Where I've Been (Patreon)

As most of you know, I've gone quite a few months without any major updates, and I want everyone to understand the situation that I'm in and what's been going on.

1 year ago, on November 8th, my family and I were evacuated from our house as a fire (the "Camp Fire") was rapidly approaching the town we live in, Paradise California.

The entire town burned down, over 80% of the houses and businesses destroyed.

While our house survived and we've been living in it, the city around us is gone, we're in a wasteland.

Over the past year, barely any reconstruction has happened, and the electric company responsible for starting the Camp Fire (PG&E) have been doing massive power-shutoffs to the northern half of California for the past few months after a year of mismanaging their funding that was meant to prevent fires via putting power lines underground.

Politics aside (Google "PG&E Lawsuits" to learn more), I've also been living with my mother (a widowed woman who was married to an abusive [physically and mentally] narcissist for 40 years and finally finished a 6 year long divorce process last week) and my brother (who suffers from high functioning autism and lived literally 100% of his life with an abusive father who beat and/or insulted him for his entire life of 36 years), both of whom needed me as an emotional support beacon in these incredibly depressing times.

Paired as well with all of my mother's friends moving away to escape the burned down city, some of them being dead from the fire, etc. it was a long and arduous year this last year keeping my family emotionally stable.

Then, comes my move. Tomorrow, I'm packing the last of my stuff and starting a cross-country drive to Ohio, where I'll be moving in with friends and living from now on.

I've been busy. Life has been difficult. However, after my move, I'll be significantly more independent, filled with free time, and needing to pay rent most of all.

So, in other words, I'll be significantly more artistically productive.

To all of my backers who've understandingly been continuing to pledge their Patreon funds this last year, I can't thank you enough, that money's helped me afford gas (considering I have to drive all the way to Chico, 40 minutes from here, to do my shopping) and other necessities like food while I've been suffering through this.

Tomorrow is not only my birthday, but the day I start my adventure into independence as a person and as an artist.

Took a long time to get my mother and brother into a pair of mental states I feel will be fine without me around.

Thank you all so much for understanding.

I love you all.

~Jay