Hi, friends!

lisatoris · 20 May 2022, 02:34

Hi there!

So glad to be here in the forums with you all I'm actually a returning member to SVS, but I wasn't very active before. Now I'm back and trying desperately to find time and energy to make things. I'm a pretty casual artist and not looking to launch a career anytime soon. Right now I'm just working to improve my composition and storytelling skills! I've thought about eventually going down the art licensing path, or creating art for educational purposes, like Bible class material or flash cards. In the meantime I like doing watercolor paintings as gifts for friends and family.

I've dealt with a lot of depression and anxiety in the past (and they're staying in the in the past for the most part, thank the Lord), but am currently dealing with a LOT of fatigue. Being creative in the evenings after my 9-5 is pretty difficult and doesn't usually happen these days. Also, building and maintaining strong relationships is really important to me, and I have trouble balancing those with creating art. Any tips would be appreciated!

I'm not very active on social media right now, but here are a few images of my work! The bear is digital, the toucan is acrylic, and the rest are watercolor

Valerie Light · 20 May 2022, 21:36

@lisatoris Hi, and welcome back to SVS! I like your watercolor work a lot. You have a nice sense of color.
Amen to hoping to keep depression and anxiety a thing of the past. Connecting to the things I love to draw, and beginning to feel confident sharing them with online communities, has been a really healing journey for me. I hope you find some community here!

Robert Henderson · 21 May 2022, 00:46

@lisatoris

Welcome so glad to have you here posting your illustrations. your water color work is lovely and I am looking forward to watching you develop and post more of your work.

PenAndrew · 21 May 2022, 01:24

@lisatoris Welcome back.

Lisa Clark · 21 May 2022, 01:27

Lots of struggle for me with depression and anxiety, particularly in the winter. This winter was rough. I feel like it might be over now? I live in Fargo.

I totally get the difficulty of balancing relationships and having time/energy to draw or write. It's hard. Take it one day at a time. Some days will be better than others but keep working on it. Lately I have seen a huge impact in just completely stopping spending time on social media. I did what Jake said on the podcast and just removed everyone I was following so I can look them up myself. I was nervous about what I would be missing but I haven't missed it at all. Take care of yourself!

lisatoris · 21 May 2022, 19:30

@Valerie-Light Thank you!

lisatoris · 6 Jun 2022, 21:24

@Lisa-Clark Yes, winters were rough for me too until I moved to Florida several years ago. But recently I moved further north, so I'll have a bit of winter again. Hopefully it won't be too hard!

Good for you on stepping back from social media though! It can be a major waste of time. Have you read Deep Work by Cal Newport? It's been recommended on 3PP several times, and I'm listening to the audiobook now. So far it's been really helpful

Lisa Clark · 6 Jun 2022, 21:24

@lisatoris I love that book! I need to read it again. It is so easy to find myself distracted by some random thing on a screen and not actually drawing or writing. Good luck! I think Digital Minimalism is another one that really has helped me. I guess I need another round with those books.