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I'm not dead yet

I'm not dead yet

28 Nov • This will only take you 7 minutes

Is it too soon to start thinking about resolutions?

I’m writing this and sending this on Spotify wrapped day, so I don’t think I’m jumping the gun on concluding 2023 and looking towards the future. I also don’t really believe in saving your self improvement goals for January. For me, the end of an old way of life and beginning of a new path is happening right now!Last month I quit my day job. It was a really good job. I had it for over four years, and I was really waffling on exiting because I loved it so much. Flexible work schedule, queer coworkers, good pay, work from home (even before the pandemic), comics… But doing that job and my book at the same time was killing me. Some people can do it, and there’s a part of me that’s mad at myself for not being able to hold a part-time day job and do my book at the same time. Well, and my Patreon. And sell at conventions. And do commissions. Ok so I had a lot more going on than just job + book. But still! I wanted to do it all! And I’m frustrated, and that’s okay.

For me, something had to give. I’ve been under the weight of immense burnout since the beginning of 2023. So now I get to look towards the future of caring for myself and my career as an artist. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the relief of removing my job from my plate because immediately I went into maximum overdrive trying to work on my inks for my book. Those are due at the end of the week. Ah.Can we all give a round of applause for my girlfriend? Who has tirelessly been in charge of dinners and breakfast and doing so much around the house? I’d have died of malnutrition long ago if it weren’t for them. I want to move towards a reality where I can also contribute to doing things around the house, where I have a work-life balance. Where I can also relax and play video games.I was journaling this morning (one of my new resolutions) and realized that I need to prioritize feeling the relaxation of quitting my day job. I caught myself in the thought pattern of, “Okay, so I’ll finish my book inks, which means I can relax for approximately one month before I overload my schedule again to achieve maximum productivity.” WHICH IS CARTOONISH. This is a silly thing evil cartoon capitalist city women say before they learn the value of life on the farm and the magic of Christmas lmfaoI think this will be an ongoing battle for me. Being present in the moment, stepping away from the desk to live my life and enjoy being alive. I think I’ll be fighting this all my life. Part of this challenge right now, however, is the sneaky weight of making ends meet. I quit my day job, but not quite all my bills are covered by Patreon and online shop sales. It’s close, but I know I need to hustle a little more in order to buy groceries consistently. Is it possible to hustle and also practice mindfulness? Is it possible for me? I just started having a huge glass of water every day in the morning before coffee, so idk probably anything is possible. Another victory for resolutions.

Shop Sale ends Dec 1 ✨

I’m not doing any more tabling events this year! So to conclude the season, I have a 20% sale in my online shop. The code is COZYMAXING

Please enjoy! https://renstrapp.bigcartel.com/

Rebranding

One fun little project that I let myself have as a treat is rebranding! I’m planning on making big improvements to my table set up and display for 2023. In my exploration of my brand identity, I revamped my business cards and my social media icon. I haven’t printed anything yet, but here’s a little peek at what’s coming…

Dreams In Riso

I’m participating in a gallery show! Dreams In Riso is an all new show of 21 artists work put together in an incredible collaboration with Sonny’s House x Outlet. I have a brand new work on display that I made just for this show. You can get it here at Sonny’s House!

Commissions

Coming soon… Patreon gets first dibs, but I’ll also announce it here! There will probably be a special email announcing my commissions within the next week or two.

Mail Club & 18+ for November 2023

I seriously love this month’s rewards and design. I am crazy about it, I can’t get enough. I want to make more cool stuff like this!!! Enjoy!

For the 18+ tiers, a little peek at Ranger Harper and Garlic Mustard, the two characters in the comic I’m making with Mel Gillman for the Succulent anthology book.

What else did I do this month, hmm…

I started taking up boxing this month. My calves are killing me, and I’m so clumsy. I haven’t been to weightlifting in a while because of my book deadline, but I’m really excited to have weights + boxing in my toolkit.

I took En to Seattle for their birthday, and we went to the aquarium, a museum, and ate some really good food. I drew on the train on the way up, and we spent some time in a cafe drawing as well. I’ve been spending a lot of time drawing in cafes this month. It really helps me focus.

Had a Lord of the Rings marathon and then binged Hill House, Bly Manor and Midnight Mass back to back. En started playing Baldur’s Gate 3, meanwhile I uninstalled every single video game from my computer. I can’t wait to finish my book and be able to game again :’(

My mom came to visit! We went to southern Oregon, the coast, the farmer’s market, saw some big trees, and just hung out. It was really nice! Ok the end, back to working on my book.

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

There’s less than 24 hours left to get this werewolf plushie that my bestie made! Go go go!
My friend Mickie started a webcomic called Starchy. It’s so stinkin cute, you’ll love it. There’s a dog.
The Creator's Guide to Comics Devices by Reimena Yee
November’s hike: Silver Falls. This hike was pretty nostalgic for me, and I was so happy to be there. We had the misfortune of going on a day when there was a marathon all through the trails, so we had to cut it short. But man… those falls are beautiful. Only one more hike to go and I’ll have hiked every month this year! What trail should it be? :)c

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!