I've been wanting to blog for months but it felt like such a production. Then someone said: don't create, just document. So here's a week.

Monday

It’s Monday morning and I'm plugging graphics into the community site I’ve been working on. They look... fine? I drew them last week and was pleased then, but now I'm not sure. Website design is fully in my comfort zone. I did it for ages. But I realized I’ve always worked with someone else’s text. Drawing images before I actually know what I’m saying is maybe putting the cart before the horse. I'm trying not to spiral into perfectionism about it. It's fine. Probably fine.

The weather was lovely, so Paul grilled for dinner. Impossible burgers and fresh corn and eggplant from the CSA. I used to hate eggplant. Now I love it. I don’t think it’s a texture thing, because I still don’t like it when it’s not fully cooked through. It needs to be soft, to almost disappear in your mouth. Paul is happy because he loves cooking with it. He has so many tasty recipes for it. Have my tastes changed so much? Makes me wonder what else I might learn to love. Olives, maybe? Blue cheese?

Tuesday

On Tuesday I made esquites with the leftover corn. We somehow ended up with three unopened bags of tortilla chips after the block party last weekend, so corn salad seemed like the obvious solution. Mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, chile pepper, cotija cheese. So yummy with the charred sweetness and crunch of fresh corn!

After lunch I did puzzle edits. The job was done months ago—finished, paid, put away—but then the client wanted changes after seeing proofs. Not small ones. There’s always a level of guesswork in estimations, but I sent them a rate that felt fair—a balance between a good rate if it went quickly and a reasonable rate if it dragged.

It's dragging.

I've been timing myself and I’ve already sailed past the "good money" mark, and now dipping below "reasonable." But I like this client. They’re good people, and I want them to feel good about the work they’re getting, so I keep noodling around, even adding a few details they didn't ask for but will probably appreciate.

Wednesday

Wednesday morning, back to the community site. Writing the landing page, trying to explain what I'm creating. It took forever to find the right words. I hope people get it. Thinking about making new illustrations after all.

Lunch was the leftover esquites with a fried egg, fresh avocado, and tomatoes from the garden. More tortilla chips, obviously. We're going to be eating chips until 2025 at this rate.

Still working on the puzzle in the afternoon. Still over my estimate. Still adding little touches because they feel right.

Thursday

It rained all day Thursday.

I did laundry in the morning and then finally sat down to work on blogging. I've been wanting to do this for ages but haven't prioritized it. Or—I'm trying to reframe this—I haven't practiced prioritizing it. Time is finite. If I want to do something, I have to take time from something else. Which means deciding it's worth it.

So I guess I'm practicing deciding it's worth it.

In the evening I sketched new thumbnails for the community landing page. The old ones didn’t have enough visual storytelling. And it needs visual storytelling—it's a site for illustrators, after all.

I think this would be much easier if I wasn’t an illustrator. Then I could use stock photography and call it a day. But I don't want stock anything, so I need to make something custom. Simple. Meaningful. Which is literally my job, so I should probably trust myself to do it okay.

Trying not to overthink.

Friday

Friday was delightfully sunny. I took Frisket to the park to play fetch.

Then she got to see her good friend Chowder (a dog), and her good friend Ray (a human). Ray always has treats at the ready. Pretty sure Frisket thinks he buys them just for her. They're besties like that.

I cleaned the studio for fifteen minutes. Trying to make it a daily thing. Even five minutes makes a difference.

Then I drew. I selected a couple thumbnails from yesterday and got to work on final images. Naturally I didn't like where it was going for the first hour. Just had to keep pecking at it until it got better. Oh the ugly phase. It’s a part of every piece, and yet I still have to remind myself that I just have to keep going and I’ll make it through to the other side.

I made it through.

Weekend

We booked hotels for South America on Saturday. Paul has a conference in Buenos Aires, but we're starting in Montevideo and taking a ferry across. Can’t wait!

In the evening I went to the wedding of an old classmate from the Potters Guild. It was in a beautiful old church that had been converted to a community space. It was a great time. Good food, delicious cocktails, lots of dancing. Were there pottery moves on the dance floor? Possibly.

After the ceremony, I got a text from my stepmom saying my dad was going to the hospital. He’s recovering from severe acute pancreatitis and complications relating to it, so he’s been in and out of the hospital for months. He’s okay. But it’s stressful, and I was happy to be surrounded by friends and an atmosphere of celebration. There are worse things than dancing away your anxiety to Gaga and ABBA.

Sunday was a cookout at Paul's parents' house. His dad's theory: if you're lighting the grill, might as well cook everything. So. Much. Sausage. And more corn. And more eggplant. And zero complaints.