Ateli-weird

Some stuff that I’ve been doing that I thought might be interesting to talk about. This is the first update!
Site updates in general might be slow for a while since my uni’s starting again soon - I’ll do my best to update reviews, at the very least.

Reading

I finished System Collapse earlier this month. I already have a review for the rest of The Murderbot Diaries, so I’ll be adding an update there. Currently I’m working on reading a few of the books on my shelf before I go hunting for more - starting with A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin. I’m enjoying it so far :)

Games

I’m not playing much consistently at the moment, but I’m trying to make the most of my free time while I still have it. My thesis looms…

I did however manage to get a copy of Animal Crossing New Horizons, which has been fun to play in the evenings occasionally. I find with cozy games like ACNH that I can only play so much before getting bored, though. Maybe just not enough brain engagement for me - still, it’s good for relaxing when I want to turn my brain off.

I’m also slowly working on making a game of my own! It’s a kind of typing game, which I’m mostly making as an excuse to learn touch typing and save my wrists a little. It’s currently stalled though, as I’m struggling to think of a proper visual direction for it. I’m hoping to spend some proper time with it once I’m less bogged down with IRL stuff.

Art

I haven’t finished much this month in the way of digital art, but I have a couple of WIPs to share!

The second is a prompt for the World of Reos group over on deviantart. Not sure if I’m going to finish the first one.

In other news, I’ve recently finished a sketchbook! This took 2 years, wow… on the other hand, I feel like I’m finally getting out of the burnout that’s been plaguing my art since ~mid-2022. Hopefully it stays that way.
I think a big contributor to that burnout was my own attitude towards art. Over time, I’d kind of lost the enjoyment of creating stuff; I’d put far too much focus on getting better, and doing things “properly”. A lot of artists I followed at the time were either industry professionals or trying to break into the industry, and I got caught up in that. Add that to consistently worsening wrist pain, and eventually I was actively avoiding drawing. Fast forward a couple years, and it’s been hard breaking myself back into the habit.

I think I’m a lot more positive about art and creating again now, though. To anyone who may feel the same way, I’d recommend giving it time. It’s okay to step away for a while, and you’re only hurting yourself by beating yourself up about it. Additionally, if you’re not planning to do art as a career, it’s okay not to meet industry standards. Take time to study and improve when you want to, but make sure that you’re also spending time just drawing for yourself. Try following the 50% rule. All and all, have fun!