11.30.25
Studio Vibes
Watching: The Martian and Bob’s Burgers
Reading: The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji and Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
Listening: Ready to Be by TWICE
I took my last post to heart and decided to play around with my creative practice. I also took a much-needed break and spent time with my mom and brother in New Mexico. There was plenty of sibling bickering, putting up Christmas decorations, and Bob’s Burgers to go around. Also, I always feel a sense of comfort in my soul whenever I return to El Paso/New Mexico. As a kid, I didn’t appreciate El Paso the way I do as an adult. It feels both nostalgic and slightly magical going through the area. Plus, where my mom lives, I can see the stars without too much light pollution, which always brings me peace. The places where my parents/family are from, as well as the place where I grew up, always create a feeling of home for me.
In Progress
These past two weeks were spent experimenting with new (and old) materials and techniques. I had purchased vellum and a mulberry paper sample pack to see how I like working with them. The mulberry paper sample pack had a wide variety of colors, prints, and textures. Seeing all the subtle differences makes me excited to incorporate mulberry paper into my works, especially as collage elements. The paper can handle paint and photo transfer without any issue.
Vellum, on the other hand, is truly made for dry media. I tried painting and photo transfer, and the test pieces ended up more wrinkly than my hands on wash day. I’m sure some people are saying, “Wasn’t it obvious?” Yes and no — besides, I wanted to experiment for myself. However, the vellum blurs and fades what’s behind it, so I’m wondering if I want to revisit the idea of incorporating video media into my paintings. Alternatively, I can use the vellum to fade photographs and keep playing with layering.
Left photo: All the papers in the sample mulberry pack.
Right photo: Tests with vellum and mulberry paper.
Now that I know what new materials I can bring in, I began working on collage elements while at my mom’s house. I think another reason I’m dragging my feet on these works is the number of small elements required. Of course, that’s my fault because I decided to pursue collage, but I really can’t imagine these works as just paintings. I worked on figures for one painting (four of which are on Yupo) and rose leaves for another (colored pencil on vellum). The more I work on experimenting, the more excited I’m getting about how these can turn out.
Working on the figures for this painting.
Creative Endeavors
I haven’t been exploring as many other creative endeavors at the moment. I feel excited about my art practice, so I’ve been putting a lot of energy into that. However, I have been adding more sewing inspiration to my Pinterest board and saving patterns on Etsy. Come January, I think I’ll have plenty of sewing projects lined up (including costumes for 2026 Blerdcon).
Other Shenanigans
It’s hard to believe that December is here tomorrow. What a year it’s been, especially up in the DMV. I always tell people when they ask me how I’m doing, they have to specify a category (family, job, relationships, etc.). Each category has its own rating. I’m just grateful the people I love are healthy and happy for the most part.
With it being December, I also need to sit down and reflect on this past year, along with planning for goals I would like to achieve next year. Since 2021, I’ve tried to have a theme going into the new year. For 2025, it was:
Self-confidence
Self-assertive
Hot Girl Shit
I wanted to ensure I was 100% comfortable in my own skin and this current version of myself. I definitely embraced that theme. Did I hit all of my goals? No, but life threw quite a few curveballs this year, so I know to be gentle with myself and stop trying to achieve perfectionism (especially since I only hold myself to these standards).
My 2025 vision board
Checking back in two weeks with two (yes, you heard me, two) finished works and some 2026 goals drafted.