1. I absolutely love seeing your slow process of adding to the drawing over days. I don't tend to do slow in this way and it's a treat to see.
2. "Neow" :-p :-p :-p
3. The illustration on The Cat Who Saved Books is great!
4. I didn't know Charlie Jane Anders has a nonfiction book and I'm so intrigued. During the first few years that I lived here in San Francisco (~2006-8), I often went to Writers with Drinks, the multi-author reading series that Charlie Jane put on at The Makeout Room in The Mission and I have a million fond memories of those times. I confess that I could rarely get too into the scifi Anders shared but loved their presence anyway. Love it.
I'm delighted that you had so much to say!!!! Thank you!!!! I go slow on art in the morning so I can go fast in the afternoon. (I work much faster in my studio) Yes, the illustration and the entire book by Natsukawa is delightful!!! And I'm absolutely loving and finding so helpful Charlie Jane's nonfiction!!! I was unaware of their work before accidentally finding this title. I'll be hunting for their fiction work soon!! How wonderful that you have fond memories of sharing time and space with them!!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚 And happy new year to you too!!!!
I am definitely trying to be less on line these days. Glad you had good holiday respite, which included providing a lap for your cat, which is an imperative, as well as a calling. Glad you mentioned Kelcey Ervick's Substack. It's one of my favorites, and I usually feel compelled to read it multiple times.
I hope we have a Happy New Year, although I am not at all confident. But with friends and allies (and cats and pandas) in the world, maybe we'll get through it.
I love that you will think of me when you use your panda shaped brush rest. It’s part of my evil plan to inhabit all the minds of people who associate me with pandas. Bwahahahaha!
I'm delighted to hear that you like the gentleness- I like it too and want more gentleness in the world and I'm the only one I can do anything about. So I like practicing gentleness in the mornings. Thank you for reading and commenting!! I appreciate you!! 💚💚💚💚
Sue, you’ve captured our hearts and minds in one swell foop. Er, “fell swoop.” Your words engender curiosity in me and invite further exploration! Happy New Year!
Those pictures are so cute Sue! I love the books you're reading!!! There's so much to learn from books. I truly wish that everyone took the time to read them. I love art too though and love the mix. Anyway, thanks for sharing!!!
You're so welcome!! Thank you for reading my work and so kindly commenting!! And yes one has to firmly carefully deliberately carve out time to read books. It's best if we can remember to direct our own attention and form our own habits rather than leave it to chance. And thank you again!!!
Yes!!! "The Cat Who..." definitely deserves to be bumped up the TBR list!! Thank you for your wonderful comment!!! Absolutely 💯 let's have a #hopepunk new year!!!!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
Sue, I discovered at an early age that we can choose our habits. Once there, we can elaborate on them to our hearts content. It is a leap for some to make the choice. But I am evidence that it can be done. Your drawings and notes fill my heart with the contentment and room to breathe that it craves. I thank you for that!!!! :-)
Yes!!!! Choosing your own habits is an extremely important thing to know and practice!!! And thank you, it is wonderful to hear that my work give you contentment - hearing that does my artist heart such good!!! Thank you!!!!!!💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
What a coincidence! My next novel emphasizes the "caring" over the "conflict." Could I be onto something? (I've traditionally gone with "unremittingly depressing.")
Yes!!!!! Yes, you're on to something!!! Please look up the genre "hopepunk" and add your imagination to envision more caring!!! Here's a link for hopepunk definition but there's ever so much more!! And not all hopepunk is sci-fi... and there is hopepunk poetry... (see the 3 different poetry anthologies edited by James Crews. I'm currently reading "The Wonder of Small Things")
I just took a look at the hopepunk definition. My book fits the definition of "characters fighting for positive change, radical kindness, and communal responses to challenges," but it's not at all close to speculative.
I think, based on what I've read, that "hopepunk" covers anything - whether speculative or not - that has characters fighting for positive change, kindness and that has communal responses to things *instead of a lone hero savior*. The hopepunk stories have characters with optimistic hopeful outlooks (even tho they can worry, be sad etc during the story) and a let's work together ethic as opposed to cynical, depressed or angry lone heros who get lucky and save the day all by themselves.
I like to think that I'm working in the hopepunk genre ... and I'm doing visual art... not spec fiction. 🤷♀️
I have so many things to say!
1. I absolutely love seeing your slow process of adding to the drawing over days. I don't tend to do slow in this way and it's a treat to see.
2. "Neow" :-p :-p :-p
3. The illustration on The Cat Who Saved Books is great!
4. I didn't know Charlie Jane Anders has a nonfiction book and I'm so intrigued. During the first few years that I lived here in San Francisco (~2006-8), I often went to Writers with Drinks, the multi-author reading series that Charlie Jane put on at The Makeout Room in The Mission and I have a million fond memories of those times. I confess that I could rarely get too into the scifi Anders shared but loved their presence anyway. Love it.
5. Happy new year friend :)
I'm delighted that you had so much to say!!!! Thank you!!!! I go slow on art in the morning so I can go fast in the afternoon. (I work much faster in my studio) Yes, the illustration and the entire book by Natsukawa is delightful!!! And I'm absolutely loving and finding so helpful Charlie Jane's nonfiction!!! I was unaware of their work before accidentally finding this title. I'll be hunting for their fiction work soon!! How wonderful that you have fond memories of sharing time and space with them!!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚 And happy new year to you too!!!!
Love your caffeinated blue cats!
Awww thank you!!!!!!
What a lovely post.
I'm glad you liked it!!! Thank you for writing to tell me!!! 💚💚💚
I am definitely trying to be less on line these days. Glad you had good holiday respite, which included providing a lap for your cat, which is an imperative, as well as a calling. Glad you mentioned Kelcey Ervick's Substack. It's one of my favorites, and I usually feel compelled to read it multiple times.
I hope we have a Happy New Year, although I am not at all confident. But with friends and allies (and cats and pandas) in the world, maybe we'll get through it.
Yes! I totally agree!!! With friends and allies we'll get through! On another topic- I bought a panda shaped rest for dip-pens and brushes today and thought fondly of you 💚💚💚 https://www.johnnealbooks.com/product/ceramic-pen-brush-rest
And I'm glad you liked what I shared today!! I too love the work of Kelcey Ervick!!!
I love that you will think of me when you use your panda shaped brush rest. It’s part of my evil plan to inhabit all the minds of people who associate me with pandas. Bwahahahaha!
Lol!!!!!! 🤣🤣😆🤣😆🤣🤣🤣🤣
I so appreciate the gentleness in your posts. Thank you. 😌. Wishing you a wonderful 2025.
I'm delighted to hear that you like the gentleness- I like it too and want more gentleness in the world and I'm the only one I can do anything about. So I like practicing gentleness in the mornings. Thank you for reading and commenting!! I appreciate you!! 💚💚💚💚
Im fully caffeinated but not feeling the squiggling effects ☕️ haha 🤣
Lol!!!!!! 🔲⏹️🟨〰️〰️〰️💚💚💚
What a wonderful "flod" of books!! It's enough to bring shivers! ❤️🐈⬛😻🤓
Yes!!!!! I get a thrill just looking at the stacks of new books!!!! Wahoo!!!!! And thanks for understanding!!!
📚📓📕📗📘🎉
Sue, you’ve captured our hearts and minds in one swell foop. Er, “fell swoop.” Your words engender curiosity in me and invite further exploration! Happy New Year!
Awwww so very kind of you!!! Thank you!!!!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
Those pictures are so cute Sue! I love the books you're reading!!! There's so much to learn from books. I truly wish that everyone took the time to read them. I love art too though and love the mix. Anyway, thanks for sharing!!!
You're so welcome!! Thank you for reading my work and so kindly commenting!! And yes one has to firmly carefully deliberately carve out time to read books. It's best if we can remember to direct our own attention and form our own habits rather than leave it to chance. And thank you again!!!
Oooo, "The Cat Who Saved Books" is in my TBR list, may have to bump it up. Love the new sketches! Have a #HopePunk New year!
Yes!!! "The Cat Who..." definitely deserves to be bumped up the TBR list!! Thank you for your wonderful comment!!! Absolutely 💯 let's have a #hopepunk new year!!!!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
I love ❤️ the blue cat!💙
I'm delighted!!! Thank you!!!!! 💙💙💙💙💙💙
Sue, I love the caffeinated blue cat! It's a fine thing to be in the morning...
I'm glad you like it!! And yes!! It really is!!!! ☕️💚☕️💚☕️
Love the art. Love the books. Love the ‘fierce saber tooth tiger’. Grin. Have a wonderful 2025. 🤗❤️💕
Thank you so much!!!! And the fierce saber tooth tiger sends his love to you too!!! 😘💚💚💚 Hope you 2025 is as good as can be too!!
Sue, I discovered at an early age that we can choose our habits. Once there, we can elaborate on them to our hearts content. It is a leap for some to make the choice. But I am evidence that it can be done. Your drawings and notes fill my heart with the contentment and room to breathe that it craves. I thank you for that!!!! :-)
Yes!!!! Choosing your own habits is an extremely important thing to know and practice!!! And thank you, it is wonderful to hear that my work give you contentment - hearing that does my artist heart such good!!! Thank you!!!!!!💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
What a coincidence! My next novel emphasizes the "caring" over the "conflict." Could I be onto something? (I've traditionally gone with "unremittingly depressing.")
Yes!!!!! Yes, you're on to something!!! Please look up the genre "hopepunk" and add your imagination to envision more caring!!! Here's a link for hopepunk definition but there's ever so much more!! And not all hopepunk is sci-fi... and there is hopepunk poetry... (see the 3 different poetry anthologies edited by James Crews. I'm currently reading "The Wonder of Small Things")
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopepunk
I just took a look at the hopepunk definition. My book fits the definition of "characters fighting for positive change, radical kindness, and communal responses to challenges," but it's not at all close to speculative.
I think, based on what I've read, that "hopepunk" covers anything - whether speculative or not - that has characters fighting for positive change, kindness and that has communal responses to things *instead of a lone hero savior*. The hopepunk stories have characters with optimistic hopeful outlooks (even tho they can worry, be sad etc during the story) and a let's work together ethic as opposed to cynical, depressed or angry lone heros who get lucky and save the day all by themselves.
I like to think that I'm working in the hopepunk genre ... and I'm doing visual art... not spec fiction. 🤷♀️
I like your more expansive definition for hopepunk. I'll go with yours rather than Wikipedia's!
I didn't have time to Google for it but Alexandra Rowland, the person who coined the term hopepunk, describes it like I did - plus more. Wikipedia was sparse on info... Here's a better info link https://www.vox.com/2018/12/27/18137571/what-is-hopepunk-noblebright-grimdark
Great way to begin the new year!
Thank you!! Happy New Year!!!💚💚