Earthling Chronicles

Coyote: Part 1

I started this substack a few years ago with the intention of getting better at writing (which I think I have!) and to have accountability for the fiction I was writing and drawing. When it came to my fiction- Earthling Chronicles- I got really hung up on knowing exactly what it was that I was making before sharing it. I fell into a trap of not being open to what it could be and instead worried about knowing exactly what it was before I started sharing. At this point, I don’t know if it’s a novel, I don’t know if it’s a graphic novel- I am not sure I want it to be in color- there are a lot of unknowns. Those unknowns are what I love about projects, but they were also what stopped me from exploring. The unknowns were also what then stopped me from sharing. So I returned to the idea that I should share as part of my process- regardless of knowing or not knowing.

Fern and Trudi often sleep on top of one another and snuggle which is something Trudi almost never did with any of our other buds- so I am feeling like we made the right choice in adopting Fern. Losing Otis and then being the only dog would have been difficult for her- she’s already very anxious.

Before I dive into sharing the beginning bits of Earthling Chronicles with you, I wanted to say thank you for all the sweet notes, messages and comments I received after my piece on grief and losing Otis. I really needed them, and other than my family and my sister- I hadn’t told anyone about Otis passing before writing that. I almost couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud. So writing about it was a huge help and then getting to chat with you all about your own grief and your own aging furry friends, really helped me as well. I am the definition of a childless cat lady- Dave and I are intentionally child free and our dogs and cats are everything to us. Otis was everything to me. We are going to be ok, but I just wanted to say thank you.

I had a few great resources shared with me on grief- This clip of Hanif Abdurraqib talking about grief and gratitude and loss being an important part of how we exist in the world was especially apt. A friend sent this to me and I have watched it a number of times since.

Anyway thank you.

Now I will share sketches, writing and some painted illustrations from my personal work, Earthling Chronicles. This is going to be messy and vulnerable and I plan to share this more often for accountability- so I will be preserving it for paid subscribers. I hope you understand! Moving forward the Earthling Chronicle posts will be separate from other posts. I might share bits as notes etc, but for now while it feels fresh and scary, I am protecting myself a bit! I will continue to write more broadly about my experience as an artist, share creative projects when I can- so there will be posts available for non paying subscribers as well. Feel no pressure to pay.

Some ways to find me in the meantime:

• Check out my work HERE- maybe you need some illustrated elements for your business or for a project, a mural, some painted signs, illustrations for your website or company- I would love to work with you!

• Online Classes! You can find recorded workshops by me HERE

• In person Workshops! I have some in person workshops coming up with Case for Making starting in a few weeks- so if you live in SF, sign up!

• Sign up for Creative Mentoring sessions with me- I love working with artists and I would love to work with you! I have helped artists organize their ideas for all sorts of projects, children’s books, new shows, applying for residencies and just getting clear on what they want and coming up with a clear plan for how to get there.

• You can find work of mine for sale HERE (I have a lot of large oil paintings available and am happy to talk about payment plans if you want one!)