Lurockia

Hello everyone!

Hello everyone, it certainly has been more than while hasn't it? My last journal entry was a little more than a year ago and while I wish I could say that the reason behind it was mostly composed of good things I am saddened to say that it's been far from the case.

I'm not one to typically talk about myself much if at all when it comes to the internet. I believe in keeping my personal life private with the exception of those close to me and maintaining a professional appearance outwardly to my viewers. Today however I'm going to allow myself to be a bit more personal than I'm typically comfortable with in order to share recent events in my life with you.

I've been fairly busy with my Graphics Design venture since 2015 and things were actually going well at the beginning of last year. My work had gotten published by a Record Company in Southern California and I was even fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to design the soundtrack layout for a theatrical movie release. After returning home from a business trip to San Diego however my brother had just returned home from the hospital after suffering from intense third degree burns while I was away after being caught in a fire that began in his room. As you can imagine this was a rather stressful time for everyone in my family given the level of trauma this incident had caused on his body.

Two weeks later, he passed away from heart failure. He was only 32 years old.

None of us could have been prepared for it. We had expected that the skin grafts on his body would take hold and while his life would never be the same again that he would eventually heal and continue his college studies with us there to support him if he needed us to. Despite having been so severely burned he still had many plans he wanted to do before being taken from us so unexpectedly. He had wanted to go to New Orleans in the fall and he was going to finish his last year of college and be the first in our family to graduate withe an actual degree. None of which will ever come to pass now which is still very surreal to me even now despite it having been nearly 10 months since he passed away.

There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about him. Growing up my brother and I butted heads a lot. We had many disagreements and I didn't always approve of some of the things he would do but regardless of that we still loved each other even if we didn't always say it. Something that I regret immensely considering that in his last days we were hardly even talking to each other at all except to argue to a petty fight that was better off forgotten about instead of begrudgingly holding onto it just for the sake of being angry.

So my message today is this. Forgive, forget, and do what you want to do with your life. Life is so uncertain and it shouldn't be wasted on things like holding grudges or stubbornness. Tell your family and friends that you love them without restraint and do the things you want to do before it's too late. It's easy to make plans and tell yourself that you'll do them someday, but keep in mind that someday may never actually come. The only time we have is now and that can sometimes be difficult to remember.

Which on that ending note, I would like to take the opportunity to thank my best friend Keiivory for having been here for me since all this happened and thank you to Spaartoi  for having helped bring us together during a time in which I needed someone most. While I still have my downward spirals in which I find myself unable to do anything at all, having Kei here with me through it all has helped me heal so much faster than I would have had I otherwise been on my own. Thanks to her I am able to take things day by day to focus on my work. Her presence keeps my otherwise low morale up and at times I even find myself actually laughing at things again.

I'm never going to be 100% myself again. I've changed in more ways than one after this incident, but it has at the very least gotten a little easier.

I love you all and I hope to post new illustrations again in the near future. Thank you for reading.

Because I missed making a journal on January 1st so it still counts!

    Happy New Year everyone! I apologize for having been so neglectful of DeviantART for the past year. I didn't mean for the Radio Silence but things have been exceedingly busy all throughout 2016 in the best way.

While there have certainly been a lot of ups and downs I couldn't be happier about the direction my career seems to be heading. I mentioned last year that I had been recruited by a Company in San Diego to create various forms of Graphic Advertisements and I'm proud to say that it will continue this year!

I still can't promise how often I'll be able to update or even draw new things but per usual all I can say is that I'll try because I do actually miss drawing personal illustrations quite a bit.

Also a big congratulations  to NoireNambu & Evios on their marriage back in October! While 2016 may have been a dark time for many it's good to know that there were good moments mixed in as well.

What about you guys? Anything good happen to you in 2016 amidst all the chaos? Try anything new or just had a genuinely good day? Feel free to announce it in the comments below!

Happy Year of the Rooster!

Full speed ahead!

    Here we ago, already 20 days into the New Year with so much adventure to be had. Last year had a lot of unexpected twists for a great deal of us. Some for the better, others unfortunately for the worst but one thing's for sure is that 2015 brought forth a lot of changes for almost all of us.

New places were visited, friendships were lost, life changing decisions were made, and experiences were had among other things.

     For me 2015 started off with so much uncertainty. The most recent volcanic eruption at the time had created an emergency situation for my entire area. Lava was quickly approaching homes and even took a few as it moved forward through the landscape. More damage was said to happen as the flow continued to progress for the next thirty years only to end abruptly despite everyone's expectations.

Which was exceedingly fortunate for us and many others needless to say. I'm still thankful for the individuals who tried to help my family move during the crisis through donations. Rest assured that I have not forgotten your generosity and will address this kindness soon as my schedule becomes easier to manage.

     Bringing me to my next topic. As some of you may know. last year I was approached by a company in San Diego to create various forms of advertising for them in the form of banners, flyers, shirt designs, and so much more. I am proud or excited to say that I will be continuing to provide such services to them this year. 

Needless to say that these projects will take up a great deal of my time resulting in a shortage of artwork unfortunately but have no fear. I will still be creating illustrations throughout the year if I can manage it so look forward to that in the future.

     I'm unsure what 2016 has in store for me, but one thing's for sure is that I can't wait to find out.

See you all again soon and have a Happy New Year!