy, became more at peace with myself. I've started my own art business with a little shop, and I love it. I still want to make people's days a little bit better with my art. It's what drives me to create.
This place deserves to be loved by me again. I owe it that much. But starting things up again is hard for me - so I hope writing this little message will take some of the jitters away. Show myself it isn't all that scary.
14.12.2020 We're officially in lockdown again. Everything non-essential is closed, schools are closed, gyms are closed... for 5 weeks! It's necessary, but fuck it's gonna be rough for morale. But we'll pull through. I made some really good cookies. I'll share the recipe here one day when I get around to making the cafe's kitchen. They're delicious cranberry spice oatmeal cookies!
13.12.2020 So this daily log isn't as daily as I'd hoped - but that's okay. It's a place to share quick thoughts and measure progress, I guess. I've been in a creative spur this last week. I've been doing a ton of drawing in my sketchbook and have been journalling a ton as well. It's nice being a bit more disconnected after the intense time I've spent on my Neocities. I hope to return with new content soon, though.
I try to spend at least half an hour watching the birds in the garden yesterday. I also drew all the birds I've spotted so far. Regulars include a whole lot of great tits and blue tits, as well as a pair of blackbirds and a pair of finches. I'm always amused by the robin and the eurasian wren that pay daily visits. There's also a bunch of pidgeons, but they don't spend a lot of time in the yard. Maybe I should scatter some oats, they'd like that.
And a home update: We're in the middle of home reno again. We're replacing our small dormer with a big one on tuesday, and then we're redoing the bedroom and bathroom. When that's done, we'll finall be in a stable situation and can start truly making this house into a home.
04.12.2020 I started reading "The Genius of Birds" by Jennifer Ackerman. I really enjoy learning about birds, they're such whimsical creatures that always manage to surprise with their wit, memory, instinct and rituals. I have a pet cockatiel, and she's just the most lively thing ever. She's always on a mission. (usually on the hunt for the wooden bowl we often put snack in, or the cutting board we use for bread) Of course, that's when she's not sitting snugly on one of our legs and seeking attention. (his, not mine, unless he's not home)
03.12.2020 I'm having SO MUCH FUN diving into pixelart. It's honestly so nice and I can do it on my phone?? Comfortably?? That's amazing. I'm gonna attempt to do the pixel_dailies prompts every day, even if it's just a smol thing. I might not share them all but the practice is nice. I want to experiment with different styles to see what clicks and stays. Different perspectives, different line types, different color pallettes... Can't wait to see where it all goes!
I've also been playing the piano daily instead of very very intermittently and it's been so good. I've almost got Julia by Reeder down, though it's still a bit wonky. I'm growing in confidence every day and I feel my hands growing more used to the movement patterns. In terms of daily habits, I'm very much approaching where I want to be. Daily art, daily music, daily exercise. I need to work on the exercise part, though, I've been slacking tremendously.
01.12.2020 One of my favorite things is to be super nice and understanding to customer support employees even if there's a sizeable issue. It's probably not their fault and even if it was they probably don't go out of their way to mess up and whatever happened was a genuine mistake. Esp during these busy days!!! Be nice to webshop customer support!!!
30.11.2020 I got a strong craving to capture the mundane yesterday. I'm thinking about getting an nice, midrange compact camera to just take everywhere and take more spontaneous pics. Of my everyday life, of my SO, of me. It would probably be boring, but in 50 years it'll be precious. Using a camera vs using a phone will hopefully feel more deliberate. The pics on my phone usually go forgotten.
It's the last day of November, and that always leaves me in a reflective state of mind and excited to create new goals. November was a weird month. It went by super fast. I didn't like the days getting shorter and shorter. I did like watching the birds in our garden. There's so many of them here, and I kind of want to track them. Maybe a little A6 bird journal to jot down sightings. As the weather is getting colder, I find myself less and less compelled to go outside. The fact that I don't have any reason to go and the fact that my SO takes care of the groceries, doesn't make it any better. 'Tis the season for building a nest and hibernating. Or, in my case, focussing on hobbies (they're inside anyway) and reading. It's Murakami weather, though I'm not sure which one I want to read next.
I've also been plunking away at the piano this weekend. I'm trying to learn Julia by Reeder, but it's trickier than I first anticipated. I am still very much a beginner and practice is the only remedy.
27.11.2020
I spent most of the day coding and pixelling a splash/navigational screen for my website. I came across some fun challenges and am always happy to be able to solve it purely with CSS and without Javascript. Hopefully, it'll be ready tonight or tomorrow. It'll set the basis for a lot of graphics/interactions on my site, but I still have to find the best way to translate it to mobile.
I listened to this Pokemon LoFi mix and it's just so good and relaxing. I also went outside for the first time in almost a week. Unhealthy, I know, but I'll try to be better. When I was still running 3x a week, it was better. Hopefully I'll get a run in this weekend and not be so absorbed in my work and my hobbies. But it's getting dark so quickly already... I can't wait for solstice.
In other news WOW THE NEW MANDALORIAN EPISODE WAS GOOOOOD.
26.11.2020 Today is a perfect rainy day to listen to some Reeder. I finished my first playthrough of Cactus Blue Motel late last night. Such a wonderful IF, capturing the vibe perfectly. Kinda felt Kentucky Road Zero-ish. Still have to finish that game, aka the perfect November/December game. But I also still need to finish my second playthrough of Night in the Woods, which happens to be the perfect Oktober/November game, so maybe I should do that first.