mcclellangg.com

Update April 2026

Apr 30, 2026

The world is speeding up, and all I want is to slow down

Overview

This time of year (March, April, May) blends together for me, and I find it hard to distinguish one month from another. Random life stuff stacked up this month:

  • Our AC got fixed (it hasn't worked for the past 2 summers)
  • 2 car household status restored (I don't drive often but sharing 1 vehicle between 2 people can be inconvenient)
  • Gramps and I hiked the Three Ridges Loop
  • Identity Evaluation is ongoing

Added new things:

Drawing Breakthrough - Principles of Design

I have been interested in drawing for as long as I can remember. I avoided it for a long time though because "I was bad at it" or "it felt hard". Back in 2017 I started drawabox, but didn't adhere to the 50 percent rule and never got community feedback for my assignments. Eventually I got frustrated and lost interest.

About 2 years ago I got interested in drawing again and wanted to improve. I stuck it out to complete:

The drawabox website has improved A TON since 2017. Personal growth, and self discovery has helped me identify and reduce negative self talk which has made drawing much more enjoyable! At a minimum I sketch or doodle daily. "Not a day without a line", so they say.

Last month I finished a comic (now in The Gallery) and felt accomplished to have a piece with a bit more polish. I realized that I struggled to understand what exactly made other art "look good", and had a vague sense that certain things "were off" in my art but never knew exactly what or why. For some reason I started experimenting with composition and noticed seemingly magical improvements.

I came across Principles of Design on ctrl+paint and found exactly what I had been missing! I learned that language and "rules" existed to aid in the process of creating art that is pleasing to the eye, and the viewer. These principles allowed me to review my work and get actionable advice to make it more appealing.

Learning about this unlocked a whole new world for me, and felt like a HUGE level up.

I'd love to have a drawing friend. I've considered trying more art oriented meetups but have yet to do so.

On Programming

Earlier in the month I was working on some adventofcode. Sadly I had to let that go so I could put effort toward other projects I'm trying to finish. I was REALLY enjoying it though, and it was a fun way to learn. Maybe I can get back to it next month. Recently I have been doing more "designing" than "developing".

Unplug more often

I have said it before, but I shall say it again.

GET OUTSIDE!

Make it a point to get out in nature more often. Turn off your phone and unplug. I went on an overnight trip to Three Ridges and came home to a complete mental refresh. For a weekend I forgot entirely about all my other life problems and came home feeling so much better. DO MORE OF THIS!

Anyways, it has been a packed month, hope you are doing well. On to the next one!

Content

Movies

  • 28 Years Later The Bone Temple

Books

  • Animorphs n32
  • Capitalist Realism
  • Ursula K. Le Guin: The Last Interview
  • Reading: Animorphs n33, Unmasking Autism

Blogs

I often want to read ALL of someone's blogs when I find them. This is a poor tracking attempt. Perhaps one day I will revisit or do something better. If YOU have a system please tell me.

TV

  • I Think You Should Leave
    • Met the Driving Crooner IRL so this sparked my interest again
  • Watching Euphoria S3 ...

Music

Articles

Advice

Create more than you consume.

Matt Kohr

https://www.ctrlpaint.com/blog/make-practice-a-game

That is very similar to the 50% rule.

Stats

  • Ran 18.8 miles