So, it's the end of 2022.
I don't know how many people will take the time to sit down and read my ramblings, but I really wanted to just do an overview of this year!
This year went by fast, but also weirdly felt slow? Overall, it's been a LONG crazy year for me, both offline and online. So much shit has happened to me, big milestones have been met while navigating a lot of inner turmoil, it's been insane.
Meeting new people, experiencing new things, and finally finding it in myself to open up again have been some of the biggest highlights of this year!
And while going through this, it really made me realize how much I was missing when I was just being complacent with where I was in life before 2022.
Living in fear, and just settling into a stagnant lifestyle for 5-6 years of my life and passively watching the world go by. The feeling of hopelessness, that nothing would change, was an AWFUL way to live (obviously, lmao).
But dammit! it can really make a guy really fucking grateful once he gets out of that funk, and I'm just glad I was able to move on with my life and start living again. :)
Okay, besides that sappy gay stuff, I can't believe how much I've grown on this platform!
STD came out, and because Levi (Ramirez) asked our mutual friend Jay (Conundrym) to inquire if I wanted to contribute my art to said game in late 2021, I was able to be featured in it this year!
Being in Shoot Trip Die really jumpstarted A LOT of progress for me here. So, I'd like to take the time to thank Levi "Pissboy" Ramirez for giving me the chance to be a part of such a cool game! I loved making the portraits for all the characters and putting my own little spin on them!
(I'm specfically really proud of the Bulwark, it turned out pretty metal imo lmao)
After that, I was able to integrate myself into the community here more intimately after just going "fuck it" and brute forcing past my major social anxiety, and damn was it worth it! I've interacted with and befriended quite a few people who I've come to love and care for.
So, to whoever connected with me this year, thank you for brightening up my life just a lil bit more. Even if we’ve only talked through text or had one VC together, I appreciate you. You made my life a little less lonely than it use to be :)
Some other highlights of this year is several of my works getting frontpaged, me FINALLY being able to participate in monthly voting and me getting User Of The Day on December 21st!
*Side note, I'm still reeling that I got UOTD, but I really shouldn't be questioning it too much, and so I am once again just giving my thanks :)
One downside, though, of 2022, is that this year I wasn't able to pump out as much higher quality content as I use to. I'm still trying to get use to my new IRL routine, but alongside my chronic pain and other health issues I have (that I'd rather not get too into for obvious reasons), it's been just a bit hard.
I'm hoping next year I'll be able to integrate my creativity more into my life again, and join more projects/collabs and possibly put out at least ONE of my own projects by the end of 2023! Although, this might be a TEENSY bit difficult. I'm going back to school, and adding that to my daily routine will be another task I'll need to do.
But!
I'll give it the good ol' college try! (haha get it)
ANYWAY!
It looks like this post turned out to be more about my personal accomplishments rather than my artistic endeavors, but whatever lmao
All in all, this year really has been an incredible process of learning that being selfish for myself isn't ACTUALLY an evil thing to do.
It's really not been an easy time for me, I had my up's and downs and panic attacks this year, but I won't let myself dwell on things for a long time.
Figuring out how to stop catering to what I think other people expect and want from me and instead doing things that ACTUALLY make me happy has been crazy rewarding!
Something that my therapist told me that "people pleasing" was a form of manipulation really woke me up, and made me rethink how I interact with people.
The process of it has been a lil here and there, but moving past old habits will always be hard and is never a linear process.
I believe in myself tho!
Again, I'm really grateful for all my friends this year, new and old. You guys really made my year!
So here's to wishing and hoping for an even better 2023, Happy New Year :)
P.S. I promised on the bird site that I'd reveal what my username actually means after I reached 200 fans here, so here's the BIIIGGG reveal:
It's kinda embarrassing, but "Sugaphys" came from my haikyuu and undertale phase. I really liked and related to both Sugawara Koushi and Alphys when I made my username in 2016, so I mixed their names together (Suga-phys, Sugawara-Alphys).
That's all, secrets out now! teehee
