I want to start this letter by sharing the only thing I can currently think about. I’m writing this in hospital from my husband’s bedside- not somewhere either of us could have imagined being 48 hours ago.
Noah has a severe, multi-level disc herniation in his cervical spine (neck) that has taken 5 weeks of various paralyses, pains, numbness, weakness and spasms through his whole body to finally be diagnosed. When the doctors saw his scan they panicked and admitted him for surgery as quickly as they could. They said it’s a miracle he is still walking.
It's now 10PM and the surgeon just called me to say the surgery was a success. We did not get the outcome we hoped for (the damage was too severe for the implants, which would have allowed for relatively normal motion, so they went for the safer, but less fun option of fusing his three involved vertebrae).
He's coming to now and I'm waiting to see him. I'll share further updates over on instagram. Thank you for your love, support and patience during this time! I did my best to put together a good newsletter but there's a chance there are some typos or, given my current state, enormous glaring errors. I hope it's still an interesting read for you!
New Artwork
Here is a portrait I finished up this week! Ava, another protagonist in The Sum of Our Deeds.
Ava lives on the sunny and tropical island of Chiyum with her adventurous and novelty-driven husband, Darius. Usually seeing his quirky dreams as no more than a charming boisterousness, she finds herself rallied behind him when belittled by visitors from the city for his ambition. Together, they brave the unknown to fight for the freedom and prosperity of their people.
Reflection
Weekly reflections to encourage self-reflection and help you discover impactful things about yourself, your art and your career.
Think back to when you first fell in love with art (or whatever creative outlet you prefer).
What were you creating?
What did it feel like?
How has that changed over time?
Do you still have any self-indulgent creative pursuits?
Showcase
Each week, I share the work of other people here. Be sure to check out their pages and show them some love! To find out how to get featured, click here.
Resource
Female Riding Horse Reference Pack
This pack from artist Justin Donaldson is simply awesome. It’s the kind of reference I wish I could make! His lovely wife is the model of this pack, and she works with horses for a living, so her expertise really shines through in this pack.
Feature
Noah Bradley (below):
Tom Chen (below):
Overgoard (below):
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Thanks again for being a part of this!
-Rachel