Welcome to my little corner of the Internet -- please, sit down and join me for tea! My name is Challen and I'm a human being who is also, simultaneously, a collection of stories and experiences. I hope I can share some with you.

I'm an artist, first and foremost -- of so many things! I write and draw comics; I publish and hand-bind books (in my own independent bookbindery/art gallery!); I paint, do pottery, bake up a storm, and try to put the pieces of people together again with it all, too.

I'm also a human -- with a loving partner, a tuxedo kitty, and a family who supports me so very much. Living under capitalism is hard and sometimes I feel like there's a lot I don't have... but there's a lot I do have, too. And gratitude for where I'm at, and who I'm proud of having become, is the biggest thing.

Today I'm supposed to be working on some presentations about safety around generative AI... and as part of that process, I'm training myself to learn this new skill of website-editing (I can't call it building with all of these templates I've borrowed from, but it's a start!) entirely via my human mind and research capabilities. It feels really good to stretch those muscles and to train myself in a new area, even if I don't quite know what I'm doing yet. Once I figure out those PMD graphics, though...

Yesterday a friend was really kind to me, and brought me and my partner a whole basket of early Christmas gifts because she knows we're kind of struggling with this holiday season. She said every year she chooses one person in her life to spend some extra money on and take special care of, and this year it was us -- a bunch of tiny treasures to keep us warm, happy, and cared for, at a time in history when it's easy to feel so isolated and alone. It was a small gesture that meant so much to me, and as I sit at my desk curled up beneath this warm fuzzy blanket, I'm appreciating the small kindnesses of human beings. There's so much good to be found in them. Smiles go for miles! -

My partner and I went to an after-hours Christmas potluck at my work... and it was amazing. We don't get out as often as I'd like to -- a combination of time constraints and the energy-sapping, social-anxiety-inducing nature of disability -- but that night we stayed out past 11pm, just spending time with friends. It was precious, not to be taken for granted. I may have indulged in entirely too many sweets and conked out the whole next day, but it was worth it. -

Every week we have a "doodle day" on Sundays... a chance for the Discord to get together and work on Pokemon art. I actually spent some of that time working on my comic for once... and it was good.