Hello, darlings. Since my last update, I have made the decision to rethink how I approach my updates. Previously, I’d had everything broken down into chunks. This time, I’ve revisited my to-do list by combining everything on my backlog and breaking them all down into their smallest microtask. Why? Well, because I’m a glutton for punishment, I suppose, but also because I was interested in seeing how big my workload actually is, morsel-by-morsel. This brings me to a total of – *drumroll* – 1,692 total tasks. No, I’m not kidding. And no, I’m not open to critique. It’s a backlog of dreams I’ve put off for far too long now for reasons we don’t need to get into in an update post. Now, off you go to bask in the glory of the numbers:
Project Updates
Now, I want to reiterate that this includes literally every microtask I have scribbles in my backlog, so perhaps it’s not quite as intimidating as you think. Still, it’s work, and some bars may spring forward faster than others, at least until I can afford to hire a personal assistant to help even out the workload a little bit. And speaking of finances, I’d like to note – in celebration – that this is my first month as a full-time business owner in the green, which is very exciting. I haven’t been this ahead since my former success crumbled under the weight (or, more accurately, the algorithm changes) of the pandemic. Still, to be fair, before then it was more of a hobby than a full-time gig – so woooooo. 🍾🎉 Moving on.
🖤 Dezy Delaceur, LLC: This category, at this point, will more or less overlap with other brands, as I’ve lumped my books, courses, and uncategorizable work into it. There are also things like social media and marketing plans in this category, as well as menial things like, “Organize your disgusting bird nest of notes” and “Optimize your websites for SEO and backend cleanliness”. I’m not going to share any of the social media updates in this space today, though, as I have a whole dedicated rant on that I’m saving for the end of this article in its own dedicated section.
❤️ Luxe Gothique Boutique: My beloved boutique is unofficially up and running again over here on its own official website. I still need to flesh out the Home page, the About page, and all relevant policies pages. I’m still in the process of getting everything there is to offer from the Classique Collection up and available, but much of it, you will notice, is already available. As the only name in luxury dark fashion and decor, I am very excited and confident in the future of this brand. I am also exploring the possibility of more clothing and decor options than are currently available, as well as looking into options for designing my own jewelry, statuary, faux flower bouquets, and more – all manufactured as on-demand as possible to prevent waste and minimize costs while fleshing out this massive undertaking of mine.
💜 The Witchy Housewife: For my fans of “woo-woo”, I’m working on getting into a good flow of publishing articles again. I recently shared an article about something I call realmwalking, which I haven’t shared on social media just yet because I’ve been slacking. I’ve also been working on artwork for the website to replace all those janky placeholders. I have a ton of new stock in now, too – crystals, candles, kits, the works. I’m organizing everything to resume making my own blends again soon, as well. For real this time, since I’m a little bit more comfortable investing funds this time. I’ll have some new services coming soon, as well, and more to come on my convenient little Digital Grimoire. You can find all of that over on the website here. I made a fun little commercial recently, too. Have a l’il peek:
💚 Dezydration: I finished my vtuber 2d persona model, as I think I mentioned in my last update. I’ve got a ton of footage in my pocket that I just need to brainstorm on a little bit for my new video format, then I’ve got some backdrop artwork to wrap up. In other news, the art shop is officially open again over here, with both physical products and YCH (Your Character Here) commissions available. You can also find my pricing for artwork and writing commissions under the Services tab here. Finally, I’m organizing my concept notes and initial outline notes for my first web comic, A Little Town Called Lorauvial. You can except to see some major updates in that department in the coming months.
💙 Nightshade’s Auralcraft: And also for my fellow woo-wooheads, work continues with my subliminal affirmation audios. But for everyone else, there’s my ambience work. I’ve released a few new ambience mixes on the YouTube channel, including an Ancient Greek music mix, a nostalgic Y2K Disney Channel Halloween commercial mix, and a couple of Animal Crossing mixes. When I’m not listening to music or affirmations, sometimes an ambience mix is nice. It’s also nice to be able to bring the outside in sometimes.
🔒 Secret Projects: Obviously, I don’t want to say too much about this, because it’s still a secret, but I am using a tiny bit of free time at my leisure to work on this. All I can say right now is that it is something that could benefit the community, it is super nostalgic, and there are ducks involved.
A Rant on Social Media & Scheduling
Last time we chatted, I talked about social media, and since then I’ve been working really hard to get into a good rhythm with it. It’s overwhelming, and I keep getting bogged down by the idea that you need to be on every single platform to get any amount of reach. Some people say some platforms, others say others, and then you’ve got the issue of algorithms that murder the average person’s visibility before spitting on its grave. (This is not an exaggeration.) I’ve also been trying out Bluesky recently
To be honest, most of social media feels pretty lifeless these days. On the one hand, places like Tumblr and Bluesky have the faintest glow of optimism. There is a very subtle feeling of that old world charm which is completely absent from the platforms which used to dominate it – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and so on. People are not really peopling like they used to. There are like three forms of content that have a chokehold on social media right now: Overposted memes, porn, and unnecessary discourse. I made a very tongue-in-cheek video about this very culture like 5 years ago, and it’s somehow gotten more relevant.
Anyway, I’m still thinking about these things. About people and social media and marketing and how to get my work out there. I think the things I make and do are really good, but it’s just difficult to get it seen while still being authentic. I just want to make and do things that are important to me. I don’t want to make clickbait or SEO-optimized baby-spoonfuls of meaningless content for the chronically brainfried. Then to have to start the whole process over for a million different platforms? Meh. I frequently wonder how many of my friends even get shown my work – and out of those that do, how many just scroll past it because it isn’t an overposted meme, porn, or unnecessary discourse. And there’s a lot to be said for this, but perhaps the most important is that we’ve become a very depressed bunch, but many are just fine continuing to contribute to the very things causing us to be so depressed. I miss Skype. I miss people.
And that’s just the cultural end of things. Time management is an issue, too. When I’m not working or taking care of other high-priority responsibilities, I don’t have the energy for doom scrolling or trying to explain myself. Our phones and our communication are not what they used to be. We can’t pick up our phones to take a little break, because we risk getting sucked into a feed of meaningless slop content. And we can’t respond to friends with free flowing, meaningful conversation that has no beginning and no end like we used to, because that isn’t enough; you’re supposed to tick each person’s unique boxes, and if you don’t tick those boxes, it means you “don’t care enough”. You have to shut your soul off. You have to put your social needs and comfort levels aside. You have to forget about your life outside of your phone. And that’s just… Difficult to do lately. I don’t want to be on my phone. I want to be outside. I want to be exercising. I want to be making a warm meal. I want to be listening to music and just existing.
So, that’s where we are now. I saw a post on Facebook recently that said, “Reminder that your friends still love you. Everyone is just very tired.” And that post says a lot. I think people forget this, mostly because of the cultural void we’ve carved into our hearts over the past near-decade. Which is where I put a pause on the frustrated rambling, step back, and pop on my favorite pair of rose-tinted glasses again. It’s this perspective that keeps me going, even and especially when I start to feel very alone.
And Regarding Life. . .
I’m getting into a new space soon, right as we step into my favorite time of year, which I am very excited about. I look forward to having more room to paint, to write, and to pour candle wax in. The place I’m moving to also has some really nice amenities. I think it will take a lot of stress off of me. Little by little, I will complete my passion projects. Little by little, I will come around to a good work-life balance. Little by little, I will build up what was worn down, just as I have many times before.
For now, I will wrap up for the evening. I will take some time to play with my new paint medium, to take a nice hot shower, and to watch something spooky – which means unless you are subscribed to the blog here (which you can do below), you will not be aware of this update until sometime tomorrow. So, until I see you again for the next update, lots of love and all that jazz.
