#JustCheckingIn, July 2026

Studio makeover, winter blues, and little wins 👑

Creating opportunities, Take 1

Following the June theme, I am looking for opportunities in the challenges that come with a full-time creative life—like not making money. I revisited my strategy and ran some interesting calculations starting with the basics: how much work do I need to create and sell to make a living? After the numbers blatantly won the ensuing staring contest, I decided that I had done my homework and moved on. Having said that, I now have a better idea of how to move forward \(^-^)/.

So, when the builders came to the house to add supports under the wobbly floors, I decided to use this as an opportunity for a studio makeover. More about that below.

Art

In the middle of the construction chaos, I somehow managed to re-stock my online shop. The July Shop Update went live, though not without some minor setbacks—like a wrong link in the Collector’s preview.

I am quite happy with how the new standing paper mache totems in their fancy outfits turned out. Look at all the colourful stripes! 

Meanwhile, the next limited edition is almost ready for the release in August, freeing up some time in the coming weeks to experiment and prototype some new ideas I can’t wait to share.

Books and writing

I keep telling myself that I am publishing my books to grow as a writer and publisher, and book sales shouldn’t matter. But sometimes it is hard not to feel like an abject failure and just grind to a screeching halt, questioning every decision I ever made. But there is nothing for it, other than to throw out the next release dates, pull myself out of the quagmire, and keep going.

So, it’s time to celebrate the little wins in July—the audiobook edition of The Fragments is out and about and you can listen to a free chapter on my website. Yay!

More book news can be found in my July Writing Update \(^-^)/!

Renovations

Time for a studio makeover! Once the builder had left and the chaos subsided, I closed the floor, one wall went black, and a whole shelf system appeared out of one single sheet of plywood \(^-^)/ … well, and some metal rails and brackets.
Three critters are already drying on a shelf, and the rest is not going to be empty for long. One week in, I love the new set-up.
A walkthrough is up on my blog.

In case you missed it …

… a few updates on my blog you might not have caught:

• Back on track? Not so much (ó﹏ò｡). In my aforementioned July Writing update, I share my struggle not to let non-existent sales and reviews define how I feel about writing, and a breakdown of my new outline spreadsheet template.
• In Digital Narration with ElevenLabs: What I Wish I’d Known I recap my experiences in producing a digitally narrated audiobook.

Current Art Crush

• Have you seen Naoto Hattori’s insanely detailed illustration of fantastic creatures?

Current Book Crush

• I am re-reading Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro—one of my favourite dystopian novels—in preparation for Taika Waititi’s adaptation featuring Jenna Ortega as Klara.

Have an amazing August… and I am truly thankful to everybody who follows my creative adventures and signs up to my newsletter.

I’ll see you next month!

#studiovisit #artistlife #artistinthestudio #artstudio #lifeupdate