Categories
Blog Textiles

Alpha Patterns

I’ve been making friendship bracelets for a couple months now and I’ve recently got my head around alpha patterns – sort of. Instead of practicing them, rewatching the tutorial videos, or doing anything that could be called “sensible” I instead made my own pattern based on my Homonin skull designs, basically immediately (because of course I did.)

It uhhh…. Looks. Might try rotating it 90 degrees. Not sure I like making alpha patterns as much as normal ones, but it’s much easier to create patterns haha

Categories
Blog

Unpaused!

My break from website stuff lasted longer than I planned due to preparing for my mothers funeral. It went ok (mostly…) but the process has been taxing AF. Hoping to round off my “If Death Were The End” zine trilogy soon and move forward with life – I’ve got a few exciting things coming in the future, which I’m grateful for because I need to embrace some more positive emotions.

One of them is that I’m applying for a scholarship from the OU to get a free degree with their carers program, although I’m no longer caring for my mother I still have a low risk opportunity to do something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I’m applying for an open degree with a foundation in culture with some side modules in practical skills, and I’ll put together a portfolio to go for an MA in experimental archaeology or palaeoanthropology whenever the time comes (3-6 years haha)

Categories
Blog Shop

Posting Pause

I’ll be away from the 8th-18th, I doubt there’ll be any sales in that time but if there are I’ll post your order when I’m back!

Categories
Blog

Grief

After 40 years of multiple sclerosis, 20 years of me being a carer, 6 months of palliative care, and weeks of intense decline, my mother has passed away.

This is a weird time for us. There’s been a sombre mood over the house while we come to terms with everything we’ve been through and what the new “normal” is. I’ve been working on a couple per-zines to help me process (which I’ll be making available on my shop) and I’ve been offered some work leading workshops on processing grief through that format – not that I’m an expert, but the friend who offered me the opportunity clearly thinks I have something to offer with the grief work that she does.

I don’t want to drag people down about it so I’ve been self editing when I speak about it, and the zines offer me a more raw outlet for things I wouldn’t usually talk about. Maybe they’ll help other people going through similar things, or maybe they’ll just help people understand me more. It’s important to hold non judgemental spaces, as much for ourselves as other people, and there’s really no wrong way to feel or to express yourself about intense, and intensely complicated, life events. Radical self acceptance, and all that.

During times of intense trauma I obsess over a creative endeavour, and this time it’s zines, which is good for me. I think we’re all ok enough, all things considered.

Categories
Blog Shop

Shop Shop

I’ve decided to have a crack at selling the stuff I make, and taking it seriously while also not pushing myself beyond my limits as a person with serious challenges. That means that whatever random things I happen to make will be up for grabs – some one offs, some repeatables, but I won’t be restricting myself to any one type of creativity. It’s just not how I thrive.

Because of my challenges with my health (both physical and mental), I ask for patience and kindness when it comes to responses and speed of shipping. You’ll get it as fast as I can get it to you, promise :3

Almost all my stock is made by hand (card decks I get professionally printed, although the packaging is then made by hand) and so they may have the foibles of handmade products – perfection is for heartless mass production. I have multiple repetitive strain injuries that don’t ever seem to heal, so things take me a longer time to make and I’m likely to have some difficulties making them, but all things are of worth! Some thing may be sold as “seconds” if they’ve come out particularly wonky, but are still fine, so if you’re on a tight budget check back in occasionally for a bargain!

Bests,
The NotSoWittyWriter
(Andrew, He/they/Em)

Categories
Blog

Personal Algorithm

I’ve seen a lot of shit takes lately about curating your own algorithm, mainly that it should be either a collection of your own work on your own website (babes I’ve seen all this before, I can’t look at it a thousand more times and pretend to be entertained) or that you should only look at content creators/topics that you already know you like, which sucks all the whimsy out of it. I DO want to go on a strange tangent about koi farming and learn new things, actually.

So far as the takes I’ve seen totally miss the point that the only good thing about algorithms was discovering new things.

I’m not claiming to have a solution to this – ideally I’d like a place to go where I can see updates (for the love of fuck, decent ones) from people I like and articles about things I am or may be interested in. I don’t want clickbait. I don’t want shitty personality tests or rage bait or nazi bs, I don’t want to be watched by the ever present surveillance.

I just want to connect and discover.

I largely stay off social media (ad) platforms now cause they have nothing of worth to offer me, although I dip my toes in now and then. Feel a bit caught between “if I want people to see my stuff I have to be present” and “this isn’t working and the environment fucking sucks”.

Tough one, innit?

Categories
Art Blog Journaling stickers Writing

Inspire new worlds with stickers

While inspiration isn’t hard to find, having a stock of visual prompts can be really useful – using my creative journal I’ve worked dozens of new stickers over the last year, many of which I’ve continued to use to create new work and ideas.

If you could do with a fresh burst of inspiration (or just want to decorate the world you already live in!) consider becoming a Patreon supporter or buying a pack (or three, or five!) from my web shop ✨

Categories
Art Blog Journaling Writing

Back and bold

Yeah it’s been almost 2 years since I posted last 🤷 I’ve but given up though! I’ve picked up some new skills and outlooks, and I’m ready to go at it again!

One of my new(ISH) hobbies is creative journaling and I think some of the pages would make great art prints – I’ve written a substack article about it if you’re interested in taking it up, I’ve also got a pilot podcast episode recorded. Trying this new thing called “radical self acceptance” where I stop expecting too much and enjoy what I can do. Wild, right?

Categories
music

Summer song

While writing a song for phantom Intense I accidentally made something good, but not the vibe I was going for. Thinking of continuing it into a fully blown piece, but like where I’m at with it so far!

https://akcopeman.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/My_summer_20240401_235123.mp3

Categories
Art Blog Game Dev

Nebulous Rivals

Nebulous Rivals is the next big game likely to come to fruition – the idea is to drawer 2 cards from a mixed deck each turn and then trade them in for suns, planets, asteroids, and tiles which you use to build your own patch of space. The finer details of how it’s going to be scored are still a mystery to me, but I’ve begun getting all the kit in to build a prototype deck, which is never a cheap endeavour when you’re on a low income. I looked into buying marbles but it was estimated to come out at £20-£30 per game which is unsustainably high, and so I’ve decided to make them myself – I prefer to keep my big projects as hand made as possible because mass production is inherently unethical (the only labour I’m exploiting is my own!)