I haven't gone anywhere. I'm going to try to keep posting as the seasons continue to transition. Followers know I battle depression regularly, and the past few weeks have been rather exceptional. After the autumn equinox in Alaska, days are getting darker very quickly, and for people like me, it is like adding lead weights to an already heavy burden on my being. I am trying to start my art up again, as I regain some of the things I find pleasurable in life.
Last week, I downloaded the game Stardew Valley to my Switch. I haven't played it in a couple of years and I had almost forgotten about how whimsical, cute, and relatable this game was. You play as a person starting out as a dead end office worker in a bland workplace. You open the letter your grandfather gave you as a child and learn that he has bequeathed you his old farm in a rustic countryside locale called Stardew Valley. You abandon your life as a corporate drone to take on the sights, sounds, and fragrances of the natural scene of country life.
The farm is entirely up to you. As a player, throughout the course of the game, you are given a myriad of ways to develop your land to make a living as a country dweller. Seasonal crops, raising animals (which can include dinosaurs and "void chickens,") perilous monster-infested mining, fishing, foraging, crafting, and more ways of earning are under your belt.
You chat with the townspeople and learn everyone's quirks and their stories. There's an aspiring athlete; a young woman who loves minerals, video games, and craves adventure; a local business owner scrambling to keep his store competitive with a mega-corporate big box store, which happens to be owned by the company you left; A man who loves raising chickens that struggles coping with depression; a mysterious wizard who can communicate with the spirits of the forest; a cute artist who loves nature and spends hours in her studio, but is too self-conscious to publicize her work.
Several of these people are single, and if you feel compelled, you can woo them, date them, and even marry them and start a family.
Have you played Stardew Valley? What was your farm's main operation? Who did you date or marry? What was your favourite thing about the game?
As for me, I am reorganizing my former Pokémon art challenge as potential prompts for future drawings. I plan to start my Gardevoir fanfiction back up mid November. I am also considering Stardew Valley fanart, which may help me practice drawing human characters.
The best way forward through the changes of the seasons is to stay active and continue pursuit of the things that make you happy. I'm going to try to get back out with Pokémon GO after having taken a break.
May your seasonal changes be smooth and healthy.
j49n