August Begins 🌿 Soft Rhythms

Hello, friends.

It’s the beginning of a new month, so thank you, everyone, for the continual support!

As life cycles, I find myself seeking some pace I can follow as I try to balance creativity, recovery, and everything in between. I feel like I’ve plateaued a bit on improvement, so I need to challenge myself further. I’ve been thinking a lot about rhythm lately. Managing life, health conditions, caring for others, and trying (often failing) to keep up with a world that often moves faster than my nervous system allows. Trauma, perfectionism, and grief have made it harder and harder to be “public” in the ways that used to feel simple—things like posting to social media, staying caught up, or even believing a small update is “enough.”

But I’ve been reminding myself—gently—that this, too, is part of the path. That improving takes time, and tending to myself is not a detour. It is the work, and all part of the process.

📚 Mythseeker Progress

While I had hoped for Volume 1 to be done by now, it at least nearing completion! I’ve sat down and checked, and it looks like each volume will have around 100 illustrations—which is actually fewer than I feared!

My goal is to finish Cycle 1 (Volumes 1–3) before the official release, which I’m tentatively aiming for in spring of next year. There’s still a mountain ahead, but once the first volume is done, I feel like the rest will unfold more naturally—the engine is built; now it’s time for driving and occasional maintenance.

It takes so much research, experimentation, and lots of mistakes! This phase has taught me so much about my writing style, visual language, and how to balance storytelling, art, and not rushing—it’s about finding the methods that help me stay paced and sustained for the long term.

It’s deeply humbling to realize the thing you love needs structure to thrive—and that the way you treat yourself—your body, your mind, your space—echoes directly into the story you’re trying to tell.

🐸 A Quick Check-In: How Are You?

How have you been holding up? If you’ve been struggling lately to keep up… I see you. I’ve had step back a bit to care for myself first, but know I am always thinking and praying— friends, mutual, supporters, anyone at risk in our current world.

If it’s been hard to stay hydrated, to open messages, to keep your house from sinking under chores, or your mind from spiraling from current world events, know that you’re not alone. I’m in that too, right now. That in itself—the practice, awareness, learning, facing it—takes a lot of energy and is scary!

I’ve been thinking about how often we punish ourselves for not doing enough, when in reality, many of us are doing the best we can with limited spoons, limited support, and a world that doesn’t always make room for us. It’s a tricky balance—because I’ve also viscerally learned that I still have to take responsibility, that our mindset does affect outcomes, and sometimes… you just have to face some pain for gain and push through.

I’ve been practicing doing one thing at a time. Small steps. Often, anything is better than nothing. Not letting perfectionism be the enemy of consistency. Not letting my fears ruin my chance to improve.

🌱 Patreon Structure & Rhythm

I’m aiming to do two to three posts a week (depending on content available)—ideally one free, one paid. I’m exploring a Tuesday and Thursday schedule, but I don’t want to promise anything yet—I want to focus on actually seeing it all through consistently.

I’m also going to try encouraging myself to post more casually with general art, WIPs, etc. I get wordy enough as it is—let the content do the talking!

I’m keeping the tiers simple for now—$2, $5, and $50. The $12 tier has been unpublished, mostly as a way to streamline and reduce pressure while I focus on consistency and depth over volume. I’ve thought about raising the $5 tier by at least a dollar, but we’ll see how things go.

I’m also working on organizing, cleaning up, and improving Patreon accessibility—tags, collections, store, updated information, links, and more. I also am planning for when I do share writing snippets, I’ll aim to record myself reading!

I’d love to know what kinds of content you’re most excited to see here. What content do you enjoy the most?

• Sketches, WIPs, and artwork as a whole?

• Processes, tutorials, or creative insight?

• Behind-the-scenes development?

• Lore drops, worldbuilding, or character profiles?

• Reflective and blog entries?

• Writing snippets, short stories, audiobooks, or other prose?

• Something else?

Feel free to comment—this space is for both of us, and your input helps me shape it with others’ needs or interests in mind!

🌐 Where You Can Find Me

As I try to restructure, these are the places I’d like to be found on:

• BlueSky – general updates and art feed

• ArtStation / suedraws.com – portfolio

• TheMythseeker.com – I’m currently figuring out a system for news and posts there (possibly a newsletter or journal-style blog)

• Possibly returning to Ko-Fi later down the line

• Exploring other platforms—from YouTube to Twitch

I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter or Instagram, for varying reasons.

If there’s a particular platform you frequent or would prefer for Mythseeker content, let me know! There’s only so much I can handle on my own, though—I’ve already had to cut out Discord time and some social spaces to make more room for the work. Ideally, in the coming years, I can look into affording help, like editors or social media assistance.

Thanks, as always, for being here—especially in these seasons. Your support doesn’t just help the work exist; it helps me exist safely, more intentionally, and with more courage to keep going.

💚 Susannah