Moving On: An Important Announcement.

I’m Gonna Start Writing Full-Time!

For the past ten years or so I’ve been writing, more or less, every single day. With each day, week, month, year that passes by, the reason and form that my writing takes seems to shift. I’ve written and seriously thought about many forms, but lately this, non-fiction, essays, and journalism, have become the focal point. I still write fiction, I just don’t share it as much anymore. The one constant through these years, however, has always remained, which is the writing itself. Sometimes the act of writing can be annoying and I don’t want to do it, but still, I find it a great joy, a constantly shifting equalizer in my life. Just how drawing always attaches me to my playful self, to my curiosity, writing brings me toward an understanding of those curiosities. And for that I am constantly  grateful.

But writing has also always been a goal since I was seventeen, a driver of my ambition but more so my desires. To read and to write since then has mostly been to what my life has been dedicated, and I’ll have it no other way.

Some of you all might already know this, especially if you come to my day job, Bartavelle, where I have been a barista for the past five years, but I’ll be leaving that place on the 28th of this month.

While I’m leaving this job, that has meant and been so many different things to me over the years, I’m leaving not to pursue a different job but rather to really “start” this writing thing.

I’ll firstly be going on some road trips along the California and Oregon Coast over the next month or so (through most of April), reporting and writing about kelp forest ecology, grey whales, beavers, surfing, food, art, exhibition reviews, and  whatever else I find interesting or funny. I’ll be sharing some of it here and having the rest published in publications along the way. In short, I’m leaving my day job to start writing for myself, full-time.

(I’ll also be sharing and selling my illustrations more, but that’ll be more so on my Instagram, where you can also keep posted on articles and newsletter posts).

While this is incredibly exciting it does mean that I will be asking y’all for money in order to sustain this newsletter. There will be different payed memberships, but ultimately there will be no true paywall. If it’s free, unfortunately you won’t be able to publicly comment on a piece of writing, but you’ll still be able to read it. I don’t want to block anyone from reading what I write, especially if money is that reason. If you can’t afford to pay, sharing this newsletter to friends and family is tremendously helpful. At the end of the day I just want to share my writing with as many people who enjoy it as I can, and sharing it is really the best way for you to help me do this.

So that’s it! You’ll be hearing more from me here in the future, and I truly cannot wait. I finally have the tools to do this for a living. I’m excited to see what comes of it!

///

Also, let me know of  spots around California you think I should visit on my road trip! Art galleries, roadside attractions, cool rocks, a big trash bag maybe? Whatever you think is amazing and that I should see! Any cool places to stay are also needed right now too!

In the future, if any of you all have topics you think I should look into, especially in the arts, environmental, and ecological fields, don’t hesitate and email me! I would love to hear from y’all about what you might be interested in having me write about!