Did you see my new stuff?

This month, I made a million banners for the excellent and lovely Literary Ink convention. Too many to highlight.

Sadly, remnants will not go on the site until after Hocus Poke-Us, October 11-12th.

If you missed any of these, show em love.

FOG is moving FAST!

I am gonna make stuff for Hocus Poke-Us, but it will be more on the cheaper side the Lit Ink. More cute and accessible for seasonal purchases.

I have designed exactly zero things for it as of this writing.

FOG Site Update Coming!

I got some small stuff to throw online. Pins, stickers, prints, shirts, and bumper stickers.

Pickin’ some of that up would be cool of you, when its online.

Library Shirts Update.

Very limited stock going online soon!

FOG Skincare

Tears.

FOG AOTY 2025

Massive entrance from a band I was wholly unfamiliar with until this album - Blackbraid. Native American black metal.

The album Blackbraid III jumped immediately into the top of the list. It’s very, very excellent, weaving together a ton of sounds and stories into something harsh and beautiful.

And song titles that made me GASP upon reading them. The opener Wardrums at Dawn on the Day of my Death is how the album begins lol.

BAD NEWS FIRST!

Through no desire of my own, FOG is now a full-time endeavor.

About a month ago, I was laid off from what was my previous job of fifteen-ish years, and it has been very bad. This has been a very raw, very emotional time.

I didn’t want to post this on my account because I kinda hate when people complain on their art pages. It’s a privilege to make art, and I’m lucky to do so.

That’s actually what makes an artist; they have to make art.

So, in that regard, nothing will change. Other than that, I have no idea what the future holds.

It’s important to put in plain words that this is not a call for public sympathy.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Since the inauguration, this has been an all-too-foreseeable end; the serial backslider in the White House did exactly what was expected.

The federal government simply decided to stop paying my contractor company. It should be noted, the government had zero problem requesting and demanding our work. But have literally just not paid for it.

All in all, the government hasn’t paid the company since the inauguration - to the tune of over $200,000. We blew through company money reserves to pay the employees, but that ran out.

And that’s that.

WHAT NEXT?

Right now, just the immediate future. During this time, I’ll assess the viability of FOG as actual income.

That gets us to at least 2026. I can’t promise much after that. I can juggle numbers all day, but I just don’t know how it will shake out in reality.

Make no mistake, this is 100% a bad thing

Not an “Oh, now you can spend more time on art!” kind of thing. I was working very little and making a living wage. I lost that for like … 10 more hours of sewing a week.

Not good!

OTHER AVENUES

For a while I’ve thought about how to make “easy” money (i.e. products that I don’t have to physically be at a sewing machine to make and sell at an hourly cost deficit)

It’s hard!

A push towards e-commerce would be cool, but totally out of my wheelhouse. Garnering an audience and balancing the two halves (selling stuff and huge custom banners) would be … challenging.

But, maybe that’s the direction?

I can’t imagine what I could even offer as a Patreon or similar service. I don’t think that I could reasonable charge people just for me to be an idiot online. I genuinely don’t know.

I have not really begun applying for anything. It has to be local, part-time or remote. Otherwise, FOG can’t really exist. Suggestions are welcome!

HOW AM I?

When forced to confront it, I’m sad and angry. It’s scary and sometimes I still feel like just crying.

On a larger scale, I hate everything about where this country is going.

The first day I found out, I buried myself in FOG work. The moment I stopped sewing, I crashed out pretty hard. Since then, it’s been bouts of blehhh punctuated with moments of ughhhh.

It’s strange. I don’t necessarily fear the immediate future. But it’s the slow slide further away from stability and comfort. It’s the erosion of normalcy and security.

I hate that for me. I hate that for everyone.

And it’s also the dread of the less-immediate future. In a vacuum, “Sure just find another job.” But that’s all tangled up with FOG. Finding something that appeases both? That’s hard.

FOG exists only in a world where I have the time, energy, desire, and means to make it. For now, I can do that. Quite obviously, I want to keep doing that. It just hurts that, for the first time, I can see a setting where I can’t keep doing that.

I don’t have much more to tell you.

That’s generally where I’m at on that subject. Feel free to message me or whatever.

GOOD NEWS!

On to the good news!

Literary Ink was, again, the highlight of my year.

The energy and community in that convention is pervasive. While I tell people to not bother going to other conventions in their city, I recommend traveling to Chattanooga for this one.

I don’t know where to begin.

First off, thank you Lit Ink. Thank you to every artist and convention goer. Thank you especially to Jennifer, who is the head of it all. She is building something truly special out there. To get to be a part of it is a real honor.

Second, thank you everyone! Thank you to everyone who liked, followed, complimented, talked, and most importantly, bought from the booth. We were very successful. And if you read the section above, that means a lot to me right now.

Third, thank you Lindsay. Hopefully you met her at the booth (or online). She is my fiber art mentor, best friend, helper, and idol. There wouldn’t be a FOG without her. I can’t imagine working one of these things without her and I owe her more than I can repay.

Fourth, thank you artists. I assume there was some kind of process, but we won best vendor booth! Whoever had a hand in that, I appreciate you. We didn’t even know that was a thing. Recognition amongst you all is twofold the honor it would be elsewhere.

I’m sure there are dozens more of you who deserve a thank you, and I do. What is happening there is something I wish I could build. Something that is bigger than the sum of its parts. Something that gathers goodness.

Lit Ink forever.

So what do we think?

I hope you reach out and let me know what you’d like to see!

Thank you, I love you.