abz----123 - Welcome to Gboard clipboard, any text you copy wil
Welcome to Gboard clipboard, any text you copy wil

102 posts

Latest Posts by abz----123 - Page 3

1 year ago

Ooooh apparently it starts tonight so here's some important advice for people watching Eurovision this week!!

1.) Don't.

1 year ago
The cover page for a digital comic. A trailhead information board stands in a lush green forest, with a trail map, and two signs pinned to the wood. The text on the signs read: "BY BECKETT JONES" and "THE TRAVELER'S WARNING."
Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a work boot, a leather-bound journal, a compass, and a colorful rock bracelet. 

The first panel is a Forest Service gate on a dirt road, slightly ajar. The road goes out of sight into leafy green shadows. There is one wooden sign nailed to a tree, and two white and green signs secured to the gate. The text on these signs reads:
"TRAVELER, STOP! 
IF YOU TAKE THIS ROAD YOU WILL BE 
FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED
FOR BETTER OR WORSE."

The second panel is a crumbling concrete barrier in gray, driving rain. There are evergreen trees in the background. There is a hand symbol pointing to the right engraved into the barrier, and text that reads:
"YOU WILL RETURN FROM 
THIS JOURNEY 
IRRECOVERABLY ALTERED 
IN WAYS" 

 The third panel is a waterfall with conifer trees, behind a glossy red sign with "no swimming" symbols. White text on the sign reads:
"YOU CANNOT COMPREHEND 
BEFORE YOU UNDERGO 
THIS TRANSFORMATION."
Two comic panels on an off-white background. An espresso machine portafilter is pictured in the negative space in the page. 

The first panel is of a red rock slot canyon, with a rushing green river at the base. A rusted yellow sign stands in the water, with a flash flood symbol and text that reads:
"NO ONE ON EARTH 
WILL UNDERSTAND THE 
METAMORPHOSIS"

The second panel is a wooden sign hanging from the eaves of a roof, in front of a snow mountain scene. Stars twinkle in the night sky. Warm red text on the sign reads:
"EXCEPT THOSE WHO EXPERIENCED IT 
WITH YOU. THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU." There is an arrow symbol and two foamy mugs also depicted on the sign.
Two comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a key ring, a pocketknife, a stuffed toy mountain bluebird, and a bandana. 

The first panel is a road with a center stripe in a sagebrush plain, with big orange clouds in the sky. A coyote slinks across the road. A big green highway sign with white arrows reads:
"MAY CEASE TO TRULY KNOW YOU. 
WALKING BACKWARDS 
WILL NOT HELP YOU"

The second panel is of a high alpine wildflower meadow, with a glaciated Mount Tahoma in the background. A wooden stake reads:
"WALKING FORWARDS" 
Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a headlamp, a trowel, and a plant sprig in a ziplock bag. 

The first panel is a wildfire sunset above a barbed wire fence, surrounded by blooming fireweed and evergreens. An orange wildfire hazard sign reads: 
"IS INEVITABLE 
YOU CANNOT STAND STILL" 
A gray jay sits on the top of the sign, eyeing the viewer. 

The second panel shows a dilapidated wooden shack, covered in moss and white and orange mushrooms. Evergreens and leafy undergrowth surround the structure, and a Pacific gray tree frog sits on a leaf in the foreground. Text carved into the wood reads: 
"YOU MAY NO LONGER RECOGNIZE 
YOUR HOME" 

The third panel is a chinook salmon run in a green forest. Underwater reeds flow on the river. A white sign nailed to a tree trunk, with water symbols and text that reads:
"IT CANNOT STAND STILL
EITHER."
Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page including an ammonite fossil on a leather cord, a green nalgene, a peach, and a pulaski. 

The first panel shows a gray ocean storm, with waves crashing against big, dark rocks. A tsunami hazard zone sign reads:
"IF YOU SURVIVE THIS" 

The second panel shows a round orange bouy floating in a sea illuminated by bioluminescent plankton. Stars glitter overhead. Text on the bouy reads: 
"YOU WILL BECOME PART  OF A WORLD"

The third panel shows a pair of dolphins in the water, adjacent to a white boat. A red sticker on the gunwhale reads:
"THAT DOES NOT YET EXIST"
Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a pair of sunglasses and a machete. 

The first panel shows a dessicated Greater Frigatebird cradled in the branches of naupaka shrubs on a sandy shoreline. Pink flagging has been tied to a branch, and black handwriting reads:
"IF YOU DIE HERE"

The second panel shows a blacktip reef shark swimming on a coral reef. And underwater sign affixed to steel chain shows a skull and crossbones, and text that reads:
"YOU WILL COME BACK"

The third panel is a GPS unit held up to the sky, showing a GPS track and text that reads "WRONG." Seabirds fly overhead. 
Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects shown the negative space of the page are a snickerdoodle cookie and bright flowers threaded on a string. 

The first panel shows a pair of hands holding a sooty tern with a radio tag. Another pair of hands write in a notebook, and handwritten text on the page reads:
"TRAVELER
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED" 

The second panel shows the leg of the sooty tern, which has been fitted with a birdband. 

The third panel is a pair of fingers holding the birdband so that engraved text faces the viewer. The text reads "AND NOW YOU MUST GO." 

A short comic I made about my experiences as a seasonal worker, and the way places change you.

Prints & PDF


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1 year ago

Israeli tanks now taking Rafah border that's mean no one can leave Gaza

1 year ago

I want to make sure everyone actually understands the severity of this.

When we say that 1.4 million people in Rafah have nowhere to go we are also talking about how Israel had taken over Rafah crossing, which is the sole access point for Gazans, preventing the movement of people and goods as a result.

For the past 7 months you've heard of famine and witnessed infants dying of severe dehydration. This is only going to exacerbate now that the only source of the already scarce resources of food and water is completely shut down.

For the past 7 months you have seen how many people Israel's weapons have severely injured and maimed and how the only remaining cancer hospital was also taken over by Israel. The situation of these people who are injured and sick is only going to get worse because despite them obtaining permits to leave Gaza for treatment, there is no way out anymore.

For the past 7 months you have seen countless people crowdfunding to evacuate their families and flee genocide. None of these efforts are going to go anywhere and no one would be allowed out of Gaza for the foreseeable future, while Israel goes on with its barbaric mission of attempting to annihilate the people of Gaza.

Absolutely no access. Everyone is trapped. Nowhere to go.

1 year ago
Self Love Is Not Always Easy. It Can Be Challenging And Not Fun At The Time, But Your Future Self Will

Self love is not always easy. It can be challenging and not fun at the time, but your future self will thank you!

Chibird store | Positive pin club | Instagram


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1 year ago

art cheats

hello i am here today to not lose track of the art cheats i have discovered over the years. what i call art cheat is actually a cool filter/coloring style/way to shade/etc. that singlehandedly makes art like 20 times better

80’s anime style

glitch effect

glow effects

adding colors to grayscale paintings

foreshortening ( coil )

foreshortening ( perspective )

clipping group (lines)

clipping group (colors)

dramatic lighting ( GOOD )

shading metal

lighting faces

that is all for today, do stay tuned as i am always hunting for cool shit like this


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art
1 year ago

young artist posting your work online, heed my warning. im holding your face so gently in my hands, you have to stop caring about numbers right now and start caring about making the weirdest and most self-indulgent art you possibly can


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1 year ago

Sometimes self-care is, actually, NOT getting onto the computer and little treats and watching youtube videos. Sometimes those things are self-care, but sometimes they're also avoidant behaviors.

Sometimes self care is waking up and just. Fucking getting in the car. And driving to the bank. And the store. And buying the cat litter. And changing the cat boxes you've been avoiding because your brains been stuck in a hole. And picking up the trash you've been piling up. And getting a load into the wash. And mowing the lawn before the village council sends you a formal complaint and potential-fines warning.

Like its hard and annoying to do because it sucks. It sucks so much. But if I don't start working on this pile of bullshit I've let build up because it stinks and i was stuck in deer-in-headlights mode, I risk letting it turn into fuckery. I do not have the patience for fuckery that I once - foolishly! - thought I had.


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1 year ago
How To Draw Ears, By Me.

How to draw ears, by me.

tip me a ko-fi!


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art
1 year ago

for all the artists out there, here are my favorite resources i use to learn!

Files

The Complete Famous Artist Course

Art Books and Resources

Art, Anatomy, and Color Books

PDF Files of Art Books

YouTube

My YouTube Playlist of Tutorials

How to Draw Facial Features

Drawing and Art Advice

Drawing Lessons

Art Fundamentals

Anatomy of the Human Body

2D Animation

Perspective Drawing

Websites

Pinterest Board for Poses

Another Pinterest Board for Poses

Reference Angle

Figurosity

Sketch Daily

Human Anatomy

Animal Photo References

Humanae - Angélica Dass

Fine Art - Jimmy Nelson

Character Design References

CDR's Twitter Account

iamagco's Twitter Account

taco1704's Twitter Account

takuya_kakikata's Twitter Account

EtheringtonBro's Twitter Account

Drawabox

Color Wheel

Color Palette Cinema

Free Images and Pictures

Free Stock Photos

FILMGRAB

Screen Musings

William Nguyen Light Reference Tool

Animation References - sakugabooru

Animation References - Bodies in Motion


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art
1 year ago
a red notice for an ao3 fundraiser. the text reads "Thanks to your generosity, we've raised US$120,271.49 so far, surpassing our goal of US$50,000!" below is a green progress bar, full.

instead of continuously over-donating to ao3 when those running the site are racist zionist sympathisers who shut down support of palestine from its volunteers 1 / 2 (among myriad other issues that u should NOT be funding) please direct your attention to these incomplete fundraisers for people in gaza and various tangible operations doing work. this is a call that if u have donated even a cent to ao3 to a) match that in your donations to palestinians/causes and b) stop donating so uncritically and unconditionally to ao3, pressure them. id like to direct u to @end-otw-racism

fundraiser masterpost by @el-shab-hussein

mona

care for gaza

help gaza's children

operation olive branch

the palestinian children's relief fund

unrwa

the palestinian red crescent society

buy an e-sim / donate for mass buying

1 year ago
The Palestinian Sunbird 🇵🇸

The Palestinian Sunbird 🇵🇸

E-Sims are a very reliable way to donate directly to Gaza. With this post I’ll add guides on how to donate E-sims using SIMLY, HOLAFLY, and NOMAD as well as some discount codes. Make sure to send to GAZAESIMS@GMAIL.COM and share to as many people as you can ❤️

The Palestinian Sunbird 🇵🇸
The Palestinian Sunbird 🇵🇸
The Palestinian Sunbird 🇵🇸
The Palestinian Sunbird 🇵🇸
1 year ago

there’s a website where you put in two musicians/artists and it makes a playlist that slowly transitions from one musician’s style of music to the other’s

it’s really fun


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1 year ago
Very Important Announcement! My Top Surgery Gofundme Is Live As Of Today! This Is A Culmination Of My

Very important announcement! My top surgery gofundme is live as of today! This is a culmination of my ongoing quest of three years to try to get this transition thing going, and I'm very excited to be finally taking concrete steps towards it. Because I'm not gonna lie, life sucks without it.

GOFUNDME LINK HERE

Please share this post around! If my art has ever made you smile or touched your heart in some way, please know that supporting this surgery goal is the best thing you could ever do for me in return. Thank you for reading, and have a good day.

1 year ago

Fruit will last 3 weeks longer….

Fruit Will Last 3 Weeks Longer….

Why You Should Keep Fruit In Mason Jars Instead Of The Containers They Come In…….

When you get your fruit home from the grocery store, the first thing you should do is remove it from the plastic containers they’ve come in and recycle them. Next, clean out your sink and fill it with water (you could also use a large bowl). Then, toss in a few tablespoons of distilled vinegar. You’ll then want to submerge your fruit in the water and let it soak for about 10 to 15 minutes. The purpose of this is to get rid of any mold or bacteria on the fruit which is what causes them to go rotten more quickly.

Once the fruit has had a nice soak, remove it from the vinegar water, transfer to a strainer, and rinse with cool water. Leave the fruit out to dry on a tea towel or paper towel. Once dry, transfer the fruit to mason jars and seal up those lids. This is the best way to make your fruit last, particularly berries, which tend to be very prone to mold and bacteria buildup.

And that’s it! Incorporating these few extra steps into preparing and storing fruit can help you eliminate food waste, save money, and keep your fridge stocked with fresh produce for much longer.


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1 year ago

I think it is incredible that President Biden is actually feeling the pressure from our protests. No, he hasn't done everything he needs to and he hasn't redeemed himself for his role in all this, but the fact that he was caught on a hot mic saying Netanyahu needs a "come to Jesus meeting" about how horribly he's treating Palestinians? That's incredible. All our protests and boycotts have not been in vain. If we weren't making trouble, these governments could keep pretending that they've done no wrong- but they can't escape the blame.

It's encouraging. When you feel like our protests are falling on deaf ears, remember that McDonalds started the year with a loss of over a million dollars, Starbucks fell below it's quarterly sales and is considering closing locations, and people are paying attention- they're changing their opinions. And while these numbers may not be groundbreaking, they are the signs of real effects. Real change.

Never Shut Up About Palestine. Never let them think we are silent and complicit. Let history remember that our governments did not stand for us in this moment, and we did everything we could to make them listen.

1 year ago

I'm sorry for being so sappy, but I wanted to show you guys something.

I'm Sorry For Being So Sappy, But I Wanted To Show You Guys Something.

When I first donated to PCRF in December 2023, it was barely 10% close to its goal. Now in March 2024, they're also 100%. Everyone of you has helped support a better future for Gaza.

They're so close to their goal. Please donate or share this post so that they can get to their goal🇵🇸

1 year ago

Dude I'm so FUCKING sick of being poor, especially with my only income being biweekly and bills being monthly so I just get fucked every couple of weeks. The benefits system in this country is fucking evil btw. Like look at this shit

Dude I'm So FUCKING Sick Of Being Poor, Especially With My Only Income Being Biweekly And Bills Being

I'm genuinely feeling sick to my stomach even looking down the barrel of trying this bullshit application again and you do THAT, very fucking cool you absolute freaks

1 year ago

I'M REALLY REALLY FUCKED

PAYPAL IS DEMANDING $200 REFUND BC SOME DONATIONS WERE CLAIMED TO BE NOT APPROVED

I STILL NEED $300 TO AFFORD RENT

LANDLORD HAS ALREADY SENT ME AN EVICTION WARNING AND I NEED TO PAY HIM BY THE 14TH OT IT GOES INTO AFFECT

PLEASE HELP IM SORRY IM SO SORRY I KEEP ASKING FOR HELP ALL THE TIME IM STRUGGLING TO FIND WORK

Venmo: redloop

paypal: tropscream

cashapp: $TropScream

1 year ago

Rainbow Magic Lore

(Because of COURSE Onyx decided to expand on a funny Elementary book series)

Rainbow Magic Lore
Rainbow Magic Lore
Rainbow Magic Lore
Rainbow Magic Lore
Rainbow Magic Lore
1 year ago

Making a Google drive with the Rainbow Magic Books, feel free to share with others!!!

(let me know if you have other books)

REMINDER: if you like this post, and find it useful, you should reblog this post so other people can find it!

1 year ago

how you can help palestine

*i regularly update this post with any new info i find so please always reblog the original post*

How You Can Help Palestine

Donations

donations currently reaching gaza:

‼️ help buy e-sims for people in gaza

donate to get food packages to gaza - care for gaza

donate direct aid to gaza - ehab rida (longtime activist and volunteer, has been carrying out donations and humanitarian projects in gaza since 2021)

palestine children's relief fund

world food programme

aid to gaza - taawon/bank of palestine

help gaza’s children

female hygiene kits for gaza - pious project

donate to UNRWA

urgent humanitarian aid to palestinians - anera

medical aid for palestinians

urgent support for medical professionals in gaza

donate to ahmed (@/90-ghost on tumblr)

he is born, raised and based in gaza. please help him reach his goal of $50K to get his family to safety across the rafah border into egypt. as of right now… it’s $7.5K per person to evacuate gaza.

help journalist yousef escape gaza to treat his cancer

help mohamed evacuate gaza to get treatment for himself and his daughter

support palestinians: buy a keffiyeh from the last and only factory in palestine - hirbawi

secondary donations:

click to donate - arab.org

emergency relief for gaza - pious projects

palestine red crescent society

save palestine - islamic relief canada

send medical supplies to gaza - palestinian american medical association

help bring down israel's weapon trade - palaction

donate for the recovery of hisham awartani

one of the three palestinian students shot by a racist in vermont for wearing kufiyas and speaking arabic. hisham’s injuries have left him paralysed from below the chest.

How You Can Help Palestine

Petitions

‼️ urge icj to invite gazan journalists to testify

international cultural workers to strike from german cultural institutions for their complicity in oppressing palestinians and promoting genocide - strike germany

petition to investigate war crimes committed by israeli military

demand ceasefire - amnesty international

open call for immediate ceasefire

american government call for immediate ceasefire

american government to stop funding israeli military

ceasefire and increase humanitarian assistance - oxfam au

petition to get canva to address their pro-israel stance

invoke the genocide convention to call for ceasefire in gaza - world beyond war

suspend israel from international sports - diem25

UK to expel israeli ambassador - change.org

gaza healthcare workers for nobel peace prize - change.org

teachers around the world demand ceasefire - teachers for palestine

president whitten: reinstate samia halaby retrospective NOW - action network

demand the immediate release of mansour shouman

location specific petitions

gaza call for lasting ceasefire - oxfam (UK)

end israeli occupation - parliament uk (UK)

email your MP - medical aid for palestine (UK)

protect gaza civilians - islamic relief (UK)

stop fuelling genocide - action network (USA)

@ biden: call for ceasefire now - move on (USA)

ceasefirenow.com - jewishvoiceofpeace (USA)

call congress and demand a ceasefire - uscpr (USA - they provide a script of what you should say, so don't worry about it)

note: you can call everyday. they tally the number of calls per issue. so more calls = higher chance for them to take action. p.s. you mainly go to voicemail so don’t worry about phone call anxiety. fight through it just this once please.

no forced displacement! - action network

australia call on israel to stop attacking palestinians - apan (AUS)

immediate ceasefire and increase in humanitarian aid in gaza - actionaid (AUS)

email your MPs - stand with palestine (AUS)

‼️ australian senate to investigate australian citizens in the IDF for war crimes allegations - fpm (AUS)

‼️ arms embargo on israel - cjpme (CANADA)

sign to send letter to MP for ceasefire - nccm (CANADA)

ceasefire now! - ijv (CANADA)

call on your local mayor and council to demand ceasefire - LeadNow (CANADA)

cessez-le-feu et un couloir humanitaire - le mouvement (FRANCE)

écrivez aux député-es et sénateurs-trices - association france palestine solidarité (FRANCE)

write to your député - assemblée nationale (FRANCE)

skydda civilbefolkningen i gaza! - mittskifte (SWEDEN)

singaporeans call for immediate ceasefire (SIN)

contact your elected reps and demand a ceasefire (GERMANY)

write to the EU demanding a ceasefire (EUROPE)

template of letters you can send (EU)

guide on how to contact your MPs in EU

p.s. if the template is outdated, just use it as a guide and add a few sentences here and there that reflect the current situation. i can’t find any recent templates so :/ at least this is something

multiple actions you can take to help palestine - plant een olifbloom (NETHERLANDS)

includes: links for donations, emails to MP, emails to media, links to petitions and demonstrations

den haag, maak nú werk van vrede in israël/Palestina - the right forum (NETHERLANDS)

māori call for palestine - ourActionStation (NZ)

deem israeli actions as war crimes - NZ parliament/pāremata aotearoa (NZ)

basta ao genocídio em Gaza! - awaaz (BRAZIL)

globo e grande mídia, parem de desumanizar civis palestinos - the intercept (BRAZIL)

manifesto ao governo brasileiro - petição pública (BRAZIL)

How You Can Help Palestine

Campaigns

‼️ justice for palestine

reach out to countries to back up south africa’s invoke genocide convention at the ICJ

‼️ international criminal court

submit evidences of israeli war crimes

friends of al-aqsa

❥ UK-specific

urge your MP to speak up for palestine

hands off al-aqsa

stop administrative detention

petition for UK to stop arming israel

❥ International

boycott puma — email them to end their partnership with israel

boycott coca-cola

islamic relief canada

urge your MP to rally for ceasefire

decolonise palestine

poster campaign to raise awareness on the war crimes being committed against palestinians

text/call campaign for people living in USA

text RESIST @ 50409 to send a letter to your representatives to pass HR3103–a bill that prohibits tax dollars from going to israel

download 5Calls app to contact members of your congress | (more info)

fax campaign for people in the USA

go on this website to send 5 free faxes per day

here’s a link to a pre-written fax copy you can download to send (the first link on the linktree)

here’s a video that explains how to fax your senator (it’s very easy and all you need is a valid email address)

‼️ BDS movement

get involved in boycotting companies associated with israel

palestine diaspora network

global strike guide - join the global strike!

How You Can Help Palestine

please let me know if you have any more links. i will add them in. and please reblog the original post!!

How You Can Help Palestine

UPCOMING PROTESTS

PALESTINIAN LITERATURE READING LIST

PALESTINIAN BUSINESSES

1 year ago
Peace And Love

Peace and love


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1 year ago
My Kuchipatchi Plush Comes To Life To Help Me
My Kuchipatchi Plush Comes To Life To Help Me
My Kuchipatchi Plush Comes To Life To Help Me
My Kuchipatchi Plush Comes To Life To Help Me
My Kuchipatchi Plush Comes To Life To Help Me
My Kuchipatchi Plush Comes To Life To Help Me
My Kuchipatchi Plush Comes To Life To Help Me
My Kuchipatchi Plush Comes To Life To Help Me

my kuchipatchi plush comes to life to help me


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1 year ago
FREE PALESTINE / END THE GENOCIDE ON GAZA

FREE PALESTINE / END THE GENOCIDE ON GAZA

This piece was made to show support for Palestinians. This mountain gazelle was created with the colors of the flag and the meaningful patterning of the keffiyeh. 

1 year ago
Israelis snipers shot children aged 5-8 in the head. 

Gaza is no longer just a concentration camp; it’s a death camp. This is Nazi behaviour. https://t.co/wyMYT6azd6

— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) February 17, 2024
Do people understand that snipers know exactly who they’re shooting and where? They are picking off children with headshots in front of their parents for sport, for the sheer cruelty of it, and because children are the future of Palestine. A fascist army, a colonizer’s hatred. https://t.co/GbCva42sFT

— they/them might be giants ☭ (@babadookspinoza) February 18, 2024
Opinion: I'm an American doctor who went to Gaza. What I saw wasn't war — it was annihilation
Los Angeles Times
As a surgeon, I volunteered at a Gaza hospital. The conditions were unthinkable. With a ground offensive in Rafah, people have nowhere to go
1 year ago

PSA TO ANYONE WHO DOESNT EVEN MAKE ART, DISABLE AI DATA COLLECTION ON YOUR BLOG

ART REBLOGGED TO AN ACCOUNT WITH THIS ENABLED WILL ALLOW MIDJOURNEY TO USE THE ORIGINAL POSTERS WORKS WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT

1 year ago
Fantasy Is A Metaphor For The Human Condition, A Comic About Magic, And Art, And Speculative Fiction,
Fantasy Is A Metaphor For The Human Condition, A Comic About Magic, And Art, And Speculative Fiction,
Fantasy Is A Metaphor For The Human Condition, A Comic About Magic, And Art, And Speculative Fiction,
Fantasy Is A Metaphor For The Human Condition, A Comic About Magic, And Art, And Speculative Fiction,
Fantasy Is A Metaphor For The Human Condition, A Comic About Magic, And Art, And Speculative Fiction,
Fantasy Is A Metaphor For The Human Condition, A Comic About Magic, And Art, And Speculative Fiction,

Fantasy Is A Metaphor For The Human Condition, a comic about magic, and art, and speculative fiction, and being sick, and how they all intersect. Originally laid out/pencilled November-December 2017, when I was in a very difficult place emotionally as I was relearning how to draw post-brain injury.

See more of my Brain Injury Comix at this link & in Dirty Diamonds #9: Being


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QwQ
1 year ago
an ask from tumblr user @sourpatchsquids. it reads:

Hi Bee,

I've found myself in a bad creative cycle. I spend months at a time away from my DAW, returning only when the hyperfixation of creation overtakes me. I struggle to make things outside of this window, to the point that opening my DAW can even hit me with the classic ADHD Wall of Awful when I'm not laser focused on creating an idea that came to me.

This has lead to me being very frustrated with making music and unsatisfied with the quality of what I make. I always feel rusty when I come back, and each time I have less patience with myself to shake off the rust. I'm working on the parts of myself that reinforce these cycles, but in the meantime, I also want to ask for some advice on the side of making music. 

As someone who shares the Executive Dysfunction brain worms, do you have any tools/techniques to share that make creating music outside of the hyperfixation window more bearable/consistent?

hi @sourpatchsquids! thank you for your question.

as an artist with ADHD, i know this struggle very well. unfortunately offering advice on this kind of thing can be tricky, because what works for me may not work for you (and vice versa!). nonetheless, i can try; take whatever works for you, forget the rest, or reshape any part of it as you see fit. :)

but before i offer any actual tools, i have one caveat. i want you to take a moment to reflect and consider if you should be:

changing expectations

the timing of this question seems fated, because just the other day i had a therapy session wherein i expressed my grief and frustration over struggling to work lately due to my seasonal depression. it's not fair that i'm struggling just because it got a little darker outside! i just want the spark i had in the summer! i was so much more consistent!

my therapist's response: nothing about human beings is consistent. we get sick, we get tired, we get hungry and thirsty (and thirsty) and sad and lonely and restless and stressed and overwhelmed. this all gets amplified for folks who are atypical in some way or another.

when my therapist compared our seasonal cycles to those of plants and other animals, who wilt and slow down and hibernate, i protested aloud that i wanted to be a perennial instead. at this she said: even perennials change with the seasons. rose bushes have to be pruned, sometimes down to half their height! it was a dose of perspective i didn't particularly want, but really needed.

so when you're struggling to work through executive dysfunction, burnout, or brain fog, it can help to first check in with yourself about a few things. what do you have the capacity for right now? do you need any accommodation? and if so, what changes you might make to accommodate yourself?

with practice and self reflection, i've learned a handful of specific routines that help me when i'm struggling with creative work, which i'll detail next. note that while your question is specifically about music and i am specifically a musician, i believe that all of these suggestions can apply to most any form of digital creative work.

with that in mind:

#1: work slower

when i'm at the top of my game, i can get a LOT done in a day. but when i'm depressed, fatigued, or distracted, i just can't go full steam. sometimes i'll try to convince myself that i can if i just push harder, but what actually ends up happening is that i'm just fiddling with settings and going in circles rather than moving forward.

instead of that, when i want to work a lot but can't, i try to work slow. how slow? however slow i need to. take four hours to figure out the melody for a single verse. take all day to figure out that drum groove. yeah, i take a lot of breaks in between. who says i have to be my Absolute Most Productive Every Day Or Else? that's the puritan work ethic talking. kill it. be kind to yourself.

i'm reminded of advice i once read about some super successful and prolific author (gaiman? king? pratchett?) who said they wrote only four hundred words every weekday. that's already less than the word count of this post, and i'm only—[travels into the future to check my final word count]... 22.8% of the way through writing it!

now, i don't think i could function that way, because ADHD means some days i'm hyperfocused like crazy, and other days i just have no steam at all (more on that in #4-6). but it seems to me that if even someone highly respected in their profession can achieve what they have with only a little bit of work on a regular basis, maybe i don't have to punish myself for not pumping out a finished work every single week.

doing less work per day means you're much less likely to burn out, which does a lot for working more consistently. if that consistency still doesn't look like a five-day work week, that's okay! as long as it helps you work even a little more often when you want to, it's something worth doing.

however, if you're still feeling truly stuck, all hope isn't lost. you can still try:

#2: switch projects

sometimes the reason i'm moving slow is because of a bad brain day, but sometimes the reason is that i just cannot muster the motivation to do the specific task i'm trying to do right now. ADHD is fueled by novelty and interest, and if i'm not interested in what i'm doing, or it's feeling stale, that's a sign that i need to switch gears.

this is why first it's helpful for me to have more than one project going at a time. this might mean completely unrelated works, or it might just mean related tracks as with the music for a game like SLARPG or susan taxpayer.

the idea here is not to start a dozen different projects and bounce around them like i'm playing whac-a-mole—though i have done that. (i don't recommend it.) the idea here is to have a manageable number of different projects i can be working on so that if i get bored or stuck on something, i have fallback options.

what that number of projects is depends entirely on the week. maybe right now it's two, maybe another time it's three. i would probably be getting carried away if i tried more than that, but that's just my own limit. maybe yours is different. that's something for you to think about.

but it doesn't have to stop there.

#3: switch focus

maybe there is this one project that i just HAVE to work on, but the task i'm trying to do at this stage just isn't coming to me. okay, well, why don't i try working on a different task?

let's say i can't figure out what i want to do with the melody in one part of the song:

what if i try jumping ahead to a different part of the melody? ...no, i'm stumped on melodies today. okay, how about working on the drums instead? ...hmm no, i think i'm just completely tapped out on writing parts right now. alright, what if i organized my tracks, making sure they're all grouped and named in a way that i can work with easily? what if i did a rough volume balance for the mix?

and so on. if that's not enough to shake the off stuckness, i might consider: what can i do to make this project more interesting to me?

what happens if i try using an instrument or effect that i almost never reach for? what if i try sampling something obscure? what if i bang out the drums using my midi keyboard instead of drawing it in on the piano roll?

any approach that breaks me out of my usual habits is bound to get that feeling of novelty and fun back when i need it.

or maybe i can't do any of that right now, and so i take the time to answer a question from a fellow musician instead. i consider that part of my work, too, in a broader sense. check in with yourself and figure out what you can do right now. the rest will still be there later.

but okay, let's say you try switching gears, and switching again, and again, and nothing is moving. you try new approaches, but that wall of awful is insurmountable in this moment. it happens! the next thing you might try is:

#4: learn something new

when you aren't able to make progress on your projects, you can still make progress on your knowledge and craft. i often find this stokes a flame of inspiration in me where there wasn't one before. and even when it doesn't, it still gets my brain out of that feeling of stuckness and dread and into one of thought and action. learning also benefits in the long term because it adds to the well of knowledge from which you draw for all your future works.

for all the awfulness that exists on the internet, it remains an absolute treasure trove of teaching. there's an endless ocean of videos, blog posts, and articles from which you might learn something about your craft. (and if you sail the seven seas, plenty of book PDFs as well. 🦜🏴‍☠️)

it's true that the quality and depth of information out there can vary wildly, but in my experience most resources get at least some things right. and the more you research, practice, and figure out what works for you, the better you will learn to differentiate between the advice worth keeping, and the advice to forget. (that goes for all of what i'm saying here, too!)

that said, since our shared focus is music, a few resources i would highly recommend are:

music theory and composition music matters, 12tone, charles cornell, music with myles, 8-bit music theory, and this introduction by andrew huang

mixing and production dan worrall (especially this series for fabfilter), kush after hours, red means recording, andrew huang, alice yalcin efe, in the mix

general inspiration nahre sol, ben levin, david hilowitz, game score fanfare, posy, jerobeam fenderson, open reel ensemble, and ELECTRONICOS FANTASTICOS!

(if any readers have their own helpful resources for creating music or any other media, feel free to share in the replies & reblogs! 💓)

of course, on an especially bad day, it might be a challenge to seek out information, let alone retain it. that can feel pretty bad, but remember: be kind to yourself. the next thing you might consider trying is:

#5: consume art you love

not just music. books. shows. movies. games. illustration. animation. whatever moves and inspires you.

but do it intentionally. don't just pull up some random thing the algorithm suggested! check in with yourself about what you want (or are able) to engage with right now. choose accordingly. if you get a little way into it and realize it's not scratching that itch, hit the bricks. check in with yourself again. wash, rinse, repeat, until you find whatever it is that speaks to you right now.

and do it actively, if you can. don't just let it go in one eye and out the other! really pay attention to the work. what do you like about it? what are its themes and motifs? what makes it work so well? what are its flaws, and how much do they matter? what might you do differently? you can write notes as you do this if it helps, but even simply noticing and thinking goes a long way.

what you don't want to do is come at this with a lens of shame or envy. you're not here just to say to yourself, "ugh, if only i could do THAT." it's okay if it happens. use that thought as a springboard for curiosity: "well okay, how DID they do that? do i have the resources for it? if so, how could i apply that to my own work? if not, how can i adapt it, or what do i need to learn?" keep your mind open and approach the work with a sense of wonder.

as a creative person, it's very easy to think, "i should be making something right now, not watching a movie!" but that thought forgets something vital: your art is a response in a conversation. of course the "language" you use is your own, and maybe if you're lucky you'll invent a new word. but most of the words you use have been around long before you were born. you're just one voice in a dialogue that spans continents and generations, and that's okay. it's even the whole point.

none of us is an island. we are profoundly social animals. just as we can't live without eating, we can't make without learning. so half of making art is consuming it. consider this part of the process as well.

and finally,

#6: rest, and live your life

let's say you're in really dire straits. you've tried working slower. you tried changing focus, you tried changing projects. you want to take in new information or actively engage with your favorite art, but you're not in the headspace for it. what now?

take a nap. take a walk. take a shower. eat a nice meal, or an okay one. talk to a friend. maybe even do that chore you've been putting off (you know the one).

it's human to always crave making, but you're not a machine—and even if you were, machines need regular maintenance, too! you wouldn't drive a car that's completely out of gas, and you won't do yourself any favors treating your body that way either.

i know that when you take a break it feels as though you're not accomplishing anything, but you are: you're taking care of your animal self. and while you do that, your creative brain doesn't stop working! much like windows, it has countless background processes running at any given moment, with inscrutable names like "cbdhsvc_692da" or "Microsoft Edge Update Service." it's true, i checked.

when you're stuck on a project and you step away to rest, your brain is still chipping away at your ideas unconsciously. i like to tell people, "it's percolating." much like waiting for a pot of water to boil, that idea is still heating up, even when you take a step away. just be sure to check in on it once in a while. the time will pass, and it'll be boiling again before long. :)

before i go, i'll leave you with one last thing to keep in mind as you try all of these strategies:

be kind to yourself.

being human is just about one of the hardest things you can do. let alone being a human trying to survive capitalism while living with disabilities! the last thing you need on top of that is to overwork yourself, talk to yourself negatively, or treat yourself harshly. there are plenty of other people in the world who do that to you—don't be one of them.

i'm not saying that you shouldn't try to challenge yourself, to test your limits and go above and beyond your ambitions, if that's what you want to do. just remember that hard work and self compassion are not mutually exclusive. so be careful not to bully yourself. take pride in the progress you make, even when it seems small. encourage yourself like you would a friend who's going through a hard time. and when you challenge yourself, be your own cheerleader.

i hope you find this advice helpful! remember, this is just what helps me, so don't feel like you have to follow any of it exactly. maybe taking time to learn new information helps break you out of your rut more than working slowly, so you reach for that tool first. maybe having multiple projects going at once is too distracting for you, so you prefer to stick to one at a time. whatever your needs are, feel free to alter and adapt these ideas to fit you.

thank you for reading, and i wish you the best of luck in your creating.

with care, bee 🐦


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