Hey,

I had originally wanted to make this journal a couple weeks back, but beyond some complications I'll mention below and a holiday weekend, it's been pushed back to today. I don't mean to keep people waiting for updates since there's so much work I still owe to very patient folks.

Soon after my last journal, I was finally able to see the physiotherapist that I had been in contact with and the first session brought some interesting insight into what may be causing my shoulder blade and arm issues. Beyond some arthritis and a small bone spur in my shoulder, in the neck, there are muscles that attach to the shoulder and shoulder blade called the scalene muscles, they run from the neck in the midst of various nerves and blood vessels. If those muscles are tight and potentially inflamed, there's a good possibility that they are giving less room for those nerves and such to run through, causing a multitude of issues. They are also very involved in the manipulation of the arm and shoulder, so finesse work like drawing taxes them.

This had never come up from any other therapist/doctor I'd ever seen, so this was very interesting indeed. My body may have also proven the entire theory correct as a two days after my second session a couple weeks ago, I was hit with pretty much every symptom and pain I had ever experienced all at once, taking me out for almost a whole weekend. My neck, my shoulder, my upper back, everything was tight, tense, and in incredible pain. The worst part was, was that I didn't have another session for over a week, but things subsided and I was able to get some more info earlier this week into why that happened. Essentially, I'm not only fighting my body in my recovery, but also my own brain. Because no one had considered these muscles as an issue, they haven't been tampered with in over a decade. My neck has been keeping those muscles tight as a way to protect them, and now that they are being tampered with, my brain is sending pain signals to try and dissuade me from doing so, thus that collection of issues all at once a couple weekends back.

With all that info, what does that mean for my recovery? Essentially, fixing the tightness and allowing my body to allow those muscles (neck/shoulder blade/arm) to work again without pain is step one, then slowly increasing their work capacity and proving to my subconscious that any fatigue is a good thing, and not a reason to protect them is step two. In theory, my physio mentioned that eventually I'll be able to potentially draw for hours at a time with enough work, so I'm hopeful even if the road to get there still seems long.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding with all this. I hope that all of this shows my desire to get back to drawing, and I'm not merely sitting on my hands hoping things will get better. Let me know if things seem unclear or if you have any questions, I may have missed some details as there are a lot.

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

It's been some time since my last journal and I thought I'd give an update to not leave you all in the dark about all this.

My arm and upper back have been causing me trouble over these last couple months, causing my art practice and ramp up to grind to a halt. I had plans about a month ago now to see a new physiotherapist to see me about this and get a second opinion, but life has not been kind to give me that opportunity. During the week I had an appointment planned, I got a bad cold that knocked me out over the whole week, causing a rescheduling of the same week to fall through. In the past couple weeks, I have had a very tight deadline at work that has been causing me to work 10-12 hours a day, this has prevented me from being available at the same time as the physiotherapist.

My schedule has now cleared up, as things have significantly calmed down at work and I'm not sick anymore, so I have plans to see them hopefully this week and get back onto the road to recovery. And during that I need to knock the rust off, during the short stints of drawing I've been able to get in, I've been less than thrilled with what's been on the canvas as of late.

I appreciate your patience, I'd love nothing more than to have the time, energy, and physical ability to draw a bunch again.

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

I am happy to say that my arm is feeling much better lately, while not perfect, things have improved significantly since the start of my time off due to injury. Since the start of March, I've been slowly getting back into drawing again. Doing so every few days for short stints in an attempt to really ease my body back into shape. The plan is to slowly introduce some more structure in the coming weeks to knock off the rust and get my skills back to where I want them to be before getting back into commission work and other art I owe. So while there is some positive news, there will still be some time before I feel comfortable enough for the rigors of commission work again. I hope that you can understand my caution.

Beyond that, I don't have too much to say, but what I can say is that I greatly appreciate everyone's patience and understanding during all this. The whammy of injuring my arm again after returning from a long break from burnout was rough. The fact that I still have people who still want art from me after so many breaks and unwanted time off over the years and trust that I can deliver (even if it's some time down the road) is truly a blessing. I only hope that I do what I can to deserve and keep that trust.

Really, thank you.

Oter

Hey,

I wanted to give an update on how my arm has been over these past few weeks. At the moment, things are definitely improving, but not at 100%. Every so often my forearm will hurt during work and I have to take extra breaks because of it. It can still be debilitating at times, so I still have some progress to make until I feel I can start preparing to draw again.

I've been itching to draw and want to get back to it so badly. There's been some thoughts of trying some different avenues of creativity I can do in the meantime, but it's been hard to attempt to start anything as my thoughts always move to drawing.

Anyway, long story short, it's still going to take some time before I can draw and work on owed art again. I again appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

Quick journal to let you all know that I've been experiencing pretty bad arm/shoulder/neck/upper back pain since ending my last stream two weeks ago and haven't been able to draw since then. It's been bad enough to where I've been wearing my brace at night for the first time in years, and it has been affecting me at work.

I've started doing my physiotherapy exercises again and have been doing what I can to minimize pain, but it hasn't been this bad in quite a while.

This isn't the way I wanted to start 2025, especially after returning from my break last year. I was starting to gain some momentum and thought I could carry it after changing my schedule to lessen the stress on myself, physically and mentally, and this has brought me way back down.

I'm bummed, I'm disappointed, and I'm sorry that I have to yet again make you all wait for me to recover from some issue before I can work on and make progress on art that I owe.

I don't know how long this is going to take to heal, so I appreciate your continued patience.

Oter

Hey,

Just a quick update, I won't be streaming today due to some issues and pain in my drawing arm caused by a strenuous task at work early in the week. I'll be out of town all next week, so depending on how my arm feels, I should be back to it the week after next.

Hope you all have a great holiday and a happy new year!

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

It's been about a month since I got back to work on commissions, while I wish I could say things have been going smoothly, that hasn't exactly been the case.

Stress is an interesting, and quick acting presence. It took me around 9 months to feel like I was ready to work again, and it took 3 weeks until it had me doubting things and worried I'm not doing enough with how much I have left to do. During my last journal, I mentioned that my goal was to stay consistent, I had a schedule planned out of when I was going to work on commissions + owed sketches, days off/personal work, etc, etc. You can probably imagine what happens if something were to disrupt it, all of a sudden, I fall behind. Maybe I was too tired from work, maybe I just wasn't feeling it, or I was distracted drawing something for myself that I get engrossed in.

So the idea of staying consistent isn't quite working, it's clear that I still need to take it slow and not let my expectations of how I thought my post-break progress was going to be, block me from doing what I can do right now. My new goal is to take it one day at a time. I'd rather take it slow, than feel like I'm falling behind, exacerbating issues that caused me to take a break in the first place.

To help with giving myself more time to rest and de-stress, I will be changing my commission stream schedule from weekly, to bi-weekly. Streaming takes a lot of energy and prep, no matter how much I enjoy doing it, so this change should give me some time to recharge properly and hopefully allow myself to start inching towards that initial goal of consistency and well, more art.

There will be a stream today, so the first week off will be next Saturday (12/14).

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

This is my official announcement that I'm back to work on commissions and all other art I owe folks starting today!

I know I've said this many times, but thank you so much for your patience and understanding during the break and allowing me to focus on my recovery. This break was a long time coming and it was unfortunate that I hit the point of needing it towards the beginning of a new commission list along with overdue sketches for helping with a school project. (I graduated a year and a half ago)

My focus in getting back to work is not trying to get all my owed work done as quickly as possible, but to stay consistent in how I tackle it all through the week amidst other obligations. I'm hoping that by focusing on that consistency, the speed and faster turnaround times will come with it, as well as an increase in overall quality in my work. I believe that focusing on speed will add unnecessary stress to entire process.

The next stream (10/26) will be a commission stream like it normally is.

Regarding personal work I've been working on, or plan to work on, these will be done on off days and released when finished. This includes the Halloween art I've been drawing on stream these past few weeks and the reindeer art that was voted for last year, among other unannounced projects.

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns about my return to work, please don't be afraid to reach out!

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

So, last month I mentioned that I was ramping up drawing to ready myself for commission work again, which I was doing, working on some personal work to help get me back in the groove. I even streamed once! Not even I knew I was going to do that.

However, I had a deadline at work the fell on the start of October, so I've worked every day, for 10-11 hours some days, since last Monday (the 23rd). This includes finalizing things, and deploying the project this afternoon. Needless to say, I haven't had the time or the energy to even think about drawing.

I'll finally have a day off tomorrow (fingers crossed) before traveling for work at the start of next week for a couple days. After I return from the trip, I'll get back on the horse and start getting back into drawing work shape.

Thanks for your patience, I wasn't expecting the push at work to be so hectic.

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

Long time, no journal!

Thanks again for all of your patience and understanding while I took my time getting into a better position to deal with my stress-fueled art burnout. I know it has been a while since I took this break (honestly, longer than I had hoped), but I believe I’m finally in a place where I can begin making art a priority in my life again. I wished to do this earlier, but a few stressful months dealing with moving, struggles at work, and falling off the proverbial drawing wagon made that infeasible.

All that is to say, is that I’m beginning to get myself back into a drawing rhythm in preparation to start working on art I owe ans stream again. This process might take a few weeks to get to the point where I am comfortable with the quality of art I can produce. Shake the rust off, you know?

In the meantime, I’ll be working on a few personal projects to help get me back up to speed, and possibly make stuff that you all might like to see.

Once I’m officially back, I’ll be sending notes to all current commission clients to make sure you’re all still good with the ideas you brought to the table back in November (so long ago…) and make any adjustments if necessary.

In other news, because of the take down of FurAffinity a few weeks back now, I have been looking to expand my reach on other platforms. This way not all my eggs are in one basket. I did try this many years back, but never kept up with (or left) them. If there are suggestions where a healthy TF community exists, I’d love to hear about them! Important to note, this in no way suggests I’m leaving or will be using/posting on FA any less than I usually do. I’ve been posting art here for 12 years now, and I have no intention of leaving that all behind. So far my list of platforms are: Twitter, Bluesky, Weasyl, Newgrounds (maybe?).

That’s all I have for this update really. After a few especially stressful weeks, I’ve been getting into my own personal rhythm after moving into my new place. I’m hoping that helps translate into helping this returning process.

Thanks,
Oter

Hey!

First off, I want to thank everyone who reached out to me over these past few months with support and understanding while I’ve been trying to get myself in a good place to start working again. It’s really kept me at ease knowing that I can take this time for myself to overcome the stress and burnout that I was dealing with for so long. I just wanted to give an update to you all after my journal in early February.

This time off has been helpful in reorganizing my thoughts in how I approach art and drawing. It feels like I can say, “I get to draw” when I have the time, except for “I have to draw.” What a difference that makes. It has really helped in my excitement to draw again, I’ve had a few days where I would draw, go to work, draw during lunch, go back to work, then pretty much draw all night. While those days are few and far between, they show that I can be passionate about it again, in small stints.

I’ve been recently working on a larger project to help get me into the habit of drawing and tackling substantial work again. While the actual project may not be released for sometime even if a small part is finished, know that it’s helping me inch closer to building a good drawing habit to build off of. Being able to build this habit is essential to me returning in a comfortable spot, as it would allow taking on the monumental amount of work I have waiting for me to be much more easily slot into what I’m already doing.

I also still want to do a couple of smaller pieces like the recent Easter images, but the larger project is my main focus at the moment.

While I don’t have a definitive answer to when I’ll get back from my break, I do feel in a much better spot than I was. So I’m hoping for my return sooner than later. How soon? Hard to say.

I want to also thank everyone waiting for various images from me, whether you bought a commission in my latest commission list or my stream, or you helped with my design project in college more than a year ago. I truly, truly appreciate your patience with me and confidence that I’ll get this all finished once I return. (I also haven't forgotten about the voted reindeer piece)

If you want to ask any questions or reach out, don’t be afraid to do so.

Thank you all,
Oter

Hey,

This is a journal I don’t want to write, but rather than mull over it for any longer than I already have, I figured I should be up front about this. I feel like I’m burnt out, the constant stress of working on art that I owe people and have promised through other various means has been getting to me for quite some time. I’ve talked about on other journals about needing breaks, over and over again for years, but never did it. Usually I’d take some time between commission lists, but still stream, keeping that nagging voice in the back of my mind that I still have work I need to get done. Then through that I would start up another commission list, because why not? I’m already doing work anyway.

Even this latest commission list, I was nearing the end of my last one and told myself that I should take some time off, but then I had a scare at work about possibly getting laid off around the new year. So I quickly made another list to prep for that possibility, throwing other art I owed or promised to the wayside. It’s now February and thankfully I still have my job, but now I also have a pile of art that I owe that I haven’t been able to deal with in a healthy manner on my plate. This turns into paralysis and even with plans on how to tackle it and how to prioritize it, I end up working on nothing. Since this new commission list has started I’ve been able to muster just over ten hours of work on completing it.

So either I’m lazy and don’t feel like doing anything after work, or I can’t muster the energy to do substantial work on all these fun ideas I get to work on because I’m burnt out.

I believe it’s the latter and I do need a break.

A few things I’ve read is about how people tend to use some personal work to help break up the stress of working on, well, work, to keep themselves motivated and keep drawing fun. Lately I’ve put honest effort into creating less than one piece of personal work a year, it’s been something I’ve been missing, but the aforementioned stress has made it feel like I can’t work on anything for myself.

All of this to say, I need some time off to rest and get my passion for drawing back. I don’t want to have to psyche myself up to draw something. Maybe this rest will also allow me to stop being so critical of my own work, another fun thing compounding stress that’s also caused by it.

I don’t know how long of a break I need, and apologize to everyone I owe art to in one way or another. I will of course make sure to get all the art done when I finish this break, I’ve always delivered on that, even if it takes a while. (The amount of time it has taken at times is not something I’m proud of)

After I finish this commission list, I’m taking a proper break. I can’t mess around and delay it anymore.

Thank you for being so patient, and I’m sorry.

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

Just a quick journal to say that I won't be streaming this weekend, shoulder and neck aren't feeling the greatest even with some preventative work with heat this morning. Hopefully I'll be good to go in general over the next few days.

Thanks for being patient with all the art I have in the works. My output hasn't been what I was hoping in the early new year, but it can always get better.

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

Want to give a heads up on a couple of things. First off, as the title of the journal suggests, there will be no stream tomorrow. I'm having quite bad lower back/hip pain reminiscent of a year ago where I went to physical therapy to alleviate it. Beyond simply laying down (after some time), I can't stay comfortable standing or sitting for terribly long, making for a bad time trying to work or stream. With that, commission, gift sketch, and Christmas artwork have all been delayed as well. I'm hoping to be better sometime next week (enough to sit and work at minimum) so I can get back to work. Christmas art will most likely come out sometime in January, I just don't have enough time anymore to get it out by Christmas.

Thanks,
Oter

Commission Sign-ups are now closed, thank you to all those who have submitted! I will be reviewing and reaching out soon!

Hey,

First off, my last commission list took a bit longer than I originally hoped, it was quite the busy year and made what was supposed to be a shorter list that could be more easily done with my final school semester and all that. But now that I’m at the very tail end of the last commission I thought I would open up a new list to get the ball rolling again.

Some changes to this list compared to others:
- 5 slots this time, 2 possible comic slots
- Max images will be increased to 6

I’m feeling more confident in the amount of work I can handle this time around, plus this’ll give more people a chance to snag a slot since I know stream slots can be fleeting and this last list opened in January.

So I’m posting this a bit earlier than I usually would to give more time for the sign-up process and, well, because life stuff has been happening this week, getting some money in my pocket can certainly help things. Basically, I need some money coming in to help as I look for a new job, as I may not have one at the start of next year.

I’m still working on gift sketches for the design project, I have all of them roughed in, just have to send them over for folks to approve. Also I will try my best to get the Christmas art that I’ve been talking about over the past month during the holiday season, but it may be finished after the new year.

Here are the prices + ToS: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/48340828/
Commission Sign-up Form: https://forms.gle/121vz9zAX6eLwezP8

If you have any questions about an idea you may have, feel free to send me a note, email, or comment in the journal!

Thanks,
Oter

Thank you to all who voted and to those who submitted their ideas! There were 63 total responses, 35 people, or 57.4% wanted the results public, so the results you shall have!

Top 5 ideas voted for:
1. Giving transformative hot cocoa to a friend to make them a buck for her - 44.5%
2. Shocked to see reindeer TF happened earlier and earlier each year! - 25.4%
2. Plush Reindeer TF - 25.4%
4. Yard Decoration (Lights/Inflatable/etc) TF - 20.6%
5. Enjoying hot cocoa by a fire with nothing but a Christmas sweater on - 14.3%

Clearly the people want to see a new reindeer buck on the scene. I did have some ideas of what I could do with that, but got some suggestions in the notes to either raffle or auction that position out to those who may want to be a part of the Christmas cheer. Let me know if that would be something that would interest you, and I'll see about incorporating that in the initial sketches/design.

If you have any comments about the results or the idea of audience inclusion in the Christmas art, feel free to do so!

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

First off, thank you to all those who submitted art ideas in the journal I wrote at the beginning of the month! Now is the time to choose between them to make your voice heard about what kind of naughty or nice Christmas shenanigans to force upon my reindeer otter this holiday season.

The form with all choices is here: https://forms.gle/fKYGPnDBTHpaN4du5

Please choose your favorite two. Depending on the amount of time I have to draw these I may draw more than one!

Also thanks for dealing with my exceptionally short stream yesterday, I have much more energy today and the rest I got afterwards was much needed.

Thanks,
Oter

Hey!

Happy spooky month to all! You know what that means, it's time to think about ideas about fun Christmas art! As much as I would love to make some Halloween art, as it is my favorite holiday for TF works, I'm pushing to get commissions and gift sketches finished, so I won't have time unfortunately. However! I will have time to make a fun Christmas piece or two featuring my otter either becoming or as a girly reindeer! Seen here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/50355953/.

What am I looking for: Art ideas featuring my girly reindeer ott.
What ideas are appropriate: Anything that is featured on my "will draw" section seen here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/48340828/. Feel free to go as good or as naughty as you wish within those bounds, or if you have any questions about an idea that might be fine but not specifically mentioned, feel free to ask or just submit anyway.
What ideas are not appropriate: Anything that is featured on my "will not draw" section, and ideas directly involving yours or another's character as that is grounds for a commission!

Feel free to write your suggestion in the comments of this journal, a note, or in this Google Form: https://forms.gle/oShywRaWkcZ21Jo5A

Note to all those waiting on commissions and gift sketches: This will not deter work from getting what is owed finished as I will begin this after everything else is said and done!

I may make a poll in the next coming weeks or month for people to choose their favorite idea that has been submitted (curated by me). Ideas are free to be submitted up until I either make a poll, or begin drawing the idea(s) out, so have at it!

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

I just wanted to give a quick update on things as I last talked about a lack of stream three weeks ago and nothing since. Overall, my arm has been better than before (minus a bad spree a last week), so I have been very slowly getting work done while I have time. Time has been quite hard to come by lately, especially on the weekends as I've been prepping to move in mid August. This has made it impossible to get the time to even try and get a stream going and may continue to make it so until I finally get settled in my new apartment.

To those waiting on commissions, both stream and regular that was set up in January, and for those waiting on compensation for helping with my final design project, I highly appreciate your patience. I wasn't expecting things to be even busier after school than school itself, but once I move, I plan on working on getting this art done as quickly as I can (keeping my normal quality intact of course).

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

For the past few weeks I've been dealing with some shoulder pain, first felt doing warm up shoulder press at the gym that has made it difficult to get any drawing in. I attempted to stream last Saturday, but after only 5 minutes or so of drawing, I had to stop. There was a bit of hope that I may be able to do it this weekend, but my shoulder isn't feeling well enough for me to want to try.

Apologies to all those still waiting on art from me, things didn't quite go as I had planned and taking much longer than expected.

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

Due to final projects that are due right after this weekend, I'll be quite busy and don't have the time for streaming this weekend. Next weekend is graduation and I'll have family over.

Thanks for being so patient, this semester has been more time consuming than I imagined here at the tail end. But after next weekend I'll be free.

Thanks,
Oter

Edit: Thank you all for signing up! I had many more people sign up than needed, so if you don't get any materials from me in the next couple days or later this week, then I've gone with others for the usability tests. For those I do send materials to, I hope to send them out as early as possible. I still have a bit of work to do along with all my other homework so it may take some time.

Hey,

This journal is a little different than my usual, but it’s a much better one! I need some assistance with a final project for my last semester of college before I graduate in three weeks. This is for a design class that requires user input in the initial design process. So I am looking for at max 10 people to help with this.

What is this project:
- This is a design of a completely fictional web application that one could use to discover new comics/manga/webcomics
- There will be two groups, one looking at low-fidelity prototypes (paper designs/menu layout) and another looking at high-fidelity prototypes (made in design software like Adobe XD)
- This will be a small test, one use case

What this will entail:
- I will send a prototype based on the group and will ask each person to look at and evaluate the design in terms of usability and clarity, imagining themselves using the application
- I will also send a questionnaire and interview forms for individuals to fill out and submit for me to use in analysis.
- I would also ask anyone to write down notes about their thoughts while ‘using’ the application.

Notes about the process:
- All data will be used and analyzed in a report submitted to my instructor and used in a presentation to my class
- All identifying information will be anonymized, beyond age, gender.

- All data gathering and questionnaires/interview forms must be submitted this coming week.
-- Please do not sign up if you don’t feel you can deliver in such a time frame
-- I’m still working on the prototypes and info gathering materials

- The group testing the low-fidelity design will receive their material first, then after receiving feedback and tweaking my high-fidelity design, the next group will receive theirs
-- If too much time is taken to receive feedback, your notes will not be considered for changes to the design for this upcoming week and a smaller assignment, it will still be used for the final project.

- If you have second thoughts and wish to not participate anymore, you may bow out and I will not use any data received from you (note: compensation requires full participation)

Compensation:
- All participants will receive a portrait similar to the Christmas Sketch Event, but will be colored and shaded.
-- Limitations include: only one character and one head on said character. Please follow all will/will not categories on my commission sheet.
-- Note: I will not choose participants based on art ideas

Signup form is here: Now Closed!
Thanks for reading this journal and for possibly considering helping out. Please send notes/comments in you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Oter

Hey,

No stream this weekend, due to a family emergency I'll be out of town all weekend. Hope to stream next week.

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

Due to the hectic schedule I've been keeping with work and school, with attempts to fit commission work in the cracks, I have been neglecting my therapy stretches for my upper back/arms and it's beginning to show itself. A few days ago I was starting flat color on a commission and I began to feel pain and discomfort in my forearm as I moved my tablet pen. So, I have been fitting my stretches back in my schedule over the past few days, but it's clear there is much work to do. Pain, tightness, and soreness seem to be consistent while doing my stretches including the set I did just before sitting down to write this journal.

I'll be evaluating how my arm is feeling over the next week and hope that things improve to the point where I can continue to work without anything getting in the way. After next week is spring break, and I want to get a blitz of commission work done during my small time off from school, so it's imperative that I'm able to correct these physical issues before then.

Thank you so much for your patience, whether waiting for commissions in my normal list or in my stream list. This hectic schedule was not what I had in mind when starting a new list, but I'm doing my best with what time I'm able to allocate, this reemergence of past arm issues will hopefully be a minor setback.

Thanks,
Oter

Hey,

Just a quick announcement to say that I need to put a pause on commission work for a little over a week as a new hdmi extension cable getting delivered. Since I got my new computer, I have needed an extension for my tablet's hdmi cable to reach from my desk, as the port is on the right side of my tablet, but my tower is on the left side of my desk. I found out Monday that I had bent the connector to my computer through various plugging and unplugging of my tablet into the extension cord. While I was able to straighten it out and get it to work for a little bit that day, today I have found no luck. So a new, longer cable (10ft vs the old 3 ft) should be arriving late next week.

Thanks for being so patient with commissions and the pace they're being worked on, as I figured, once school started I'd become super busy and work on top of it makes for quite the packed schedule.

Thanks,
Oter