JOURNALS

I've been thinking a lot about external validation lately. When I handed Sam the photo book today, I realized something important - my enjoyment of the creative process stops at the moment of completion. What happens after I give someone something I've made isn't really my concern. It would feel self-centered to chase their reaction or approval.

I hope the book brings Sam joy, but whether that joy is private or shared doesn't matter to me. This feels connected to my efforts to spend less time online. There's not much point replacing digital validation with its physical equivalent. The act of creating and sending work into the world is what matters. What happens afterward isn't my business.

Sam loved the photo book when I gave it to her, which was nice, but that wasn't why I made it. The important thing is that I've completed something that's now out in the world rather than staying in my studio.

Work was particularly satisfying today. We had a small breakthrough that felt really good. I also set the 3D printer going with some stamp holders for my smaller stamps. I've got two sets with the whole alphabet - one 10mm wide and another 7mm wide. I've adapted the holders for the smaller version, and they should be finished printing around 4:00, assuming nothing falls over.

The weekend's looking pretty packed. I'm helping Nixie in the morning, house-sitting for my eldest to look after their cat around midday, taking my youngest somewhere, and on Sunday I'll be addressing envelopes for those zines before picking up my middle child from the middle of nowhere. Not exactly a relaxing weekend, but I'll just take it as it comes.

I still need to have another go at getting the letters aligned on the pen plotter. I think I know how to do it, but it'll take a few rounds of testing. That'll have to wait until tomorrow now, after my visit with Sam.

The studio's reached a new temperature high today. The warm weather is absolutely wonderful.