[Happy New Year 2024! 🍾🥂] & Patreon Journal

Hello everyone, and Happy New Year! 🎆🎇 I wish you all the best and a year of success, personal discovery and love! Additionally, I want to express my deepest gratitude to all of you who have supported me on Patreon during 2023 and those who commissioned me as well! Sadly, I am a bit late to the party, but please bear with me for a moment. UwU

Last month was a bit more hectic than I expected. I remember starting quite strong with commissions and Patreon work, but then some personal life got in the way, and I had to prioritize that. With all the holidays, gatherings and moving to a new flat, I didn't have enough time to complete all the work. However, I wanted to finish this cute illustration to share my New Year wishes.  

Oh yes, we moved to a new place... And let me tell you something: it is exhausting! We've been here for around a week, and things still need to be done to make this place feel like home. But we are getting there. It is exciting to have a place where we can be ourselves and, for me, where I can build a small studio/office. However, one of the aspects of moving that I, for sure, do not enjoy is how expensive it is to settle in a new flat. We had to get some new furniture, pay for services and buy all those tiny but somewhat relevant things you need in a household to make things easier... Believe me when I say I thank you so, SO, much for your support. I don't think I could've done all of that without you. 

On another note, the last days of December made me think about several things. Some were oriented toward growing my art career and business and the steps I wish to take to improve. There are many plans and ideas, but they mean little without execution. Hopefully, this will be the year when I kick my butt to work on a comic and even start an online shop to sell physical goodies! Printing art, designing small products, packing them and sending them to people who might find them meaningful... Doesn't it sound lovely?

But things like that require time. And I am confident I will get there. Ah, time... Goes by quickly, and sometimes, we forget its effects on us and the people around us. Especially those who are meaningful to us. Perhaps you know my story, but if you don't, that's fine— I moved to Germany in 2021 to be with my boyfriend, now my husband. As you might imagine, I had to say goodbye to my country, leaving some of my family behind. One can say that two years is not a lot of time, but after seeing how unforgiving time can be, I realize it is. People are changing and ageing, leaving for other countries. And embracing the striking awareness that I will probably not have the chance to see some of them ever again has been quite the experience... Anyway. I do not want this to be a grim post or sound sad. It's just what has been in my mind recently.  

I am looking forward to what this year has to bring. Again, I will do my best to catch up with the pending work so I can start creating new content for this month's term. Thank you so much for reading all of this! It feels nice to sit and chat with you for a bit. Once again, thank you so very much for your support! It makes me happy to create original content and share it with you. Please feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think of the drawing, too! Zach and Toby seem to have had a lovely party and countdown ending with a kiss. If I can 100% predict something for this year, it'd be a lot of Zach & Toby content to come! 

Until then~

—Yeiko