Embrace Goblincore & reject capitalism.

There is glorious freedom in having little to no readers on the blog, and saying just what I'd like, when I'd like, no real pressure other than I know I should update this. Just in case my random musings might be useful to some random person at some random time in life. Butterfly effect and all. I've always researched for life answers at 2 am, and the best help came from random blogs with honest discussions.

Hobbies are a must. You must have things you enjoy doing in life, outside of your art. Especially if your art is your career. Your body benefits from movement. Artists generally sit to draw and our limbs and joints weaken with age and lack of movement.

I garden as a form of excersize. Maintenance on my gardens has me pulling and twisting and digging and lifting. Doing all sorts of movements that I don't usually do when drawing. Giving balance mentally, and the excersize gives strength to the arms, which prevents and or lessens the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome. A strong core prevents against back pain, so on and so forth.

When one develops annoyance towards the thing they loved, this usually means they need some change. Change in the form of seeking new hobbies, and letting other things take a backseat for a bit to find love for it again.

Gardening and art wasn't enough for me anymore, I was getting annoyed often. I needed something else to fill my time not drawing. I already read tonnes and write, what else could I do? I wondered. My kids had an interest in the isopods in my garden. I helped them set up a tank for keeping some of these isopods. We caught some, we observed their ways… And that's when my interest and hyperfocus took over.

Embrace goblincore, reject capitalism.

“Goblincore is an aesthetic, centered on the celebration of natural ecosystems usually considered less beautiful by conventional norms, such as soil, animals, and second-hand objects”.-Google definition

There's many different types of isopods, and different tier levels of care required. Of course I made the Rubber Ducky isopods my ‘holy grail’. I worked diligently to perfect my abilities to house isopods and keep them happy and healthy.

Invertebrate husbandry is far from working with illustration markers and paints. The seperation from what I call work and what I call fun is important and clear. Art is still very fun for me, but I do have a different mentality with it now. I will always default to creating what will sell, because I have bills to pay in order to keep making art. I don't have the luxury to paint whatever most days. It's a capitalistic world after all. I used to sell some isopods, but I scrapped that. I don't need to monetize everything and I can just enjoy something, simply to enjoy it.

As isopods are.

I digress.

Rubber Ducky isopods are notorious for being slow breeders and slow to colonize. When I picked them up last January, I bought a set of 6 isopods but only recieved 4 (yeah it was the last time I would buy isopods, I was so mad at being cheated, this type of isopod is $120.00 for 6) and the insects looked to be in rough shape, I had little hope these would survive honestly. They have a life cycle that lasts 2-4 years, 3 years being average if well cared for. Being a tropical breed and needing a habitat similar to a Mediterranean bat cave makes it challenging, but rewarding when they thrive.

The initial group survived, and are still doing awesome. So awesome in fact, they successfully bred and I have some cute little yellow ducky mancae (isopod babies) wandering about. It's been 9 months from when I bought the Rubber Duckies, to them having babies. I was worried the older duckies would die before they bred, honestly. I didn't know how old they were to begin with. So I’m greatful my initial instincts were proven wrong.

A)the Duckies are still around,

B) they procreated and

C) these babies are a little older than newborn so that means they have a good chance imo to survive.

There is at least 5 of these babies I've counted. Wishing them luck and endurance to molt multiple times and live out their little lives.

One of the adult Rubber Duckies. Not necessarily mom, event though they were closest to the mancae when I took this pic. Isopod offspring are self sufficient after birth. Also spotted, a newborn Shiro Utsuri baby (tiny little white rice looking thing on the same log as the Rubber Ducky.)

Ah the dream of growing fields of strawflowers and other bouquet type flowers, to cut them when I want to display them around my house, all year long.

But in order to live, one has to make money to pay bills, as a cost of living- one must participate in the minimal of capitalism.

I guess the dream is to grow the flowers and sell locally and make enough to sustain and do so.

💜 I fucking love flowers.

Heaven is on earth with images like this.

The strawflower photos are mine, from my garden. The image of the Volkswagen garden bus is not mine.