#basically had to QUIT overworking in some way if i wanted any decent quality of life that could get the panic attacks to stop.

[mejomonster]

I feel distinctly like the universe is planning to shove me in a Particular direction. I dunno what exactly yet but i feel it looming

[am-i-interrupting]

Requesting a Hazbin Hotel Matchup!

I would prefer a male character! (Despite that, I am an ace lesbian. I just wanna indulge my comphet fictional crushes iykwim + i prefer more of the male cast in hazbin. I totally understand if you'd prefer to match me up with a female character) I use she/they pronouns.

A few personality traits of mine would be hardworking, clumsy, compassionate, and playful. I am a workaholic, and often work myself to the bone. Ironically, to others, I try my best to ensure they don't overwork themselves. I'm a bit of a people pleaser to the point where I jeopardize my mental health, but I'm working on it. I'm decently good at appearing mature and socially adept (if a bit anxious) when around strangers, but around those close to me, I admit I am a bit of a baby, being playful.

I have ADHD, a Depressive Disorder, and strongly believe I have Autism. Some jokes, sarcasm, and flirting goes iver my head, but if I notice, I do like to play along. I like cutesy pastel colored clothing in a sort of streetwear style. Like, cargo pants are great but I also love cute skirts. I'm an artist and a gamer. I like to animate and am working towards developing video games! My love language is definitely physical touch and quality time. Hugs are important to me. I like being close to people I care about, even if we're not doing the same thing. Parallel play is peak to me.

My music taste swings around wildly. I've always been a sucker for vocaloid and musical theatre songs. Lately, I've been listening to Epic The Musical and Calliope Mori. I love to sing and play the violin, so any music that I can vibe to, I like. I like plushies quite a bit, even though it's childish. My sense of humor is nonsensical even to me. I laugh a lot, basically, from dark jokes to antihumor.

I'm unsure of my demon form, to be honest. I'd probably have something to do with video games or art, and my favourite animals are small round birds (like the white-browed tit-warbler), jellyfish, and frogs. Feel free to describe my sinner form however you want! (I am short though)

I hope this isn't too much haha I just realized how much I rambled

I don't really want full NSFW headcanons, but some spiciness/non-explicit stuff is good.

Thank you!

-👾 (so i can find this later)

Your Match Up Is. . .

Lucifer!

You probably met him at the Hotel.

Now, Lucifer wasn’t immediately obsessed with you. No, no, he had his daughter to focus on.

However, you caught his attention soon enough.

It was actually while working on the Hotel rebuilding that you caught his eye.

With you darting around from place to place, making sure everything got done while also making sure everyone else took a break, you made yourself known.

Unfortunately, no one made sure you took a break so he took that role upon himself.

It probably took some convincing but eventually he got you to do it.

Over time you two got closer and closer.

It was one of those things were everyone else realized you were both in deep for each other before either of you did.

This is because neither of you recognized when the other was flirting. . . like at all.

It would probably be Angel or maybe even Charlie saddling up to one of you going, “Soooo, when are you gonna ask them out?”

Immediate denial followed up by very intense analyzation of every single one of your interactions with each other because what are they talki. . . Ooooh, you see it now.

It’d be a while before you two got together.

When you did though, prepare for heaven in hell.

Wow, Lucifer sure is a catch.

He is so sweet and so caring.

He is able to recognize signs that your depression is getting worse because of his own and together you’re able to help each other through the spirals.

You’re also able to give each other advice that actually works with you AuDHD brains because there is no way that man is neurotypical.

Get ready to be able to infodump any time you want to and be listened to with the most attention. He is asking all the questions.

You’re making a game? What genre? What animation style? What’s the main story line? What’s that side character that you made too detailed of a background for? Tell him everything.

You like drawing? He likes making ducks. Can you draw him ducks for him to make when he’s in a funk?

And you have plushes! They can be friends with his ducks.

If he hears you listening to a song from a musical, it’s over. You’re not doing whatever it was you were doing. You are now obligated to reenact the scene from him.

He loves dancing with you.

Sometimes though, he can get a bit in a Gomez Addams-like mood and he’ll just start kissing your arms, then your neck, the one thing leads to another.

This man is big on oral.

Cuddles after. Always.

He is a big cuddler.

This man is so touch starved it’s not even funny.

He intends to make up for it so a hand is almost always on you. He is always in your space.

You are never falling asleep without being cuddled again.

[warsofasoiaf]

Its been awhile since you've done any character analysis on Fallout New Vegas, but would you be willing to go into one for some of the minor characters? I'm actually curios of your opinion on Silus the captured centurion and his motivations.

I’m more than happy to, although this won’t be about Silus so much as it will be about the quest Silus Treatment. It’s one of my favorite quests in the game, since it does a great deal just with dialogue and some creative use with the engine to create an engaging quest that showcases some of the failures of the NCR and the Legion. Given that the central theme is about picking a faction, warts and all, having a quest that puts the two main faction of New Vegas on full display is an absolutely good idea. The game is too old for spoilers, but it’s a long analysis so I’ll put a cut in.

Silus Treatment starts off simple enough, going to Camp McCarran, in the old McCarran International Airport, now the regional command post of Colonel Hsu. McCarran is not in a great spot when you first get there; there are periodic Fiend attacks, tensions in Freeside are causing havoc for NCR civilians, the overstretched NCR supply lines are making it difficult even for their central point of operations, and there’s a strong possibility that they’ve been infiltrated. It’s all Colonel Hsu can do to keep order and function in the base. Perfect protagonist fodder, in other words, for a nice quest hub.

It’s a tough needle to thread in any RPG to build a quest hub where there’s stuff for a character to do. If everyone is incapable of solving even the most basic of problems, it gives a great deal of quests for the player to do but it makes the quest-givers look incompetent, especially if the quest-givers are supposed to be capable figures in their own right. Conversely, if the NPC’s are competent, then the quests would be solved and that would close out on content for the player. There’s plenty of ways to settle this, and the devs do an adequate job here. The war effort means prioritization, and Hsu is dealing with being torn from both angles. He can’t just hunt down the Fiends, because he needs to organize patrols and deal with NCR settlers in the area. He can’t just pacify Freeside because it will engender hostility with House and so he’s delaying the order from his butcher superiors like Moore to go in with fire and sword. He doesn’t have a solution to the Kings but he’s trying to find one, which as far as writing goes is a good solution. Hsu is a decent man but overworked. He’s hoping that he can develop a solution in time before Cassandra Moore decides to pull rank and go on the warpath against all who oppose the NCR, which leaves a convenient spot for the player.

It’s this person that gives us our introduction to the Silus Treatment questline. Hsu has a valuable prize: Silus, a captured Legion centurion! Typically centurions always commit suicide rather than be captured to deny any useful intelligence to the enemy, so to capture a centurion alive should be quite a find. But it’s not going so well. Lt Carrie Boyd, in charge of base security, can’t get Silus to talk. Again, perfect quest writing to get the PC involved in the plot. Normally such a sensitive operation would never be given to an unknown civilian contractor, even for a bureaucratic mess like the NCR. Frontier desperation, hitting a wall via official channels, and the fact that the character is the protagonist in a sprawling open world help it pass ludonarrative muster.

Boyd is a real piece of work, she’s openly sadistic hiding beneath of veneer of civility. She considers the humane treatment of POW’s as an impediment, and so looks for ways around it. Notably, while she wants information from Silus to deliver to her superiors, she’ll settle for just having Silus beaten so bloody that he can’t speak anymore, calling it “entertainment.” This is a person who simply should not be in charge of interrogating a prisoner, she is neither humane nor effective at her job, but here she is by virtue simply of being the chief MP on base.

Not that Silus, the prisoner and the other side of this duo, is better. He openly revels in the barbaric practices of the Legion’s slavery system, even trying to ensure that the slaves can never achieve some level of comfort by tightening the collars and making it difficult for them to feel at ease while eating or drinking. Even if Silus is mostly saying those things simply to get a rise out of Lieutenant Boyd, he knows what the Legion is up to and enjoys it. Silus is arrogant to an extreme degree, he is filled with confidence that he can outlast any interrogation by the feeble NCR without giving up any intelligence, that he could easily escape NCR confinement and that he is so valuable to the Legion that following Caesar’s order would be a waste. Good fodder then, for the protagonist to bring him down to size.

Silus Treatment as a quest is relatively simple. Boyd signs off on the Courier beating the ever-living tar out of Silus and then steps out for a smoke, letting the player do whatever he or she wants to the prisoner. Silus, sneering, dismisses the Courier as just another piece of NCR trash, and it’s up to the player with how to succeed. Violence is always an option, you can beat Silus, and eventually gets something useful, that the base itself will be the target of Legion destruction. Silus admits that his fantasy of escape was always a fantasy, he was dead to Caesar just as surely as he as if he had committed suicide before capture. 

Yet if the Courier has points in Speech or Intelligence, he can completely upend Boyd’s methods and actually deliver a worthwhile interrogation. The first technique, with speech, uses an interrogation technique known as Pride-and-ego-down, where the interrogator routinely belittles and demeans the prisoner, usually their technical competence or soldierly qualities, in an attempt to get the prisoner to “redeem” themselves by explaining a piece of useful intelligence that would explain the deficiency as opposed to it just being a terrible personal quality. The Courier mocks Silus as a coward (bravery being a key soldierly virtue) and he defends himself by stating his bravery and that suicide is a poor death for a soldier of his intelligence and caliber, then saying how good a soldier he is for a “self-appointed megalomaniacal dictator.” Silus then spills that Caesar held his unit for three days because of “headaches,” in actuality, it’s Caesar’s brain tumor. The technique works to an exceptionally high degree, not only does Silus divulge that McCarran has been infiltrated as in the violence ending, but also that the Legion is suffering a crisis of command due to Caesar’s illness. The Courier gets a lot of useful intelligence out of Silus and doesn’t compromise the humane treatment of prisoners in the process. If it actually caused some self-reflection in Boyd, that’d be a complete win, but I suppose we can’t have everything.

My favorite option is the intelligence option, because the Courier goes full-on PSYOPS, posing as a Legion assassin sent to kill Silus for his failure to commit suicide on Caesar’s order. Silus denies it at first, but as the Courier continues to sell the performance, Silus begins to express real terror at the thought that the Courier is actually a frumentarius sent to kill Silus before he divulges anything to the NCR. The Courier fully sells the deal using Latin phrases as the language of Caesar’s elites. The Courier can quote Cicero, “legum servi sumus” - we are all slaves to the law, in what is perhaps a perfect example of Caesar’s philosophy of totalitarian obedience. The full quote "Legum servi sumus ut liberi esse possimus” - we are slaves to the law so that we might be free, means little in Caesar’s totalitarian state where all are subject to his whims and contingency plans for Caesar’s incapacity aren’t even considered. Of course, the Roman Republic was hardly a free state, but Caesar really takes the cake with his dictatorship. If Caesar’s dictum holds true: “Corruptio optimi pessima” - the corruption of the greatest is the worst outcome. how much worse is it when Caesar himself is corrupted? But totalitarians rarely raise the possibility that they themselves are corrupt, because the good of the dictator is the good of the state. After all, L'etat c'est moi is the dictum of any dictator, not just a Sun King.

Of course, fitting New Vegas, you can side with Silus, and facilitate his escape. There, you feign beating him to unconsciousness and slip him a silenced pistol, then Silus makes good his escape, killing the guard sent to bring him back to his cell and sneaking out. Of all the endings, this one isn’t as satisfying. Some of it, of course, is that you never interact or see Silus again, so there’s never any reward to the quest except for the knowledge that the base is infiltrated, which in the pro-Legion side of the quest I Put a Spell on You allows you to complete Curtis’s sabotage operation (and a far better Legion quest, in my opinion, with the NCR quest side being even better given the multiple outcomes), but also it’s not referenced again with Caesar. What would Caesar’s reaction be to the Courier springing Silus? He is quite fond of reciting a litany of the Courier’s accomplishments in Act 2 at Fortification Hill.

If I could improve Silus Treatment, I think I would have made it so the violent path wouldn’t have produced enough valuable intel, and the player needs to do some more detective work to actually get to I Put a Spell on You, or even being mislead by Curtis and becoming the unwitting patsy of the Legion. But overall, I think it was an incredible quest and a testament to the writing in the game.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[fightforbetterworkingcondit-blog]

Working conditions and modern slavery in our world. - Can we fight for a fair world?

MANIFESTO BLOG - Karin van Noortwijk - 15-01-2018

If we want to survive in our current world economy we need to work. We need to work a lot. To be more in detail, we all need to work for 8 hours of the day, mostly 4 or 5 days a week. If you can’t work because of a disability you are forced to live with less money and in poorer circumstances. Nevertheless, in Western countries there are measures, insurance or benefits. A safety net, so that you don't end up on the street when you lose your job. At least not all of a sudden.

But if we look at working hours and earnings in Third World countries, it is shocking. People work 10 to 12 hours on a day if not more, and earn only a small amount of money. Child labour is no exception. Potter et all. (2012) says the following: ‘Poverty and inequality are inextricably linked to the availability of secure and decent work.’ By decent work he means ‘employment opportunities that are accompanied by rights, protection and voice.’ Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go in this case.  

The money is not distributed fairly at the moment. This has to do with the money we earn when we work, with some jobs you earn much more than with others. But why does one person earn so much more than the other? Why does society think that some jobs are worth more money than others? And why is there a difference in earnings between men and women? While both persons work 8 hours a day, 4 or 5 days a week. Why do we in the Western world earn so much more money than in third world countries? Why is the world's money so unfairly distributed?

Why is the world so unequal paid?

Work in the Western world

So what about the working conditions of the western world? What can we change in the Western world? What are the consequences of a ‘performance society’ and always need to achieve more and more. To follow a course that you don't like because that's what the future holds. Hearing thinks like: ‘Become a doctor, you are at least assured of a job.’ or  ‘culture, art or social work, you don’t earn anything with that!’.

In the western world we are hard. People are saying: ‘You can become anything you want as long as you put enough effort in it, to achieve it.’ (All We Ever Wanted, 2010). But is that really the case? Studying is not cheap but more importantly, what are you going to study? Which study gives you the best guarantee for this bright future? Or do you choose a study that you simply like? But what about job security and earning money? Do you choose for a nice study or a study that offers you certainty? Because without money you will not be able to enter this high-performance society.

Source picture: http://www.humanengineers.com/

Consequences of the ‘performance society’

The consequences of a performance society could be: overworked, overstressed, a burn-out or a depression. Young people in particular experience a lot of pressure from this society. But not only younger people, people in general feel a certain performance pressure.

In the documentaire All We Ever Wanted (2010) are different examples given of different people. All these people experience psychological problems at work, for example Emiel (29) he thought he had a heart attack but this turned out to be something quite different: ‘It turned out to be a panic attack. That he had so many possibilities made him restless. He had never thought that he would suffer from psychological problems, he found himself a weakling, but couldn't get rid of it himself. He calls his problem a luxury problem, but that doesn't make it any less problematic?’.  

We need too much, we want too much. The possibilities are unlimited. The pressure is too high (All We Ever Wanted, 2010).

Working conditions in Third World countries

I think we all agree that working conditions, hours and wages in third world countries need to change drastically. According to Potter et all. (2012) poverty is a representation of a lack of income and money. He says the following about this ‘Factors such as health, education, social life, environmental quality and political and spiritual freedoms are all vital components of poverty and that deprivation in respect of anyone of these may be regarded as giving rise to poverty.’

Potter et all. (2012) says that the above factors/needs can all have an impact on poverty. Lack of income and money play the most important role. When a person has enough money to be able to provide himself/herself with the above needs, they can develop themselves. So with enough money, each individual has a more fair chance of a future.

There is only one problem, people earn very little or no money to support themselves.

Source picture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNhzPn8IZu8

Consequences of the poverty-trap

But what is a poverty-trap? According to Sachs (2005) a poverty-trap means when the poverty is so extreme that the poor people have not the ability to get out of the mess all by themselves. So what are the consequences of a poverty trap? According to Sachs (2005) poverty itself is a cause of economic stagnation. And because economic prosperity is of major importance, there are many problems with work and money in the Global South.

The working conditions in the Global South are extremely badly. I repeat a statement by Potter et all. (2012), which I mentioned earlier because I think this statement says it all: ‘Poverty and inequality are inextricably linked to the availability of secure and decent work.’

Conclusion

In other words, the working conditions of the Western world and the Global South are very different. But the conclusion is that both are problematic. The problems in the Global South are about survival, how do I get through the day and make sure I have food tonight? In the Western world the question is, how do I get through the day while I am overstressed or depressed? The pressure of money and work forms people's lives, which causes valuable things to fall away as family, friends and happiness. How can we change this?

Source picture: http://www.communitycare.co.uk/

Solution

But what can be good solutions for working conditions in the western world and in the Global South (the whole world, therefore)?

In our manifesto we mentioned the ‘basic income’ experiments and the impact it had. For example a village in India where for a couple of months the people from this village received a basic income without having to work for it. This was the result: ‘People started to be very creative and making something out of their live. The basic impact led to reducing of debts, more labour and work, better live conditions and improved the whole economic, political and social system in the test village to a better one.’

But what will change if we all get the same income? By getting the same income, the following aspects change:

Fair working conditions

Equal salaries

Less working hours

More time with friends and family

Be able to do what makes you happy

We said that a basic income for everyone would be a good alternative. Why? Because everyone gets the same monthly amount to spend. Whether you're working or not, young or old, disabled or not, works for 6 or 8 hours a day, male or female, everyone gets the same amount of money. How you spent that money is up to you. This way everyone gets the same start, the same chance to build something. There are no differences anymore, everyone is equal. In doing so, we want to create fair working conditions for everyone. Equal pay and less working hours, let's say 4 or 6 hours of work per day. In this way, you will have time to do what makes you happy. For example, spending time with friends or family or practicing a hobby.

Source picture: http://www.theimplanthub.com/

It is no longer about working for money.  It is about practising a profession because it is your passion, not because you will earn the most from it. Exercising a profession that you like, which makes you happy.

A fair, equal and above all happy world!

[aquiliscreations-blog]

Some things I’ve learned

It’s not easy being a full-time artist. Money-wise it’s feast or famine. I’m either doing really well, or I haven’t sold something in months. I’ve learned quite a bit and I wouldn’t change a thing. I figured I’d share for other artists out there.

#1 There is no Time for Procrastination.

     I’m not always good at getting on the ball in the mornings. Mornings are rough for me in general, and I’m usually in denial about being conscious. I find that the longer I procrastinate on a project, either waiting to start or waiting to finish, the harder it is to actually do the project.

#2 Walk the Talk

     If you call yourself a full time artist, you should be creating everyday. Even if its a 15 minute doodle. I’m also not very good at this. If I wake up later than normal I feel like I’ve wasted the day, and therefore can accomplish nothing. This is a fallacy. Steal the time to work on something

#3 It’s OK Not to be Perfect

     Perfectionism is the enemy of creativity. As a perfectionist in most things I do, this has been a very hard lesson for me. Even if you can’t get that one detail just right, you have to know when to call it finished. If you keep overworking your piece, not only do you stand the chance of ruining it entirely, but you are also preventing yourself from moving on to your next project. This, however, does not mean quit working on something because you’re scared to mess it up.

#4 It’s OK to Experiment

     It’s OK to work in a different medium then you’re used to. It’s OK to try a different style within the same medium. Not all of your work has to look the same. Especially early on it’s important to try different things to find your style.

#5 You have to promote yourself

     As an introvert this is very hard, but no one is as invested in your work as you are. No one will promote you if you don’t promote yourself. This can mean going to art events and talking to everyone, or having a large online presence, or both. It’s not easy, it takes dedication. Prepare a short and concise artist statement about your and what you do. Memorize it and be ready to tell people about it when you ask

#6 It’s not all about You

     When you’re networking don’t just talk about you and your work. Listen to what other artists and art enthusiasts have to say. Take genuine interest in it. Building art relationships is much like building friendships. And you never know who you’ll be working with in the future. You don’t want to come off as self-obsessed in your first impression.

#7 Take High Quality Images of Your Work

     This seems like common knowledge, but I’ve seen some pretty terrible images of art. Most smartphones now have decent cameras, but they aren’t the best for art. They don’t capture the fine detail. You want at least 300 dpi  images for submitting to shows. If you can afford it, consider buying a DSLR camera. If not, you’re a member of an art community, I bet you know someone who has one, and for a small fee, or trade, can help you out. Don’t ask for it for free. They’ve spent as much time learning their art as you have yours.

#8 You’re Your Own Worst Critic

     I’m never happy with my work. I’m just not. I find one detail I hate and I fixate on it. Most of the people I know seem to love my work, but I have a very hard time believing it, and it slows down my creative process because I get very down about it.

#9 Create an Online Portfolio

     It may not get much traffic in the beginning, but and online portfolio can really help you when submitting to exhibitions, and many request them on their applications. It’s easy to find cheap hosting. I use SiteGround and their built in Site builder. You don’t have to be a web guru to make and elegant and professional looking online portfolio. If you don’t believe me, you can check out mine. I’m nearly computer illiterate. I pay for my domain name, www.aquiliscreations.com, because it looks more professional than say, www.weebly.com/aquiliscreations.

#10 Have Business Cards Made

     I know it sounds like work, but it’s easy to go to a site like VistaPrint and design your own business cards. You can almost always find promo codes. My latest order is 13.94 for 100 business cards. They currently have a special for 500 basic one sided cards for 9.99 (plus whatever extra you add on.) Usually, I put the name of my business (it’s ok if you don’t have one) I add my artist name, and I state what I do. (Artist, pianist, musician, etc.) I also list the mediums I work in, but this isn’t necessary. I also add my phone number and e-mail. If you’re not comfortable with phone number, just do your e-mail.

#11 Have an E-mail Set Up Just for Your Art

     I know it doesn’t sound important, but it looks more professional. For example here’s mine, AquilisCreations@gmail.com. Other things that could work for me are: Aquilisedwardsart@gmail.com, or Aquilis@Aquiliscreations.com. All of these look much more professional than Babylove1979@yahoo.com.

#12 Use Keywords on Your sites

     Whether its a Facebook page, or an Online portfolio, looking into SEO (search engine optimization) can help you gain more foot traffic. Using keywords like art, painting, drawing, your name, artist, where you’re located, your subject matter, etc. in the Titles of your page or home page, and the file name of your images you upload can help you come up in search engines. For Example, if you search Aquilis Edwards, I’m the first 2 listings on Google. If you search Aquilis Creations, pictures of my art are the first things to pop up, and the entire front page of the google search is linked to my patreon, my facebook, my portfolio and my etsy in some way.

#13 Put Yourself Out There

     Submitting your work to exhibitions and galleries can seem daunting, but it’s worth it. You may feel like your art isn’t good enough, but you’ll never know until you try, and you have a good chance at getting feedback if you’re rejected. So it’s a win/win. Some shows have entry fees. Usually between $15 and $35 in my experience. That can make it more daunting, but it’s an investment in your future. Not only does it give you a chance to sell your work, it also gets your work in front of your ideal audience, art connoisseurs and collectors. You can find Art opportunities at Artopportunitiesmonthly.com and ZAPP. You can sometimes find opportunities with no entry fee as well.

#14 Create an Artist Resume or CV

     Even if you don’t have a large amount of experience, you should still create a CV. Include any classes you’ve had, whether formal or informal. Include any shows you’ve had, even if they are group shows. Include any art you’ve sold, even to private collectors. Include any classes you’ve taught even at community centers. (If you haven’t volunteer!) Do some research and look at examples to show you how it’s done.

#15 Never, Ever Give Away or Trade Art for Exposure

     It doesn’t work out. Chances are the person offering exposure just wants to get art for free and has no influence over a large audience. I did this once for a charity event. I’ve yet to see a single penny from the so-called exposure. This isn’t an unpaid internship. You’ve spent years developing your skills. You’ve spent money, whether on training or supplies. Don’t give your time and money away for free. Just don’t do it.

#16 Learn How to Price Your Work

    Underselling yourself isn’t doing you any favors. Prices too low can make your work seem insignificant. Prices too high can drive away customers due to sticker shock. If your a novice, you’re prices should be a little less than a professional. There are two ways to price your art, per square inch, or for time. I prefer the square inch model, because it prevents works of the same size having vastly different prices that make the artist look inconsistent. if you’re prices are too high you can always come down later. It’s hard to raise prices.

#17 Do the Work because YOU Love It.

     Its one thing to take commissions. Many artist make a good living that way. However when you don’t have a commission and you’re just painting for things to have in stock or in your portfolio, don’t try to pander to an audience. Do work you’re passionate about. You can certainly tell the difference in a piece the artist loved doing and one they did because they felt they have to.

#18 Don’t Do this For the Money

     Lets face it, making a career out of art is hard. Don’t do it because you want to make money, you may never make enough to sustain yourself, and that’s perfectly OK. Make your art to express yourself, to let your creativity run wild, and because you are passionate.

#19 If you have Art Block, Do it anyway

     Don’t wait for inspiration to strike, work even when you don’t feel like it. Make it a habit. Practice. Do nonsensical things. Sit down, start with a line on your canvas and see what grows from there. This is how you learn new techniques, find new subjects, and generally grow your creativity. Many times, once you start, inspiration will find you.

#20 Love Yourself

     Even when you feel like a failure, love yourself. When you haven’t made a sale in months, when you feel like your art isn’t good enough, when you just know you’ll never make it, pamper yourself. Get together with your people who make you laugh, who make you feel genuinely loved. Listen to the music that makes you feel good. Take a bubble bath with a glass of wine. Take yourself out on an artist’s date. Don’t let yourself wallow in the self pity and despair.

I hope that this has been helpful or inspiring. If I can help just one aspiring artist on their journey, I’ll be a happy girl. Cheers and Happy Arting!