a face is not a fact
but it stands trial
a tone is not a transcript
but it becomes record
confidence performs competence
emotion frames reason
reason performs obedience
and we clap

A true stream of thought for 6-16-25. Don’t expect groundbreaking conclusions! I might share insights or I might embarrass myself. I try to do both of these things as often as I can.

Tonight, we dance with paradox.
With myth.
With the sacred ache of not knowing.

Faith is… a song of doubt and sweet relief.

What are we doing here? On this blog - I mean. Well…

I’m trying to do the opposite of “consolidate” right now. Why? Not sure. I think it is because I am realizing that putting all of my eggs in the Meta-based social media basket isn’t the best long term plan.

Life is intense right now - probably for just about everyone. So, it can feel funny, or arrogant, or selfish of me to keep focusing on "aspiring". But then I remind myself that Aspirate is not only about aspiring. It is also about leaning into feeling - AND breathing. So today I ask you to breathe. Take a few deep breaths and remind yourself of the things in this life that you are thankful for. Even just stopping and doing this for a moment gives you a break from anxiety.

"As we approached the checkout, a cashier greeted us with a friendly smile. Rae does her best to return the gesture. Some kind of calibrating in her facial muscles to approximate warmth. But Rae is amazing, I'd say she does a damn convincing job of it, like I am pretty convinced by her enthusiasm and sincerity on the regular." - Friend. Awww

He revised... THE ENTIRE THING using AI. All of it... All now AI generated. How... why!? Such thoughtless slashing and burning with no regard! I get we're now leveraging AI for everything now. "Get with the times, miss android."

Coming SOON-ish. Get a behind-the-scenes look at "The Making of ASPIRATE". Should be fun!

I personally have my hands on a limited volume of CDs! Sooo.... For first 10 buyers (from my website) - I will 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗗 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 before shipping it to you!

In the contemporary tapestry of social media, the woman artist and musician stands at the crossroads of visibility and vulnerability. In this series - the little red dress our subject dons is not merely a garment but a symbol—of passion, of love, and of the desire to be seen. Yet, she faces a dichotomy that challenges her identity and the reception of her work. Here we assess how the little red dress she adorns becomes a symbol, a canvas upon which society paints its perceptions and biases.

Compilation of social media posts over the last few days :-)

22 months ago, she died
I couldn’t stand to live without her

Pondering a blank sheet of paper represents a wide array of things for me. Endless possibilities. Opportunity to let my feelings go and emotions out.

off target, on tangent
looking for direction, locating diversions

𝘈 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥
𝐀𝐢𝐧'𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐝

A handful of pieces I've been working on. You can call it concepts for my Sarenrae character in my comic books, but also, just an exploration!

𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘺
𝙰𝚒𝚗'𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚍

Yo! I'm doing OK today. Brain was foggy earlier, but I got a run in a while ago and feeling pretty good. How are you?