halfcactus

Updated some old work! Basically just changed the fonts lol.







I really miss reading books and making art. :( I've been staying up pinballing madly between regular part-time work and personal/fanwork this year, unable to get into the mindset of consuming media or fanwork. The reason for this is that I'm completely incapable of having personal projects in my free time; I'm only productive when I'm stressed. XD But I'm quitting that job because it's been making me very unhappy—my (already low) pay was cut by nearly 50% last year because of the pandemic, and in the past few months my workload has been becoming more demanding. Now I'm just sad that nearly 10 years of working with the same company ultimately means nothing, and I'm extremely anxious at the prospect of not having to work nights. What am I supposed to do, relax?????

Oh well. There are many things I want to do, but none of them are profitable or beneficial to me. I've been spending my breaks and downtimes making lists and lists, but I feel that I should let myself chill a bit and sleep properly for a month once I've officially ended my work at that company lol (as long as my brain allows it). Maybe sign up for Skillshare or something idk.

In more cheerful news I just paid for a notetaking + PDF editing app (Goodnotes 5) and I like it! I don't draw/handwrite notes on my phone/tablet all that much, but the app allows me to insert images which is great. It also works on my phone and syncs with iCloud. Not sure how long I'll keep using it, but at least it's not a subscription haha.

The book I'm supposed to be reading this month is Isabel Yap's Never Have I Ever, which is a collection of Filipino horror stories, but I haven't started it. ^^;

Last week I got a planner and a chair, both great purchases since I've been able to just sit down and work on personal projects and ignore the rest of the world, something I haven't really been able to do in years because of back soreness.

Next month I'm planning to get a movable desk, for writing.

My journal/planner is an expensive one that I've never tried before, a Hobonichi Techo and I love it??? It's like a powered-up Field Notes?? I know I love it because I've actually been using it for more than just bullet-journaling and note-taking. The pages are very light and thin but hold ink surprisingly well--I've been using my Unipin for doodling and it feels great. The paper also maintains its structural integrity and doesn't tear or crumple even though I'm very rough with the pages. The notebook lays completely flat when I open it. I've also been able to prop it up on a vertical surface without a bookstand, which was really handy when I was digitizing a concept doodle. Definitely repurchasing next year! (But next time I'm getting a dated one. ^^;)

As I grow older, I've been making it a point to minimize the time I spend on the computer by taking some of the work offline. I'm not the type of person who draws or sketches things (I have no conceptual skills whatsoever AND I'm limited by having a lack of technical skills. I tend to come up with things on the spot based on what I am able to do), but I'm trying to be better at developing ideas by sketching or writing or creating quick studies/layouts, and learning to break down objects into shapes and lines.