Reflecting on 2025

So, it's a New Year. Officially- So, where did we come from? Where will we go?

The past year has been- crazy. I started the year off on an art grant from the FPCC, practicing my acrylic painting and digital illustrations for a portfolio expansion. Sizecon 2025 was a blast, one of my favourites yet. (Looking forward to the upcoming one in March) And- I did maybe my most ambitious project yet. A daily comic challenge.

Yup, last year I took some time every day- to work on a comic page, from scripting to inking/colouring- I was inspired by my interactive daily comic- "Sculpt My Body" I first did on Bluesky. And while I can be stubborn and determined, I wasn't actually sure if I'd make it through January- much less the entire year. But I managed to complete a whole year of comics, 365 comics. Some single panel pages, some four panel colours, some upwards of six panels but just lineart. From the sexy expansion party Blue Treats, to the cute hook up Demon Date, to the ambitious fantasy adventure Maxwell and the Alternomicon, to the ongoing salacious Sub-Station. I covered a decent stretch of tones and genres.

Some of these projects got away from me- I was intending for most of these comics to be like- 30-50 pages. But Blue Treats and Maxwell both ended up being over 150 pages. Dominating the year. One of the biggest things I learned- is that I can very quickly let ideas grow and swell beyond me. To massive ambitious things. So- I want to start to try to hone the art of the short story going forward. We'll see on that!

But- this year was hard too. I think one of the big things I learned about myself- is that I have a bad habit of not sharing what I'm working on. Despite this year being my most ambitious- and I think these comics are really good- I made the decision early on to just post them for my patrons. And I didn't "really" talk about it or give many previews to my social medias. I decided- "I can just sell them when they're finished, on itchio!" And- I dunno if that was the right move. Maybe things would have been different if I'd shared my daily comics with all the world as I made them- instead of saving them and hiding them away for later. Maybe I would have seen growth instead of loss on my patreon. Or maybe I could have gotten more advice and feedback. That was a decision I made early on- that if I could do it again- maybe I'd do differently.

So, now onto 2026!

The big thing I want to do differently is be more present. I'm a reclusive person by nature- I enjoy my privacy, I appreciate not being available 24/7. But- I want to try to be more present in my community- and to interact more with the wider transformation/fantasy kink communities. I'm planning on streaming more- whenever I'm working on visual art. I'm going to try to advertise my patreon and products more. Respond to comments more often. I'm going to try to be here- with all y'all.

As for comics- I'm still going to keep doing them! Just at a slower pace. I'm honestly surprised how motivated and excited about comics I got during the project. Being a comic artist was one of my biggest goals as a youth. But I never thought I could do it. While I still need to find an audience and a sane structure. It feels more possible than ever for me. I'm going to continue to try to do three comic pages a week. Finish up Sub-Station and maybe start on other hopefully short comics to keep those muscles flexed. And of course- Maxwell and the Alternomicon will be available for purchase shortly!

But- what next insane ambition do I have? Me? Lush? Insane ambitions? Never~

. . . Okay- I want to try to learn how to make visual novels next! And to continue to practice my short story telling. I'm intending to do twelve micro visual novels this year. That's right- one a month. An approximately 10-15 day development time each. I've been brewing up lists of ideas- and thinking over how to properly structure my work pace. Is it feasible? Honestly- I dunno. Some of my favourite visual novel experiments- like Horny Day at the Lake or Size Queens I did in a single weekend. But- they also were more proof of concepts or playing around, instead of coherent stories with beginnings, middles, and ends. So we'll see what this ambition creates this year. I'll try to be more public about what I'm working on and when- and of course- I'll hopefully have something new to publish every month!

So, how is Lush doing?

Lush is doing the best she can. Everything that's going on in the world is- incredibly overwhelming. And finding my balance of staying informed while not going insane hasn't been easy. I try to think of how anything I could say would help people- rather than add to self destructive spirals. So, I often say nothing. In some ways- I've come to view my role in the world as being a source of entertainment. A little goofy thing to help distract and bring a little joy. I dunno if I succeed at that. And I dunno if that's a healthy way to view myself and my work. But, it gets me through the day.

There's a lot I want out of life- that I don't know if I'll be able to achieve. I've been doing more reflecting- setting up the steps to start going to therapy. Journaling my thoughts and feelings. I dunno if I'll have a home of my own one day. Or if my artistic ambitions will be achievable. But I'm going to keep trying- keep moving forward.

And I couldn't do it without all of you. You help keep food on the table, and give me the encouragement to keep trying. Keep making stuff to share. Thank you all for your support. I'm going to keep doing my best- to making cooler stuff I can be proud of, for all y'all to enjoy!

Happy New Year