13 April 2022 - Reading time: 2 minutes

Well, it's been a long time.

What began as a small break in November 2021 (after Inktober) turned into an art drought about four months long, through Christmas and into this year.  Unanticipated, and completely unwanted -- but, there it was.  A whole lot of insecurities and old, unhelpful thought patterns reared their heads again.  Add to the mix various IRL transitions and changes that were unrelated to art, but still influenced my life and state of mind.

So there I was, staring at an artist's block, unable to draw let alone sit down at the drawing table.  And feeling a lot of angst about "did I make a mistake to take a break from art?", "why is it so hard to pick it up again?" and "is this block going to last for years, just like the last time?"

But a change came in mid-March. I'm not sure what unblocked me; I'm sure there were many contributing factors.  One factor might've been making peace with not making art for now, and just enjoying that as a break.  Another might've been calling this phase as what it is: a pause (albeit longer than expected), not a permanent end.

Whatever it was, I gradually returned first to drawing something, and then drawing regularly, and by the end of March, I was completely in the groove of making art again.  It really felt like a drought breaking: the old habits and joys, the rush and the high of drawing something, anything, and the anticipation of "I want to do this again tomorrow!" -- all these came flooding back in.

I'm back now.  And it feels good to be here again.

Currently, I'm resuming my usual drawing schedule and posting on social media again.  I'm not sure what shape the Art Dispatch will look like this year: it might not be weekly anymore, but I hope to update regularly.  We'll see!

The first two drawings I made on the way to breaking the drought.  Familiar faces, and easy to draw -- of course it'll be my OCs, Vega and Zhael.

29 November 2021 - Reading time: ~1 minute

Well - the art hiatus that I mentioned in the last Art Dispatch has turned into something much longer. For various reasons (some RL circumstances, some consequences of my own actions), I haven't been producing art of any significance since Inktober ended.

I will have to resume my art at some point -- hopefully before the end of 2021 -- and when that happens, the Dispatch will also resume.  But for now, this blog is still on hiatus.

Thank you for following my Art Dispatch and my art progress all this time.  See you on the other side!

1 November 2021 - Reading time: 6 minutes

I made it to the end of Inktober! What a challenging and fun ride it's been. It's also a good time to take a short hiatus.

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25 October 2021 - Reading time: 5 minutes

Still October: still Inktober and Drawabox. I've now hit my stride for Inktober, while striving to maintain an open, exploratory mindset for those drawings.

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18 October 2021 - Reading time: 4 minutes

How are we already halfway through October!? This will be a quick Dispatch, because it's Inktober all month, all the time -- with a bit of Drawabox on the side.

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14 October 2021 - Reading time: 8 minutes

It's time again to pause and look back at July to September. Here are Quarter 1 and Quarter 2's reviews.

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