Hi everyone!

Not sure if it's weird to post a journal here with how sporadic my activity is. But for any who may be reading, and for my few potential clients out there, I have some updates to share.

I recently had a sleep study and received treatment for an ongoing health problem. It turns out that, in addition to mental stuff that's been diagnosed for a while now, I've been dealing my whole life with narcolepsy! Which--who would have guessed, since it's a sleep disorder--was making me tired and fatigued all the time, and leading to poor sleep quality.

Daytime sleepiness is so normalized here in the US, and talking about not feeling rested upon waking is so common online, that I never really thought to seek help for those things. But it turns out, being unable to resist falling asleep in the middle of mentally engaging tasks (and, as with one time in my adolescence, while trying to eat) is in fact not normal!

I've finally been on an ideal dose of stimulants for a couple months, and I have a lot more energy and motivation than I used to--probably partially because the narcolepsy was compounding my fatigue, and partially because I'm on stimulants. x'D (Treating potential undiagnosed ADHD?)

As those who have been longtime followers and/or follow me on other sites may know, I'm only able to work part-time due to my conditions, and have been trying to do art as a side gig for years to bring in a little extra income. I'm also saving for gender-affirming surgery this coming September. The cost of healthcare in the US is astronomical, and the cost of living near Seattle is high, too.

In feeling my energy levels increase, I also came upon the idea of starting a different side gig. I've recently taken the plunge into figure modeling. Turns out my dance experience and years of studying art are a great fit for it--and, since I live near a major city that also happens to be pretty artsy, there's a lot of potential opportunities. I already have several sessions booked for May and June, and it pays more hourly than my "day job" does. It's definitely more lucrative than I expected!

I only have so much time and energy, though... so for the time being, I decided I'm going to reduce the number of commitments floating around in the back of my mind and discontinue painting commissions. I don't imagine it will make a difference for many people, since commissions have only ever been a "once every few months" thing for me for years now. But wanted to mention it so that no longtime followers are surprised, given that my commissions have been pretty much constantly open for a long time.

I'm going to see how May and June go. There are certain times of the year (namely, during summer break and winter break) where modeling opportunities tend to run dry, since schools aren't in session. During those "dry periods", I might reopen for potential painting commissions. (Now, whether I actually get any is a separate issue. x'D) For now, though, I'm being careful with my mental bandwidth and number of commitments, and I'm going to see what the ebb and flow of this new position is like before I decide whether to try rebalancing art with it again.

I'm excited to share more about my upcoming surgery and positive life changes, and I'll probably still be drawing for fun here and there! Just wanted to write out my thoughts in case anyone is wondering where art has been in my life and where it's going.