This was my last art of last year, and I thought to put it here for long term preservation. The following were my thoughts at 23's twilight.

I've been planning this post since probably October - this part of it at least. I want to just commemorate this year as it finally ends, and make sure its appreciated for what it did for me. I ended 2022 almost being violently killed in a senseless accident, and it caused a tail spin that was quiet and insidiously creeping into my actions and thoughts for months. I'll admit I needed therapy, and I'm still struggling with what it meant to me and my life. It also brought more painful memories that were buried but not gone from my views of myself. The first half of 2023 saw my life being broken up and deconstructed as I thought I had no place or agency in our world. I lost friends, good people who I never knew how much they meant to me until I was there to celebrate their lives. I've never felt as much as I have in this year; like some one turned up the contrast, saturation, and volume of my thoughts. I've begun to learn how to love me, as corny as that sounds, and how to live with who I am, was, and will be. With this summer and second half of the year, I've found a pace that I can sustain. This summer was so affirming and amazing as I achieved so many goals I'd for so long put off. My job was once slipping from my control, but now, with the right mentor and mindset, I am overwhelmed by the love and support I've been afforded. I want my gratitude to be the thing I remember most of 2023. Gratitude is the first step to dealing with trauma, and I've come to rely so much upon it. It's been a long year, but its been leading me to better places. I've almost never wanted a year to not end before, not since I was a child.

'To stop this from going on for so damn long, here's my last thoughts about what my art meant to me this year. The pin ups, the few uploads of the Perks (sorry about the delays for my half dozen or so proclaimed readers :"T), Crit & Connie, and Cake Mage have all been so helpful to making me feel in control of myself, and for living in the present moment. It's been so hard, but I've loved it so much. I've been obsessively listening to this album (www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtdTaAdjNf4) as I draw, it sounds like audio impressionism and I love the way it helps my mind bleed into pure motion as I create. Loving Vincent was a movie that felt like popping the cork off on my repressive habits, and I've truly loved letting myself be heard and expressed as he craved.

I wish you all nothing but the best. I know that this site hasn't always given me the healthiest views on life and the world, but you have been so kind to me as I shared my work with you. I know I've stated my gratitude before, but I hope you will find gratitude in your own lives that carries you into 2024. My life never truly got easier, I only became less apathetic about my lot in it both good and bad. It hurts to give a shit, to try so much. But that pain is always worth it, if it has meaning.

Happy Old Year and New Year! Stay safe, and please for the love of God wear seatbelts.