2020 in review and a path going forward

Hi Everyone,

I can’t say it any other way, 2020 sucked. It wasn’t a great year for many and a lot of us suffered. It’s hard to really think on the positives of 2020 as it all felt draining and terrible. I feel though that, while my problems are nowhere near as serious or urgent as others, it still felt necessary to reflect on what my 2020 was like and how I can repair the damage that was done.

Like many other creatives and people in general I’ve talked to, many of us felt drained, exhausted, unmotivated and demoralized throughout 2020. It was hard to do any kind of self improvement or any kind of work. I felt the days blur together, losing track of what the date was and what my deadlines were. Eventually things spun out of control and I ended up spending most of my time playing video games and watching tv, leaving my goals and dreams to the wayside.

However, I didn’t want that to be the rut I fall into and stay in forever. I normally never make a big deal about New Years Day. Usually I spend my New Years Eve going to bed and having a good night’s rest. But this was different. This new year represented a moment of optimism as what felt like the worst year for so many of us was finally over. I stayed up with my friends to celebrate starting the new year over video chat which was a nice and hopeful start. While the year has not started on a good foot, we can’t let that dictate what the rest of the year will be like.

I told myself that no matter what happens, as long as I can write, draw and read I can be happy. For the past few months it’s been increasingly difficult for me to even do those simple things. But I entered 2021 trying to recapture that energy and focus. 2020 made me take a hard look at my life and what was important to me. If one good thing happened for me in 2020, it was realizing how much of my time and energy was unfocused and all over the place.

I know I say this frequently, but I want to focus more on my commitment to this blog as it helps me focus on writing, drawing and reading. I want to put out content that I like to make but that you also like to read. I know there has been some books I’ve absolutely loved and written reviews for that have gotten little response while other book reviews are much more appreciated. There were also certain opinion pieces that have gotten good feedback while others are not so enticing. To that end, I’ll be reviewing the articles I’ve written that have had the most engagement and tailor my content towards that but still staying in the realm of what I enjoy reading and writing about. I’ll also be working on revising my blog to make it easier to navigate as it’s really hard to view previous content.

I’m hoping to have the blog updated in February, still with the same name I think as I want the feel to still be cozy and comfy while still informative. I’ll be finishing reviewing The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan in the next few weeks to finish off that series. The final book proof for my book The Legend of Nariko: The Goddess Prophecy should be coming this week or next week and, if everything is perfect, it will be good to publish. What I’ve learned here is that, as much as I want to publish book 3 this year, realistically it will come out early 2022. I do apologize for the delay and greatly appreciate your patience while I get better at delivering my content.

Thank you all! Let’s make 2021 the best that we can. 😊

– Raphael