Third Week of May

How is it already almost the end of May?

The past few years have flown by so quickly, I’m no longer surprised when half the year disappears in the blink of an eye. I usually don’t mind how fast time moves as long as I feel like I’ve been productive. I’m not sure if I’ve gotten as much done this year compared to last year, but my back and neck definitely hurt more. I try not to push my body too much and take breaks when I can, but it makes me wonder how many more years I can keep doing art like this.

I remember watching documentaries about manga artists struggling with constant shoulder and back pain, and I used to think that kind of physical toll only happened to the hardcore weekly manga creators. But lately, I’ve started to feel the effects of all the stress and long hours from the past few years. I need to take better care of my body! I'm going to look into physiotherapy options....soon..

Another page done!

I originally wanted to finish the 3 new Japan art books (Winter, Summer, Solo Travel) this year, then do two more next year, Paintings of Switzerland and Paintings of France, and MAYBE even start a Europe-themed comic-style illustrated book, similar to the one I’m working on for Japan right now. But honestly, that’s just too much. I’m not being realistic, and I also think I need to take a break from the travel illustrations for a bit. Just yesterday, I started thinking that maybe I should slow down next year. Maybe take a step back from daily painting and try working on a children’s book idea that popped into my mind a few days ago. Something a bit more fun and less intense. “Drawing is supposed to be fun.” I always remind myself of this.

Lately, I’ve been enjoying taking photos again. For a while, I think I turned both art and photography into work, and somewhere along the way, I forgot how to enjoy them. Only recently have I started having fun with them again.

I can feel a difference in how I take photos now compared to a few years ago. I used to snap pictures without thinking much about framing or composition, I was mostly just trying to capture pretty bokeh in the background. Now, I find myself paying a lot more attention to how I compose an image. I’m still very much a beginner when it comes to photography. I shoot in auto mode most of the time and only JPGs. But even so, being able to capture little moments from my life has been fun!

Doesn’t Suki look super cool in that photo? She looks like a fierce little lion.