After devoting the past year of my life to fighting a losing battle against the publishing industry, I've been feeling exhausted and drained. I've felt as though the sacrifices I've made in time, effort, and money, and the attention I've taken away from the people who matter most to me, have been for naught. That left me bewildered, until a person whose insight I greatly value pointed out that I've been so busy making other people's dreams come true that I've neglected my own.

That's a shame. I used to think it was wrong to work on developing my talents; I was taught that such a focus was the equivalent of boasting, that it was lacking in proper christian humility. Now I see it differently. I was given certain abilities, and I was not given others, for a reason: the gods want me to use what I was given. To ignore my talents, whatever they may be, would be the same thing as spitting on a birthday gift someone had given me. It would show horrible ingratitude.

So, to honor the Universe that made me, I've been spending time recently working on making my dreams come true, and on using the gifts I was given. Here are some of the results:

Not great works of art, I'll admit, but they make me happy; and I know they make my gods happy too.

Slainte,
Nightshadow