Happy New Year!! Well, maybe not quite yet for the rest of the world, but for me the new year begins the day after Christmas. That means there are no more big parties, family dinners, big trips, or what have you for at least 5 months. You see, celebration is a big freakin’ deal in my family and it usually means all hands on deck. Especially for the last 6 weeks of the year! Thanksgiving, Christmas, and somewhere in between is my wife’s birthday. Because these events are all so close together, are super important, and involve me in a huge way it often feels like there is no room for anything else. I may seem to feel this more acutely due to the solitary nature of my career. So, if my family and I are doing things at the top of our game and giving each one of these big events the focus and care they need to do it proper….then there truly is little to no bandwidth outside of that. For someone like me who adores his family and knows the power and value of family fellowship and how important creating happy memories with them is, having to focus on a deadline at the same time can prove disastrous and disappointing to your work, your family, or at times both. It’s true. Sometimes you just don’t have any other choice and you do what you gotta do. The holidays always tends to come with some amount of stress no matter who you are, but the trick is to know what’s right for you and how to set yourself up so that stress is minimal at best.

That said, I’ve decided to take the least stressful route in 2023 and making sure any and all work I’ve got going on is completed by mid-November and not taking on any gigs between Nov. 15 - Dec. 31. However, since there is reaction to every action and comic creators don’t accrue vacation pay or sick leave, I have to make sure I kick ass with work from January through to mid-November and mind my budget! LOL! I’ve made my first big steps on the journey towards that goal just before Christmas, but more on that later this week. 2023 will essential be a big experiment for me as I put a few of my nutty plans into action.

Back to work and also drying out from a 6-week long sweets and carbs bender today! It’s going to be easier to get back on track with work than it will be to get back on no sugar. Oy! LOL!

Happy Holidays!!