Welcome to June!
The fireflies are back, the coffee is cold by the time I remember it (iced coffee, anyone?), and the creative projects are multiplying like they’ve discovered espresso. It’s the kind of season that makes you want to make things just because. So that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.
What’s New
This past week I released The Retirement Story, a pocket-sized zine about what happens when the map disappears and you're left wondering who you are without the job title. It’s available on Substack, and you can download it here.
Also in progress:
🖋️ Catch a Story: a fold-out zine/poster combo for curious minds who chase stories the way kids chase lightning bugs. The illustrations are halfway there, the poster is sparkling to life, and it’s all coming together like a tiny lantern of wonder.
✂️ Stickers, bookmarks, and maybe even mamehon (miniature books!) are being prepped behind the scenes. I’ve got more ideas than hours, but I’m not mad about it. These little creations are destined for a real brick-and-mortar shelf.
Meanwhile, I’ve been quietly revamping Studio Second Street. At some point over the past couple months, it hit me: the shop is really another Realm I’ve created. Yeah, I’m full of… ideas 😉.
But why not?
It’ll be a home for stickers and such — and yes, the free zines will live there too.
Field Notes from the Studio
Lately I’ve been drawn to old-school textures: fountain pen linework, 4-color palettes, and that slightly smudgy charm you only get from physical media. I’ve been testing paper, fighting with water-based pens, and letting each drawing wander a bit before it decides what it wants to be.
A few experiments might make it into the store. Others might just be personal spells I had to cast for myself.
Either way, the studio is alive and a little messy, which is just how I like it.
What’s Ahead
Once Catch a Story is done, the shop will (finally!) open with the first round of story kits and sticker packs. And I’ll be back at the drawing board for July’s zine — I’m thinking nature journal.
Something quiet, I think. Maybe hopeful.
Thanks for being here. If you’re reading this, you’re part of the story too.
