{"id":786,"date":"2026-08-20T07:48:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T05:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.psychee.org\/Songs-of-Loss\/?p=786"},"modified":"2026-08-20T08:10:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T06:10:22","slug":"glasses-an-art-book-projects-and-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.psychee.org\/Songs-of-Loss\/2026\/08\/20\/glasses-an-art-book-projects-and-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Glasses, an art book, projects, and hope"},"content":{"rendered":"

I realise I haven\u2019t wanted to explain to you what happened to me and why there was such a two-year gap without any updates on the website.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s keep it simple. Painfully simple, in fact. It\u2019s depression. I\u2019m not saying \u2018it was\u2019, because although I\u2019m on the road to recovery, I\u2019m not fully recovered yet. The proof is that it\u2019s 6 o\u2019clock in the morning, and I\u2019m having a very unpleasant anxiety attack which I hope I can calm down.<\/p>\n

What happened? I think I owe you an explanation right here, below. Because I need support, and your help, but also so that you know what happened, before I can throw myself, as best I can, back into the projects and ranges for the Chants de Loss:<\/p>\n

\u2018Let\u2019s start at the beginning. Yes, back in 2024, I was already in a bad place mentally\u2026 and it got worse. And I did everything I could to avoid facing it. So I cheerfully made matters worse and ruined my mental health\u2026 and my physical health too!<\/p>\n

But it was the collapse of my profession \u2013 in fact, of creative and artistic professions in general \u2013 due to AIGen, and in this case, I\u2019ll be selfish and say my profession in particular, that of an illustrator, which was the main driving force behind my descent into hell, with depression, demotivation and a mountain of problems.<\/p>\n

People don\u2019t necessarily realise it, but not only do you lose over 60 per cent of your income because everyone prefers stuff that costs nothing, even if the quality and finish are rubbish (people don\u2019t care, as long as they can say \u2018ooh, that\u2019s sooo beautiful! \u201d), but on top of that, your work gets stolen; you see people reproducing it with just a few lines of prompt text (seriously, it\u2019s horribly easy), setting up a sales website\u2014also generated by IAGen\u2014and selling drawings you\u2019ve never done, but which look a lot like yours, and even have your signature on them.<\/p>\n

It broke something inside me and I refused to admit the damage I\u2019d suffered. So, it all built up. I talk about it in more detail here (https:\/\/www.psychee.org\/blog\/me-today-and-its-not-fun\/<\/a>). The result is that I\u2019ve wrecked my own life, and it\u2019s going to take a lot of tape and elbow grease to patch it all back together. Yes, the medical term is: a nervous breakdown. Denying it would be ridiculous; in fact, I\u2019m now on antidepressants.<\/p>\n

The first step, amongst everything I need to do to get back on my feet\u2026 work! And to be able to work, I urgently need to get new glasses (and, in fact, I should have done this three years ago).<\/p>\n

I\u2019m 54 years old, I\u2019m astigmatic, long-sighted and short-sighted. In short, I can\u2019t see properly from a distance, and up close, everything\u2019s completely blurred: the closer I look, the more the world becomes a fog. I can no longer draw on paper, and it\u2019s getting increasingly difficult on a graphics tablet. In theory, I need TWO pairs of glasses: one for everyday life, and one for drawing.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll start with the pair of glasses for drawing; that\u2019s the most urgent. The aim is to raise 600 balles before the start of the new academic year in September. And that\u2019s where I need your help, on Tipeee, the platform for supporting and donating to creators<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What will you get in return for your help? Well, my heartfelt thanks and\u2026 a digital artbook! I don\u2019t have many clients at the moment, but I reckon I might start getting some again from September onwards, so during August I\u2019m going to create my artbook. It\u2019ll be a visual journey through my career as an illustrator, from my very first digitised drawings right at the end of the 20th century right up to my most recent work. It should be between 120 and 140 pages, roughly, with 90 per cent images and the rest text to accompany this journey.<\/p>\n

Throughout this month and until September, any contributor or donor on Tipeee will be included on the list of people who will receive my digital artbook once it\u2019s finished, in addition to any other rewards they\u2019re expecting. I don\u2019t know if this is enough to thank you, and if you have any ideas, please let me know, but it\u2019s at least something I can do, and which, I hope, will make you happy.<\/p>\n

Well\u2026 I don\u2019t know what else to say that I haven\u2019t already said. My posts are available on Tipeee, Facebook, Bluesky, and even on my blog! Thank you so much and I love you all\u2026<\/p>\n

And, yeah, right now, I\u2019m actually crying. I love you all.\u201d<\/p>\n

(below, the cover and a few images from my artbook)<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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