February Life Update! (Patreon)

What's new?

More like, what ISN'T new!?

It's hard to describe life right now. It feels really good most of the time and really bad for brief moments. Things don't seem to make much sense but I'm constantly reminded that I have "peace that passes understanding."

If you don't know what I'm referring to then it's from Philippians 4:6-7 and it goes like this: 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

In the photo above, you can see an old-looking-art-etching that I printed on canvas a few years ago with Latin text that says, "The sleep of reason produces monsters." The old drawing shows a man sleeping at his desk with all kinds of monsters swarming behind him. Apparently the creatures are the product of his attempts to make sense of everything. "The sleep of reason". At least that's how I look at it. I loved this image when I first saw it a few years ago, because I felt like I could relate to the feeling of trying to make sense of everything or give a reason for everything, and in doing so, my mind would be filled with metaphorical monsters. It wasn't until I let go of "trying to find a reason and explanation for everything" that my mind could rest.  Instead when I trust that God is in control, even though I might not understand it all, things seem to calm down in my mind and the monsters go away.

Somehow it seems like this old etching and the scripture above are saying a similar thing, but from a different angle. That makes me happy. So I keep the poster front-and-center as a reminder of all this. 

Even though I have no idea what's going on with my life in it's current state, I have a crazy amount of peace right now. I'm not worried about tomorrow, or even today. I'm enjoying the moment. There are opportunities popping up all the time that are new and exciting. (unfortunately I can't talk about anything just yet) The bills continue to be paid. I'm surrounded by amazing people, in person and online. The future is exciting, hopeful and mysterious!

It seems like every conversation I have with an old friend (or new friend) leads me in a new direction. Yeah, I keep changing my plans. 

I was fully convinced that I would be working on Cognitive Drawing right now, but instead, I'm still working on my trailer-house-remodel. I'm nearly done but still waiting for the counter tops to be installed before I can fully move in. I organized years of receipts and stacks of papers last week, threw out most of it. I got my taxes turned into my tax guy... Who knows what that will bring.

I've been swimming every weeknight for the last month and that's been really fun. I feel more healthy than I have in a long time because of it. One day I plan to visit Hermosa Beach and go surfing with my old friends again. I might actually be in good enough shape to actually surf again! That's the goal. :)

But as for art and comic related updates, I'm now planning to focus on NFT's for several months. I hope to make some Youtube videos about what I'm learning and doing too. I'm still unsure how to do most of it but the best way to learn is to do, so this will be my attempt to do. I know NFT's have a bad rap with some people because of what looks like a greedy money-grab going on right now, but I'm not doing it for money. I don't need a lot of money to survive anymore. I just want to learn because I really believe that NFT's and smart contracts are the key to the future of digital content. 

But we will see. Next month I might change my mind again. Hopefully not. But until I actually start working on that next big project, it's hard to say what will happen.

Here are some pictures of my new home/studio. It's coming along nicely! 

Above is my office/bedroom. Somehow it all fits.

Above you can see the living room. I just got the 65" television and TV stand on Friday. I still need to hang my guitars up on the walls. :)

The kitchen is still a mess without counter tops, and holes in the walls where the backsplash will eventually go. 

I've recently called it "my house of rest", because that's how it feels. :)

I can't wait to get back to the drawing board soon. It feels like a long time coming. And I can't wait to tell you about all the random cool things that have been happening in the background too. 

Thanks again for all your support. See you in the next update!

Jason 2.0