January and how to keep existing in this mess

Writing this a bit late because, like everyone else, I'm already exhausted and this January was officially the longest month on record. I'm pretty sure everyone is just doing whatever they can to get by. A fine balance of doom scrolling with doing the things needed to pay the bills and doing the best possible to help others. It's a lot and whatever it is you're doing, just keep trying.

I did two Christmas Bird Counts in January including leading one for the first time. I got to have a great day with a bunch of other weirdos, queers and disabled friends counting birds around Raccoon Pt on Sauvie Island. I learned that winter sunsets at Raccoon Pt are an incredible show of thousands of geese landing and thousands of ducks taking off pretty much at the same time. John commented that it sounded like shift change at a factory which I like.

I also took a day trip with a few pals to do some birding on the coast including a stop at Svenson Island which is such a magical place just east of Astoria.

I watched a nice presentation from ONDA(Oregon Natural Desert Assoc) about beavers. I've worked on some beaver restoration projects with Jefferson who kicked off the talk and he said "I work for the beavers" which just really warmed my heart. You can watch the talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb3f0vtVXyQ

I continue to make art and did a alpenglow class series.

We're also in the middle of this year's ink sketching class. I forgot how fun and challenging it is to work with just one color! These are all made with a mix of fountain and brush pen and black ink.

I've been struggling to be motivated to create art but it's also a great way to make some space away from the horrors that persist and I hope you're finding ways to do that too!

Other things I've enjoyed lately:
Watching Derek Jarman's Jubilee at the Hollywood
Listening to KEXP
Kreative Kontrol with Vish Khanna - he always asks really insightful questions and his talks with artists always feel unique in a sea of canned questions http://vishkhanna.com