It’s my birthday today 🎀 (Patreon)

I figured it was about time I shared a bit about myself.

I’ve always been nosey about the personal lives of illustrators and bloggers I follow, plus, let’s be real—I love talking about myself and being the center of attention (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:

You already know some bits, but here’s the rest.

Today’s my 29th birthday (T_T)

I’m basically an unfulfilled "older lady" now. I studied design in my hometown in Ukraine because I had no clue what I wanted to do.

Ended up working as a barista in a coffee shop I absolutely loved—that’s where I met my best friends who I’m still close with today.

Back then, I was doing these boring, classic commissioned portraits for birthdays or anniversaries.

For myself, though, I drew all kinds of cool doodles (check my IG if you’re curious)—I felt so "top tier" back then.

Then, a massive art block hit. It started about two years after Covid, and I didn’t draw for nearly 3 years or maybe more ( ⚆ _ ⚆ )

During that time, I felt miserable — like I had lost a part of myself without art.

I only got back into it a year ago. That gap really tanked my skills; it felt like I was learning from scratch, and honestly, I still am.

I’ve always been lowkey jealous of manga artists and wanted to make mini-comics.

And... I’ve always been drawn to NSFW art.

Last year, I finally started posting my Reylo content everywhere. I was obsessed with their fanfics and the whole lore.

A little backstory on my NSFW obsession: As a kid, I used to play "Barbie Sex" and even drew a comic of Barbie and Ken getting it on. I made up a bunch of wild stuff that, as it turns out, actually exists in real life. My mom found that comic later... I cried so hard, I was mortified.

So yeah, basically I’m still drawing the same stuff today (Ｔ▽Ｔ) Childhood hobbies die hard.

But then, I decided to replay Death Stranding and fell head over heels for Sam all over again. I became slightly obsessed with Norman Reedus, so naturally, I had to watch TWD and every single frame of film he’s ever appeared in.

I’m still shocked that things actually worked out. I’m so happy my hard work paid off—it makes me want to cry tears of joy.

This is all so new to me. I’d never worked with a Western audience before.

Living in Ukraine, my values and lifestyle are different, so it’s been a mix of "this is so cool" and "I’m terrified."

I still haven't figured out how to talk to people on Twitter 🤓 but I really want to. Sometimes it feels like there’s "illustrator community" that I’ll never be part of.

Anyway, bit of a random jump, now I work with my friend making candles, and I genuinely enjoy it. I’m busy three days a week, and the rest of my time goes to art, fanfics, and just… live life.

I’m married! My husband is also illustrator. We went to the same college but I met him later.

We dated for about 7 years. I never actually wanted to get married, but when war started in our country, I wanted to feel some kind of normalcy and celebrate our love, so we tied the knot.

We’ve been together for about 9 or 10 years now (I’m terrible with dates and numbers).

He’s the best and supports me in everything. Early on, when I was struggling, he’d even help me tweak the lighting and shadows on my pieces 🥹.

He illustrates children’s books (he’s done 5 so far!) and is currently working on a comic about famous Ukrainians and working of his own comic. I’m so proud of him! (づ｡◕ ‿‿◕｡)づ💕

I do want kids—I am 29, after all. But I’m scared for a lot of reasons. I think drawing Sam and Lou is my subconscious way of seeing myself and my husband in those roles. That’s why the DS fandom hits so close to me.

A few more random facts about me:

• I haven’t eaten meat for 5 years (but I eat fish, so I’m still a "bad person" lol).

• I dye my hair (it’s naturally dirty blonde).

• I still don’t have a car and have zero driving skills.

• I don’t know my multiplication tables and can’t do math to save my life.

• I hate my boobs (I lowkey want a size 0).

• I only learned how to swim after 20.

• I write fanfics (haven’t finished a single one yet) and post them on AO3.

• I’ve been doing yoga for 4 years.

BIG TNKU to everyone who supports me❤️‍🩹 This post is just another way to say I love you guys.

If you read this far—you’re real ones. It means a lot to me.

Bye ( ˘ ³˘)♥