kimchicuddles

[kimchicuddles]

Been working on new downloads and packages, and doing some spring cleaning on patreon.com/kimchicuddles to make room for fun new tiers, including a "tea time chat" tier!

[kimchicuddles]

Apparently I needed to wait until the last minute to do this even though I've been planning it FOR A YEAR lol... but I'm making a meditation workbook version of last year's "counting the omer" comic series, so you'll be able to follow along for each night with your own reflections. This year is a prototype version, available only as a PDF download through patreon: patreon.com/kimchicuddles (ALL tiers, even $1/mo will have access). Everyone who downloads and follows along this year will be able to send me feedback and possibly influence the final printed version! You can join the free tier on patreon for updates... STAY TUNED!

[kimchicuddles]

Apparently I needed to wait until the last minute to do this even though I've been planning it FOR A YEAR lol... but I'm making a workbook version of last year's "counting the omer" comic series, so you'll be able to follow along for each night with your own reflections. This year is a prototype version, available only as a PDF download through patreon: patreon.com/kimchicuddles (ALL tiers, even $1/mo will have access). Everyone who downloads and follows along this year will be able to send me feedback and possibly influence the final printed version! You can join the free tier on patreon for updates... STAY TUNED!

[kimchicuddles]

Working on new downloads and packages, and doing some "spring cleaning" on patreon.com/kimchicuddles to make room for fun new tiers! Is there something you'd love to see on there that I used to do (or never did)? I'm considering bringing video content back also, because I had fun rambling at y'all while drawing lol ❤ Anyway, check it out, and stay tuned, and thank you for supporting my work!

[kimchicuddles]

Rewriting some of my favorites from the past! Here's one on emotional roller coasters... Thank you SO MUCH for your support!! https://www.patreon.com/kimchicuddles

I used to think being partnered with someone meant I was obligated to get upset whenever they got upset...

"Hey I'm getting on this emotional roller coaster...

"WELL I GUESS I'M COMING WITH YOU

But it's not actually supportive to get so wrapped up in someone else's emotions that I become ungrounded myself.

"I thought you came along to HELP ME

"THIS IS HOW I HELP

Eventually I realized that the best thing to do when a loved one is going through an intense experience is to keep my own feet on the ground.

"You coming? "No, but I'll be right here when you get back!

And from that grounded place, noticing what kinds of support I'm able to offer.

"You seem really upset. What do you need right now?

[kimchicuddles]

Soulmate recipes...

Thank you for supporting my work! patreon.com/kimchicuddles

text reads:

We're given soulmates in the form of ingredients. 

Some go through life taking bites of one after another, and spitting them back out.

Bodies change, minds change, hearts change.

Not every moment is delicious out of the context of the whole. 

But when "soulmate" is a verb rather than a perfect meal that we're passively waiting to be fed,

That's how true love becomes nourishing.

[kimchicuddles]

I was looking for something else in the archives but came across this blast from the past inspired by Evita Lavitaloca Sawyers, and I got so distracted by reflecting on how much my experience of love's abundance has changed since then that I forgot what I was looking for in the first place! So happy that our hearts are being well fed now

[kimchicuddles]

"Running out of time"... Thank you for supporting my work! Patreon.com/kimchicuddles

text reads:

Giving birth to daughters 15 years apart is kind of like time traveling...When my first was born, I was still highly ambitious in a way that felt like I never had enough time to accomplish everything I wanted to do in life...

But the birth of the second brought a strong visceral nostalgia and a deeper understanding of the mother Theresa quote: "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family"...

And now the only time that I care about running out of is the time I have left to love my kids.

[kimchicuddles]

Relaxation vs Dissociation...

Thank you for all your support on Patreon! You can see all recent comics posted there, along with the behind the scenes process, outtakes, and other fun stuff! patreon.com/kimchicuddles

text reads:

Is it relaxation or dissociation?

Dissociation is a defense mechanism, and can even be life saving,

but is not a sustainable strategy for ongoing stress.

When we are relaxing, we are HERE,

and when we are dissociating we are split apart to AVOID being here.

Relaxation is often followed by clarity, 

while dissociation is often followed by confusion, 

or even memory gaps.

To shift from dissociation to relaxation I can ask myself...

What do I feel when I put my hand on my heart and take a deep breath?

What do I notice when I flex my fingers and press my toes on the floor?

[kimchicuddles]

Today is my Hebrew calendar bday AND my due date... but we'll see what happens! Thank you for all your support on Patreon! You can see all recent comics posted there, along with the behind the scenes process, outtakes, and other fun stuff! patreon.com/kimchicuddles

text reads:

During childbirth, I needed a kind of endurance that I'd never needed before. What brought me the ability to keep going was the discernment in knowing what to focus my energy and attention on.

The intensity of the moment brought me into a sort of hyperfocus of my surroundings,and in every milli-second when I felt the pain becoming unbearable again I shifted focus onto a new object and named it in my mind..."yellow chair... blue curtain... pink ceiling" This gave me the inner strength to keep going a moment longer.

And because I went through that I have a feeling like I can go through anything. When I become overwhelmed, I can notice the objects in the room I'm in, and it snaps me back into remembering who I am and what I'm capable of.

[kimchicuddles]

Boundaries and Palaces... Thank you for all your support on Patreon! You can see all recent comics posted there, along with the behind the scenes process, outtakes, and other fun stuff! patreon.com/kimchicuddles Text reads:

Sometimes boundaries are too rigid, built like thick, impenetrable walls... "No one can get close enough to hurt me!"

And sometimes boundaries are too porous, shifting to fit whatever comes... "I'm so flexible that nothing can break me!"

But BOTH can chip away at our sense of self worth, leading to confusion, exhaustion, and deeper mistrust.

Healthy boundaries are like strong walls with a drawbridge that comes down at the right times, keeping out what we don't have the capacity to hold at the moment, and letting in what will build a stronger and more vibrant palace.

[kimchicuddles]

Been gestating a lot of different things this past year, and they're ready to come out!

Check out Patreon.com/kimchicuddles for behind the scenes brainstorming and asides

[kimchicuddles]

Been taking me a while to regroup. I appreciate everyone participating in the behind the scenes stuff while I figure out what types of projects I want to be focused on after all this! I'm going to redo a bunch of the tiers on Patreon soon but haven't decided exactly how so I'm open to suggestions: Patreon.com/kimchicuddles And if you're interested in holiday portrait orders there's still time: check out tikvawolf.com/services

[kimchicuddles]

Haven't had power, water, or internet since the hurricane but here's a comic from a motel I evacuated to... Speaking of which, I'm not sure if we even have a house right now so anything helps: Patreon.com/kimchicuddles Venmo.com/tikvawolf text reads:

Living in the mountains, I never thought I'd see my neighbors kayaking across the street with axes to rescue people trapped in attics...

Or a bunny float over on a piece of a fence to the hill we were on...

Everything still feels surreal and confusing in the aftermath while we try to salvage what's left in the muck...

But it's also comforting to see a generation of kids who grew up on the idea of "looking for the helpers" becoming the helpers.

[kimchicuddles]

RelationSHIPS... There's a hurricane a'brewin' and I think the flooding streets outside my door may have inspired the direction this one went lol. Anyway, hope all y'all are staying dry literally and figuratively! And thank you so much for supporting my work! patreon.com/kimchicuddles

text reads:

I used to pathologize the parts of me that knew a relationship was a bad fit, thinking that my lack of peace was a flaw within my own psyche that needed more healing...

And now that I'm used to being in a relationship that IS a good fit, it's become clear that no degree of inner work can create a compatibility that isn't actually there.

But because I've put so much effort into trying to rescue sinking 'ships, navigating the tiny storms that still happen within a good match seems much easier than it might have been if it was my first time at sea.

[kimchicuddles]

How do we measure "success"? I may not be the right person to ask... But thank you so much for supporting my work! patreon.com/kimchicuddles

text reads:

My first major manic episode was right after a traumatic breakup. A year later, I made a 15-foot long painting to make sense of the experience, and displayed it in a group with other aspiring artists.

A visiting long-time professional painter offered this helpful critique...

"Ugh this is just ART THERAPY and you're NEVER going to make it as a commercial artist"

And maybe he was right. I've turned down many lucrative opportunities since then, in attempts to reach more towards sanity than success... though in continuing to use my art to process my own emotions, it seems that the thing in my heart pointing me back home has also been a compass for others as well...

And even though prioritizing that peace may have stood in the way of traditional "success", finding balance within the storm of my mind has felt like a pretty massive achievement

[kimchicuddles]

Recovering penguin, current foodface. This was fun to make 5000 years ago (or whenever I made this) and it's fun to notice how much of a penguin I'm NOT anymore lol. Like I still have ambition, but I'm not forcing myself to constantly run on empty for the sake of it anymore, and so grateful for that. If you're a penguin, go have a glass of water ❤