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Final newsletter of 2023

Final newsletter of 2023

28 Dec • This will only take you 11 minutes

We made it to the end of 2023. Good job! I’m proud of you!!

This newsletter is mostly about resolutions/goals. The two big goals I achieved in 2023 were paying off my credit card and going on a hike every month. I’m going to go over my completed goals, and my goals for 2024.

1. Finances

My credit card debt was accrued through some fluctuating life circumstances and two apartment moves back to back in 2021. I planned on using my book advance to pay it off, and I did! I’m very proud of myself. Now after quitting my job and investing in myself as a full time artist, I will probably have the 2024 goal of paying off my credit card again, but more in an on-going self-employment way. This time around will be slightly more manageable, god willing. I like being fairly transparent about money talk, since it empowers us all, but I’m still getting used to the mortifying ordeal of sharing personal information. I’m going to learn how to walk this line! So I suppose the way that the credit card debt goal from 2023 transforms into my 2024 goal is by becoming a financially responsible full time artist: keeping my future debt manageable, doing more conventions, and celebrating the publication of my debut graphic novel!

2. Hiking

I’m very proud of myself for going hiking/camping every month this year! I liked it so much, I’d like to do it again. Maybe I’ll increase it to 2 hikes per month, where I can. My real main goal is to spend more time outside. I’m extremely lucky to live in a beautiful place with lots of public greenspaces and parks in walking distance, and even more accessible by bike/transit. Even if I don’t do 2 hikes a month (a very lofty goal), I’d be content to take more regular walks and spend time in parks, especially in the spring and summer. (AND continue hiking every month.) Speaking of spending more time outside…

3. Participate in my community

One of the things I felt was missing from my life this year as I battled overwork and burnout is being a member of my physical community. I show up for events and parties from time to time, which is an excellent effort on my part to overcome agoraphobia and self-isolation (pandemic effects on the brain are numerous). But I’d like to contribute more. I want to participate in my immediate community and neighborhood in ways that are meaningful to me. When I think of “who am I?” I think of myself as a person who really values the environment and my local ecosystem. I’m considering my options to act on my perception of self, to align my identity in my brain and my actions in the world. Perhaps I’ll pick up a part time job tending to public spaces. Perhaps I’ll volunteer with the river clean up. Perhaps I’ll attend classes to learn about native plants. I don’t know! I know I’ll still be very busy with work, so I’m leaving my options open to find something that fits my ability. It’s not a very defined, quantifiable goal, but it’s a direction I’d like to move towards in 2024.

4. Take care of myself

In 2024, I turn 30. I’m not scared about some fake capitalist concept of “aging”, because 30 is still very young. And I’m excited to get another year to be alive. If anything, I’m worried that I’m not mature enough to enter my early 30s. When I say “mature,” of course I mean to show up for the people I care about and to be a kind person, which is a life long meditation, not just an annual goal. So when I say “mature” regarding 2024 and staring down 30, I mean… start the day with a big glass of water, commit to eating fruits and vegetables every day, floss, spend less time on my phone. In previous years, these might have been individual goals. And maybe I’m aiming too high by lumping them all in together. But I think I started taking care of myself, truly taking care of myself, only 2 years ago. I go to the gym and hike regularly! Since I’ve already started showing up for myself like this, my 2024 goals are just the filigree.

Digital zine bundle sale

One final sale to celebrate the end of year and beginning of the next. You can get all of my digital PDFs of comics and zines on itch.io for $10. I published 3 new zines this year (Lesbian Gender Outlaw, Heavyweight Desk Jockey World Champ, and Horn Dog). Next year, I’ll start working on more zines and return to The Shepherd’s Sword. Thank you for all your support this year!

Please enjoy! https://itch.io/s/114276/end-of-2023-lesbian-smut-sale-lezgo

Patreon upgrades

I improved my Patreon tier icons and introduced a new tier just for NSFW posts. Introducing Horn Dog Tier ($10): a tier for people who want to skip the mail club and get right to jacking off. I also made collections of all previous NSFW, zine, and sketchbook posts to make it easier for people to find everything they want to see. Now is a good time to remind you that Patreon is the only place you can find my old Griddlehark smut comics.

I drew all new images for the tiers, since they were art I hadn’t touched in 3+ years. I’m really happy with how they turned out, not to mention the bright colors.

FanExpo Portland

Our first table event of 2024! We’re going to be at FanExpo Portland for the first time ever. If you’re in town, please come say hi and check out our table upgrades. En and I have been hard at work this month thinking up new display concepts and new merch. I have a referral link for you to buy tix, if you wanna come. If you’re not gonna make it to FanExpo (Jan 12-14), we’ll see you at ECCC (Feb 29-Mar 3) in Seattle!

Bluesky

I have been camping my username on Bluesky for a few months. I wasn’t sure if I’d use it or not, but now they have an app and it’s open to the public (I think?). It’s important for anyone making a living off Posting Online (weird) to diversify your social media presence whenever possible. I primarily post to Instagram and Tumblr, but having a third platform is a pretty solid plan.

If you’d like to follow me on Bluesky, here’s the link.

Vacation Injection (Autostraddle Comic)

My newest Autostraddle comic is dedicated to Dabi. Love you!! You can read the whole comic here.

Mail Club & 18+ for December 2023

Welcome to snake era. I’m making snakes! I really love the sticker this month, and I think this design is going to hang around for a while. Sign up to the mail club tiers by Dec 31 to get these babies sent to you. Mail club rewards ship at the end of January :^)

ALSO I’m on some Baldur’s Gate bullshit. I love Karlach (are you surprised?). So this month’s 18+ illustration is Karlach x Shadowheart. I’m posting a lot of those two on socials. It’s cozy season so I’m cuddling up on the couch in the mornings playing some games.

You can check out my tiers and join the mail club here ❤️‍🔥

What else did I do this month, hmm…

I started journaling regularly again. I used to only journal during periods of extreme mental turmoil. But I’m older now and life is just not that serious. I’m less angsty, more pragmatic, and surrounded by extremely good dear friends who understand me. But I get a lot out of journaling, even when I’m not experiencing extreme emotions. So I started journaling every morning (and drinking a big mason jar of water, before coffee). It’s really helping me process my future and plans for my art career.

I got to visit LA and spend time with some of En’s friends, who are the coolest people. We did a hike, saw Godzilla Minus One, talked art and conventions and jobs. I begged everyone to come visit us in Portland.

I’d never seen a Godzilla movie before, so this was a first, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the practical effects and miniatures and the quiet moments that made the big loud moments so spectacular. I recommend it! This month, I also saw The Boy and the Heron, which I thought was just okay, and Dream Scenario, a Nic Cage movie that I thought was excellent. Judge my taste as you will.

Shout out to Comics Club, which was held at Secret Room this month. If you’re in the PDX area, follow Liz Yerby to find out when the next Comics Club is!

Finishing off this month with my 2023 art vs artist. I’m looking forward to making more stuff to warm your heart and pump your blood! Thanks so much for being here. Thank you a million times. I couldn’t do what I do without you! I mean it! I feel extremely lucky and blessed and full of gratitude. See you next year!

Here’s some sweet treats for you to check out:

Graphic novels I read this month: Roaming by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, Wildfire by Breena Bard, firebugs by Nino Bulling (my fave from this stack!)
SOLRAD is looking for pitches about comics journalism! Essays, interviews, reviews. Go get paid to write about comics.
Have you watched Scavengers Reign yet? Maybe this blog post will convince you to check it out…
December’s hike: Etiwanda Falls Trail in Rancho Cucamonga. We only made it maybe half way before thunder clouds chased us down the mountain, but man, the view was spectacular. I’ll be going on one more hike this month, but the final hike of the year will be a secret, just for me.
US citizens, have you called your reps lately? Sent them a letter? Here’s a way to find who to contact + how to contact + what to say: 5calls.org/issue/israel-palestine-gaza-war-hamas-ceasefire/

Cheers!

Ren

PS: If you want more content that isn’t in this newsletter, I recommend joining my Patreon for some exclusive work every month like comics, sketchbook pages, spicy drawings, and some mail rewards!