The Hovel-March Newsletter!

WELCOME

Hello, and welcome back to my news-letter-like venture, or just welcome to those who missed last month’s update. It’s my second month of this little space, and in my head, I’ve started calling it The Hovel, based on the opening paragraphs from last month. I like it—a grounding title to something that’s still very new.

I live in Colorado, where the winters are often painted as a white mountain wonderland, glittering and ripe for outdoor sports. But for much of the state, winter it isn’t so magical. Where I live, February and March are colored in shades of brown. It snows, and then it melts, and snows again on and off until the spring brings a light smattering of rainfall. It’s a desert, and the winters are a beige landscape set against the most unimaginably blue skies.

As I write this, it’s the last day of February, and it’s unseasonably warm. Any signs of snow have melted into puddles and patches of mud. The last vestiges of winter temperatures are clumps of dirty ice set stubbornly into the shady corners of buildings. I meant to be writing this newsletter in little snippets as the month went on, but every time I sat down to write it felt like writing something without first knowing its conclusion. I didn’t know what to share, because it hadn’t happened yet. Hopefully, this kind of procrastination won’t persist, and I’ll find a balance—but I know myself well enough not to expect that kind of consistency.

THE LIFE

February is a strange month, in a strange season. It’s the dreary in-between times—a stretch between New Years and Lint on the Christian calendar that’s filled with the uniquely capitalistic Valentine’s Day. For me, Valentines Day is an excuse to eat chocolate and make heart-shaped pizza from scratch, but it feels like an insufferable season to place a lover’s holiday for all the hopeless romantics in the world. There's something uniquely cruel about that, isn't there?

This month was odd and short, and as we draw to the end of it, I'm tired. I just spent the last two days helping a very close friend move out of the state for familial reasons. It was the heartbreaking kind of move that saw all of his belongings packed away into a storage unit, waiting in stasis for him to return--a life tucked away for later, pushed up against the walls of a 100 square foot concrete box. As we said our goodbyes, we mused on community, and how special it is to have friends that will take time away from work and life to help you pack away your things. It's the kind of tough, manual labor that feeds the soul--the kind of labor that humans are meant to be doing.

Last month, I told you all that I’d try to take more photos of my life, and the things that I did this month—and I failed utterly. I did take this photo of my Rat, Fin, who seems to have melted over the top of his lava ledge. He likes to sit there, surveying his little space and its inhabitants, but as he’s gotten older, and softer, he doesn’t fit in the same way. It’s heartbreaking how quickly rats age—something I thought I’d been more prepared for when I first started keeping rats, but it continues to crush me every time I’m reminded of it. They’re in our lives for such a short amount of time, and I do my best to spoil them. As you can see, Fin wants for nothing.

I also took this photo of a rare foggy day outside my window—which, looking at now, the only photo I took of my life being the isolated and fogged up space I inhabit most frequently, is… well, it’s a little concerning, isn’t it? I promise I did leave my room a good handful of times, I just failed to document any of it.

Though I did document the heart-shaped pizza. SHE was important to me.

PROGRESS AND GOALS

I didn’t hit my goals. I didn’t honestly think I was going to, but I thought I’d at least be a little closer to where I wanted to be with my HEARTACHE sketches. I wanted to hit page 189. I’m, depressingly, only at page 125—which I don’t need to do the math on to know is horribly off the mark. It’s still progress, but it’s much slower going than I would have liked. I did, however, do my Patreon Postcard, one finished and one nearly finished drawing for the Pomegranate and up tier. I will upload the second as I finish it and add in some progress shots to the Discord as I go along.

For March, my only goal is to see it through to the other end and get as much done in the meantime. I know if I set any actual goals this month, I will fall short. There’s simply too much going on for me to have reasonable expectations for myself. It’s my Birthday, a wedding, a writer’s conference, a baby shower, a trip to see my grandparents, and the birthday of a handful of close friends. Even without going to ECCC or Wondercon this year, my plate is full, and I’m overwhelmed.

March is like that, as if the turn of spring launches a turn of productivity as well. It isn’t spring yet, though, and I’d like for the damn month to acknowledge that some of us are still trying to hibernate.

Here is my favorite spread from this month's sketches. The pages with the monster on them are difficult to think about, but once I have them down, they're a ton of fun to work on. I can't wait to finish these.

JAR OF BUTTONS

This month was short, but I still managed to tuck a few pieces of media into my button Jar.

READING:

First up is the book I just finished today, on the very last day of the month—caught just in time.

SlewFoot by Brom was delightful. It's a spooky little witch story set in colonial New England, so exactly the kind of book I seek out for comfort. I’ve known Brom as an illustrator, but not as an author before this. I think it's incredible when someone can do both at such a high level.

I also finished the second Emily Wild book--Emily Wild's Map of the Otherlands, at the beginning of the month, which was wonderful. I adore Heather Fawcett’s writing style. She really captures character so beautifully and distinctly—but also, I love the faewild nature of the books, and the folklore she manages to highlight.

Last up from my reading this month is this little gem of a graphic novel I stumbled upon at the bookstore (see, I do leave my house.) I knew right away it was coming home with me. I mean, how could it not? I read it right away, and from the art to the charming story, it did not disappoint.

My reading list is shorter than normal this month because I’m at a part of HEARTACHE where I can’t listen to an audiobook and work, but also, I think because it’s a bit of a shorter month, and Slewfoot was a bit of a slower read for me, so I slowed down for it.

WATCHING

I’ve been watching old seasons of Ru Paul’s Drag race with my roommate pretty consistently, and we’re now making our way through All Stars. It’s embarrassing how often it makes me cry (nearly every episode.) I could talk about the fact it's probably just queer media, and the kind of trauma that comes from growing up as a queer person. But honestly, its usually just seeing people be nice to each other that brings me to tears. I don't know how to examine that.

LISTENING

I’ve been listening to RiotGRRRL music this month almost exclusively. I’m stuck on Bikini Kill, L7, and Skinny Girl Diet have all been on repeat for me this month.

This is related to a project I've started conceptualizing for the very distant (years away) future, but freelance writing and illustration works like that. You work on one thing while you think about the next so you can keep making things. (I hope I never have to stop making things.)

OUTRO

Two months is not yet a consistent thing, but with feedback and interest I will keep The Hovel alive. We’re still very much in the awkward baby phases of this thing, and it can be difficult to continue something when you can see the potential of it so clearly, and the shortcomings just as clearly. It’s nice to recap my month, even if it highlights all of the places I’ve managed to fall short—both in the progress of my projects, and the writing itself. I’ll get used to it, I think, though it might take me a few months to make it as lovely as I’d like it to be.

I know March will be a busy month, and I’m looking forward to checking in with all of you at the end of it!

Wish me luck!

with love,

Kelsi <3