Merry Christmas! And Winding Down the Sabbatical Year. (Patreon)

This month has been a whirlwind. It really feels like my creative sabbatical year is coming to a close with powerful endings and perfect timings. A few things that happened just this month:

- I finalized the sale of my house on the 15th.

- Finalized my divorce on the 22nd. (after a whole year of being separated)

- Paid off all my debts. (I’m 100% debt free after 20 years!)

- Bought a small house with cash.

- Ripped everything out of the house and started renovations (drywall, cabinets, counters, fixtures, tiles, carpets and paint.)

- Signed a big public speaking contract (for next year).

- Scheduled an eye-muscle surgery (to hopefully help correct a double-vision problem that I’ve had all my life, but I’ve been too terrified to do before.)

- I feel like I’m actually excited for 2022 and ready for Jason 2.0 to begin!

Life feels pretty different right now. One of the biggest challenges has been in rediscovering who the real Jason Brubaker is now(outside of marriage). What are MY dreams, goals and preferences without the interference of trying to please anyone else. It’s been a hard thing to rediscover, but suddenly this month has been filled with old dreams surfacing again and abandoned interests reignited. I want to challenge the old chaotic waters; the fears that kept me stationary; look them straight in the eye and crush them under my heel. I have new dragons to slay. New journeys to seek out. So many chains have been broken this year. The pruning was painful but now I’m excited to produce new fruit.

I don’t know what’s in store for my future but I can definitely see God’s guiding force behind my life. The verse that I’ve been repeating in my head all year is this one:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the workers labor in vein.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the Watchmen stay awake in vein.

It is in vein that you wake up early and go to bed late eating the bread of anxious toil,

Because the Lord gives rest to those He loves.” Psalm 127

This has definitely been a year of rest for me. Somehow all the bills got paid. Somehow everything got taken care of in perfect timing, even though it didn’t feel perfect in the moment. I’ve had a chance to trust in the Lord’s provision, and it has been more than proven to me that He is in control.

Another name for the Sabbatical year is “the year of release”. And I definitely feel like I’ve been released: Physically, mentally, financially, creatively & spiritually.

“Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

And it definitely feels like morning now. :)

What’s my plan for 2022?

I’m not fully sure yet. The only plan I have so far is to finish the Female Cognitive Drawing Book and launch a Kickstarter for it hopefully in March or April. After that, the sky is the limit. I have several Graphic Novels I could work on, I might take a dive into NFT’s for a few months. I might learn to sail a boat. I might learn Jiu-jitsu. I might go on some dates. I might travel. I might make new YouTube videos. I might write some new songs and finally release that album I’ve always wanted to make. I’ll do some public speaking. I might even dip my toes back into Animation Directing again.

Again, the sky is the limit and I don’t feel chained to my desk anymore. It’s a good feeling to be excited about the future and I pray that this feeling lasts the rest of my life.

Thank you for your support during this dark night of my life. Here’s to the new dawn!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Jason 2.0