It's been a million years, and then some.

Dearest Patrons,

I'm not great at this stuff. The braining and the keeping up with things. I find that day to day it takes maximum effort for me to get out of bed, put my big people pants on, and get my life organized. It's one of the very few downsides of attempting to be self-employed. Especially as someone who is as naturally chaotic internally as I am. So, as always, I apologize for my absence, my tardiness, and all the other things.

That being said, the year of intensity just keeps rolling along! I believe we left off with a quick update regarding my European adventures.

Shortly after returning home, I packed my bags and went to Knobcon in Chicago, where I met up with over 30 of the Golden Shrimps (or was it 40? I forget the final headcount. A lot of us, regardless!). It was honestly a life-changing experience, to share so much cozy space with so many like-minded friends. Jamming with them was an absolute blast every time. I really hope anyone considering going next year does it. I certainly will be.


So then, once Knobcon was over, I had the pleasure of planning for TwitchCon, Las Vegas, where I not only met a bunch of friends, but also where I performed TWICE: once at the Yamaha Booth, and once at Kappa Cabana. At first, Las Vegas was completely overstimulating. I found myself completely overwhelmed by the lights, the sounds, the smells, the people. Oof. But. As the days went on, I found myself falling more and more in love with the place. And the people. I was expecting to be completely drained after TwitchCon. I thought, surely, I would need some long hiatus away from life, from all things creative, and all things future-related.. but here I am, rejuvenated and ready for whatever comes. Granted.. after TCLV, I had another vacation that happened pretty much right away.. so.. that's a thing.. haha

So, after TCLV, I came home for a bit, and then my family and I went to Pigeon Forge, TN, for some Smokey Mountain R&R. It was absolutely gorgeous. We had little bonfires out back, sat in the hot tub one night, sang songs.. it was magical.

Soooo.. I thought my travels would be over after that- back to a normal life, back to staying home, sleeping in, etc.. And that is partly true, but I will admit, there are a lot of things in my life that are changing, quite rapidly. I find myself swept up in opportunity, and I can see the winds blowing all around me in different directions. I'm not sure where I'll go, but I know that right now, my creative consistency may falter. That being said, I apologize for my lack of IRL goodies on here. It is a reward I know so many of you love, but I have honestly been all over the place mentally. I think I may need to replace the hand-made packages with something else, but I don't know what. I feel like I've asked you all this before, but what would you be interested in? I am contemplating doing a zoom call or class or something. But the creative stuff is becoming costly, time-consuming, and it weighs on me when I can't get it done on time. So... I guess this is me asking for help hahaha.

But yah... as life continues to progress in these next few months, I am going to be focusing less on external structure (like stream schedule and stuff) and focusing a little more on getting my internal schedule back on track (healthy routine: yoga, meditation, breakfast, exercise, outdoor time, writing music, etc). So far I'm 3 days into doing yoga in the morning, having a light breakfast, running on the treadmill, and sticking my head out the door for a minute to breathe real air lol. Still working on getting the rest done, as I'm trying to play catch-up with all the other things like Patreon, Kofi, VOD exporting, family/friends/rabbit time, streams, etc. 

I am not an organized woman, but I'm getting there.

And I appreciate your love and patience as I continue to grow through all of this.
You are witnessing the Bard's evolutionary phase. I hope it's as fun for you as it is for me lol.

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Also! I totally meant to make this the main theme of the post LOL, but the photo I'm attaching to this update has a magical story to go with it!

Back in the 80s, our house flooded, and my dad had to redo part of the basement. On one wall, he put up some wallpaper, of an old mill in the autumn. Well, at our airbnb in the Smokies, they had the EXACT picture framed on the wall. So, I did a little gum-shoeing, and found out that it was the Glade Creek Grist Mill, in West Virginia. So, on our way back to NY, we took a little detour and visited the place. It was absolutely beautiful, with little waterfalls and a creek that flowed under it. So now, whenever I make art in the room with the wallpaper, I will have memories associated with my family. Isn't that just wonderful? :)

Anyway...

Thank you guys for being you. Sending you all so much love. Chat soon.

-Bard xoxo