Brett_Bullion

Rekindling

Added 2023-10-24 16:32:55 +0000 UTC

Hello there Adventurers!

I’ve survived the incredibly long journey from Texas to Washington and have officially begun the process of settling in. The trip itself was three and a half very long days on the road with me and my wife switching off driving. We had a kiddo, a dog that likes to bark at everything (Booh), and a dog that throws up on car trips (Yoshi), as well as a small U-haul trailer in tow. The trip went better than planned! We got to see absolutely stunning views of mountains for a good portion of it and drove across a few horrifyingly large, albeit stunning bridges. There was also minimal barking from Booh and absolutely no vomiting issues in the car from Yoshi. Way to go Yo Yo! (Anti-nausea meds help)

Here are the two dorks. Booh on the left and Yoshi on the right.

We've been up here for almost 2 months now and I’ve fallen in love with the tall trees, the fall colors we've been getting, the moss that's everywhere, and the sounds of wild animals in the nearby woods. The temps have been great although getting colder and the rain has not been bad enough to stop our exploration of the nearby parks and trails.

One of the legs of my anxiety has been this move and now that it's over I feel like I can start to create again. And with the start of October I’ve finally dove back into art. I felt like I was in a horrible rut earlier this year. Nothing I created felt right and I was very quick to frustration with anything I put to paper. Some of it was the stress of moving, some just mental block.

So in an attempt to jolt my creativity back to life like Frankenstein’s monster, I decided to try and casually take on the challenge of Inktober. And to give myself a change of pace, in case I was burning out on digital, I have attempted to do it all traditionally! I’ve placed the digital tablet to the side (mostly) and brought out my old paintbrushes and micron pens which I haven’t used in over a decade.

I started strong, finishing a piece every day, but that died down real fast. I’ve finished 9 pieces so far (one of which is digital), and that is fine by me. It had the effect I was wanting. I’m excited to be creating again; happy to be getting ideas out and sketching them down. Couldn’t be more thrilled. Feels like taking a big breath after being submerged for months.

Still unsure of what I’ll do with these pieces, if anything. Some of them I feel could become bigger, more finished pieces. Maybe some I'll try and find a home for. For now I’m just happy to share them. I hope you enjoy them.

Day 1: Dream