You are a part of my Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, all my lovely supporters! =D

It’s been a very tumultuous couple of months for me, thanks to an incident involving some unwelcome little visitors in our home that required a period of quarantine while they were dealt with. But that’s all over with now, and I’m happy to say that not only is Long nearly complete, but I put that quarantine time to use and you’ll be getting something extra on top of him! =)

Amid that unscheduled interruption and all the travel I usually have to do this time of year, even without the reminder that is Thanksgiving, just how grateful I am for you is ALWAYS on my mind. If you have been following me for any amount of time, you know how much real life has me travel. The absolute minimum number of plane trips I take a year is twelve, and that’s on a slow year. And do you know what? I can’t stand it. I VERY much dislike traveling. Whether it’s for business or pleasure, the act of going through the airport, passing through security, waiting to board, sitting on the plane for a few hours, the scramble to get off and everything until I reach my destination is just an uncomfortable, stressful chore to me. But it’s both the cards I’ve been dealt with, and the cards I’ve played.

But do you know what’s something I can’t just make a conscious choice for? Your support. I can’t make you look at my art in any way other than making my art appealing enough to attract your attention. I can’t make you click on the link to my Patreon any more than I can plaster it on my pages in ways that are unobtrusive in hopes that you’ll see them. I can’t make you donate your hard-earned money to be a part of my artistic career or just to say “I like what you do, so here!” That’s not me. That’s you. And I think about you a lot.

I think about you when I’m deciding what kind of juice to get from the grocery store. I think about you when I’m lying in the tub planning next month’s budget. I think about you when my video card fizzled out and I need find a replacement. I think about you when I’m temporarily forced to stay away from my home while pest control rummages around, hoping my dakis are well enough out of sight. And I’m DEFINITELY thinking about you when I’m drawing something you voted for, something that may get you talking about it in a comment, something I hope you will give a thumbs-up to, or just something that I hope makes you smile, based on the fact you’re here to enjoy it now.

A chef it at his best when he’s making food for someone other than himself. And the feeling of drawing something thinking “I hope they will enjoy this!” is something special, something other than making something solely for myself. Some of my favorite pieces that I’ve done are pieces I never would have thought twice about if they hadn’t received a such positive reception, and some of those pieces never even would’ve come to fruition without your encouragement and support! And whatever other worries I have in my life, I know are not as troublesome as they could be, because of you. You’ve shared your fruit with me and allowed my life to turn in a better direction thusly. I’m thankful to be thankful, because it means I have something to be thankful for. And I thank you. =)