Hey friends, It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I really didn’t mean for there to be such a gap between issues. But, there’s been a significant change in my life and I had to table the zine to make the transition. 

To start, at the beginning of June, I gave my notice at Fairyland. I then spent the entire month wrapping up my work there. 

But, it’s bigger than just leaving my “bread and butter” of the past three years. It’s my biggest leap yet. 

Speaking of leaps, SJ and I went camping recently near Nevada City and spent a couple of really hot afternoons cooling off in one of my favorite swimming holes ever, the S. Yuba River. We could have walked down an unshaded path, to distance ourselves from the crowds but, at least on that first day, we just needed to get in the water. We headed to the easy-to-get-to spot which is below two bridges, the new one and the old one. So there we were happily enjoying the cool crystal clear waters when we noticed a young man consider, and reconsider, jumping from the old one, which is now an impossibly high walking bridge (I tried to find out how tall it actually is but found no data). The area where someone would potentially land is small, not all that deep, and full of giant boulders. Needless to say, it gave both SJ and I some anxiety and we quietly hoped he would change his mind. 

I was reminded of the time my friends’ teens coaxed me into jumping from the “Jaws Bridge,” a popular rite-of-passage activity in Martha’s Vineyard. I had agreed to do it earlier in the day, thinking there was no chance we’d come across the bridge. I sure was surprised to learn the bus we were on from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown makes a special stop there for would-be jumpers. Not to renege a deal, I waffled for a good 10 minutes before taking the plunge. At that time, which was maybe 2015 or so, I was also at a turning point in my life and what got me to jump was the thought, “If I can do this, I can do anything.” I needed to do it.

Now, that bridge is significantly shorter compared to the Yuba River one. And this leap in my career is significantly larger than any before it. 

I’ve been considering, and reconsidering, making this jump for over three years now. This time the mantra that pushed me over the ledge was, “I didn’t come this far to only come this far.” 

Anyhoo, the hope is by freeing up my time, I’ll write some books, take on new clients, and make more art. More on all of that later. For now, sorry to drop off for so long. It really was for a good reason!