When I became a Character Sprite Artist

Hi there!

I've been pretty much pre-occupied with a certain sideline.

Another wish come true!

A couple of weeks ago, Adrian offered me a part-time job. The jobs are ALWAYS art related.
He offered me to illustrate the character sprites and Event CGs of a Visual Novel/Life-Simulation Game he's going to program.
Because I had dabbled in creating Visual Novels as a teenager, I immediately said yes!

To be honest, I have never used photoshop nor my graphic tablet for the last 2 years. I was worried that my work would reflect those years of neglect. :(

But I'm happy to say that it wasn't the case!

I can still draw! I can still color! I can still memorize the photsoshop shortcut key commands!

God, how I've missed this feeling! :D

Side Projects are Important

The other week, I had an amazing epiphany.

Last  week, I was given an opportunity to use my creative talents.--- The visual arts.
To be more specific: making sprites for Visual Novels.

Then the conversation strangely flowed to programming renpy.

If i took renpy seriously 4 years ago, i could have added another skillset to my tool box.
which brings me to my next point.

Side Projects and Hobbies are important,

I am quoting Austin Kleon's Steal Like an Artist.

As a teenager, I spent my days tinkering with photoshop. roaming forums. lurking in deviantart and admiring artists. I scrutinized and assimilated some of their works. I spent majority of my working hours in front of a computer screen, holding a wacom graphire tab and teaching myself photoshop.

I acquired skills: how to draw, how to use photoshop, how to program, I developed personal techniques, i taught myself how to create comics, and basic html.

I never mastered them, but I believe the years I spent equipped me with a certain skill set that other people could benefit.

Of course, when the offer came, my childhood and teenage years flashed in front of me.  There was regret, yes. Regret that I did not master those skills.

 But another thought also flashed in front of me. The belief that side project and hobbies DO matter.

It will pave way for opportunities. Opportunities yours for the taking

Lessons from Karuna Cayton's Misleading Mind

Last October 2013, I encountered a situation that left me embittered. Fortunately, I downloaded several ebooks and discovered "The Misleading Mind: How we Create Our Own Problems and How Buddhist Psychology Can Help Us Solve Them".

Image taken from: http://www.digitalaptitude.com/blog/10-books-that-changed-my-life
YES. This books is life-changing. If you allow yourself to be changed, that is.

Below is a list of points that struck a chord in me. I initially shared them with a friend, and I thought non-readers of the book would benefit it. I structured my learnings into something memorable, like having a conversation myself with the book answering my concern.

Happy reading!

Before, I was a problematic, unhappy, grudge-holding, moody little girl. But one day, i was sick of it. Then i read a book...

·  "Our 'problem', what makes desires destructive, is that we cling to or become attached to what we desire."

·  "In essence, we cause our own problems by seeking, desiring, or relying on transient, external things to make us happy"

·  "Our problems are caused by our misperception of the nature of reality and the nature of our mind"

·  "Yet the truth is, most pleasures only create the desire for more."

·  "All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow."

Then i realized, oh great, so what do i do?

·  "We need to develop a deep awareness of the way our problems arise, their root causes and then we need to train ourselves in how to cope with them every time they come up."

·  "If we exercise our freedom to choose how we relate with our emotions and how much we draw our identity from them, we slowly and surely become happier and healthier people."

·  "We experience increasing contentment not by doing all we can to avoid suffering, but by meeting suffering head on when it occurs and transforming it."

·  "For it is the correct perception of things as they are, of reality, that will free us from constantly being whipsawed by whatever emotion may arise within our mind."

·  "We are accountable for our mental health and emotions, even if we are not to 'blame' or accountable for our circumstances growing up."

·  "We start by accepting the counterintertuitive notion that we must use our problems to solve our problems. Problems provide the resistance that helps us exercise our minds."

·  "In mind training, the intentions and motivations of others, although relevant, are not the primary focus. we are are concerned with our point of view and its accompanying response."

·  "Learn to put the blame where it belongs: on our misperception of things and of our self and on the habitual compulsive reactions those misperceptions lead us to take"

·  The first goal is to understand and see the disturbing emotions as something external to your identity or sense of self."

·  "The mind-training practitioner thinks, 'my old habits want to trap me and send me down a road that I will later regret. Instead, I'll use this situation as an opportunity to further develop my mind."

·  "Because we know that the only way we can achieve the balanced state of mind of an awakened person is by confronting head on the habitual patterns that have imprisoned us for our entire life."

·  "There are 3 general categories of interventions that deal with the upsetting emotions: blocking negative impulses, observing and releasing the emotions, and transforming negative thoughts into their positive opposites.

and then i realized that....

·  "Reality is what we label it.

·  "And like that, nothing exists until we perceive, label, and interpret it."

·  "We do not live in bare experience. We live in a world of interpretation, assumption, and projection. we wear tinted glasses."

·  "Self-pity is a totally nonproductive state of mind and thoroughly self-indulgent; nobody likes hanging around a self-pitying person, including ourselves. The more we indulge in self-pity, the more unhappy we become."

·  "We do have problems, but this does not mean we are problems. We believe our problem and our self are the same. This is looking at problems in the wrong way, in a damaging way."

·  "The essence of thought transformations is that problems are actually helpful to us."

·  "All of the troubles we confront throughout our life are viewed as teachings"

·  "If we drop our attachments to what we desire, we will not be overwhelmed by disturbing emotions and can see the benefit in any apparent upset or problems."

Oh, there's hope for me!

·  "Another quality of the mind is that is is utterly fluid."

·  "What you do in life physically changes what your brain looks like. You can wire and rewire yourself with the simple choice of which musical instrument---or professional sport, you play."

My Love Letters to God: Journal Writing

My love letters to God from 2009-June 2014. 

Journal Writing, or the act of recording one's thoughts in tangible form , is one of my assortment of therapy.
It also happens to be my simple way of conversing with God.


HOW IT BEGAN

My earliest record of starting a diary was in 2000. My penmanship was horrible and my entries had no sense. I wrote intermittently, mostly to document my achievements in Legend of Mana. But I didn't pick up the habit of writing until late 2009.

I had troubles with creativity, and that problem led to me to try Julia Cameron's Morning Pages.
Morning Pages are 3 pages of stream of consciousness longhand writing. Morning Pages claimed to recapture your creativity and provide the solutions for your problems. Since I also had problems about my love life, I immediately found a notebook and jumped right in.

Honestly speaking, writing morning pages in the morning wasn't easy. So I changed my schedule to write in the evenings, and it became a breeze.

Every evening, I would sit down and dump my thoughts. Some were useful, some had no sense, but I persevered.

My initial morning pages had no addressee, and it felt awkward to immediately pour my thoughts into the poor defenseless notebook. So I decided to add "Dear Diary".

True enough, that "Dear Diary" morphed into "Dear God" and "Dear Jesus".

And a series of love letters was born.

WHY I WRITE

Initially, I wrote for the purpose of improving my creativity. My head is rich with ideas, stories, concepts that it's a must for me to write them


Next, I wrote for self-expression. I have difficulty in expressing my thoughts to people, so I turned to journal writing. At least the notebook wouldn't judge me. It would only listen. My notebooks are privy to my frustrations, my happiness, my heartaches etc. I also prefer writing my concerns rather than sharing it with other people, though there are times that I will seek counsel from selected people.

I also wanted to grow in faith as a catholic. I wanted to share my thoughts with God. To have a personal relationship, as my born-again friend mentioned to me. So I addressed my entries as "Dear God and Jesus", hoping that they will share my burdens and help me in finding solutions. And yes, I can say that in writing, I discovered the answers I was seeking.

Problem?
Write it. Write all the details. Write to God for a solution . Write the solution.

Something good happened today?
Write it. Write it all. Express gratefulness.

New projects in mind?
Write it. Write all the details. Write how to bring it to life.

WHY I ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO WRITE

It's life changing.

Seriously, if you have never tried it before, or you tried but you didn't sustain the habit, I highly encourage you to give it a try.

You won't lose anything, except for a few pages and the ink from your pen. I might even say you will gain a lot.

Self-discovery. Hope. Happiness. Gratitude. Love. Acceptance. 

Look for a notebook and grab a pen. Sit down and let your hand move across the pages.
Something marvelous awaits to be discovered.

How Steve Kamb's Epic Quest changed my perspective on Bucket Lists

What I used to think about Bucket Lists: 

 They are for the Terminally Ill.

No, I'm not kidding.

Remember Jamie from a walk to remember?

Yes, the character Mandy Moore played back in the early 2000? 

She was Shane West's love interest for the Film Adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' "A Walk to Remember"

image credit to whttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Walk_to_Remember
I can't believe this movie is 12 years old already!

Before Jamie bid her eternal goodbye, her love interest Landon, patiently and lovingly made her "Wishlist" come true. As a young child, it held a lasting impression upon me.Therefore, I couldn't blame my young mind for thinking "Bucket Lists are for the Terminally Ill".

Then Enter this Dude.

Photocredit to Steve Kamb's Twitter Account.
Isn't he cute?  

This Dude, Steve Kamb, radically changed my concept about Bucket Lists.

He christened his Bucket List as  "Steve Kamb's Epic Quest of Awesome".

Judging from the name, you'll have an idea about what differentiates it from the typical 

<Insert name's >bucket list.

Image Credit to NerdFitness.com
This strongly reminds me of Indiana Jones for some reason.

You see, his Bucket List Epic Quest of Awesome has Levels AND Experience Points!

 For every accomplishment achieved, Steve gains 20% Experience Points. 

When he accomplishes 5 things from the list, he levels up!

HIS BUCKET LIST IS JUST LIKE A FREAKING RPG!

HE'S LIKE A BREATHING AND LIVING RPG CHARACTER!

Image taken from http://www.haywiremag.com/?p=890
Final Fantasy 8. One of the JRPGs which rendered me a Final Fantasy Fangirl

A little bit of history.

I loved Japanese Role Playing Games.

I loved them with my whole heart that I dreamed of becoming a game developer and make video games as a profession. However, reality made me choose a practical profession and that's another story.

I devoted my entire childhood in playing JRPGs:

•  Final Fantasies
•  Lunar Series
•  Wild Arms Series
•  Grandia Series
•  Brave Fencer Musashi
• Harvest Moon
•  Suikoden Series
•  Legend of Mana
•  Legend of Legaia
•  Alundra
•  and other JRPGs found in the Playstation and Gameboy Color-Advance Era

Steve did me a great favor by making me realize that I can apply gaming elements in Bucket Lists/Goals to make it enjoyable. It has opened a whole new world for me. Who would have thought that applying RPG elements to your life would be feasible? Who would have thought that it'd work?

In September 2013, I set out and created my own version of "Epic Quest".  When  recently checked the document, I see that I've already done some in my list. (but there are some which I haven't done yet, i also haven't updated it and i haven't determined what my level is)

So Do yourself a favor and be inspired to start your own Epic Quest of Awesome. v

Have fun in making your own Epic Quests!

Life Lessons from a game called Harvest Moon

As a child, I spent almost a hundred hours on this game. It was immersive and highly addicting.

As an adult, I now look back on this game Nastume created, and the extracted learnings worth sharing.

photocredit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvest_Moon:_Back_to_Nature

1. You cannot have it all at once. If you do everything all at once, you will burn out. I guarantee it.
2. Time is your most valuable asset. Plan, prioritize, set a schedule and have a routine.
3. You decide your pace.
4. Cheating removes the feeling of sweet victory.
5. Savor the journey towards the outcome.
6. Keep on improving thyself, and it will also spread to other parts of your life.
7. Socialization matters.
8. Enjoy nature and be a good steward.

sketchpad friday

What will you do?

It's 6:00 pm and you have just arrived from work.

"What will you do?"

This is a question I believe we should ask ourselves from time to time.

               A. Watch TV until bedtime
               B. Read ebooks until bedtime
               C. Surf the net until bedtime
               D. Set aside Options A-C, and finally do that project you've been itching to create.

If you're the kind of person whose comfortable with options A-C , then please feel free and continue to do them.
But if you're the kind of person who has done options A-C for most of your life and you realize nothing has been happening to your life , then I suggest you take another option. Something like option D.

You see, I used to practice option D before graduating HS. I was very much into drawing, making comics and creating digital art. I was active in forums and in DeviantArt. In those days, I believed I was destined for an art career. But reality can sometimes be harsh.

I abandoned my dreams for something potentially "lucrative and practical".

After becoming a registered nurse and landing a good paying job not related to my profession, I still felt empty. I would go home, and lose myself to options A-C.

One day, I looked around. I recalled many of my dream projects. Projects which I started, but never bothered to finish. Projects that would only be confined within the depths of my mind. It was really depressing.

While browsing the net , I encountered a blog (and I can't remember that blog, sorry.)

But the entry went like this:

"What will you do once you're home?" (*yes, that entry is the inspiration for this entry!)

and suddenly, I had another flash of realization.

Nothing was going to happen.

Unless I did something different.
Unless I broke free from my usual routine.
Unless I questioned whether my actions would bring me closer to what I wanted.

Then and there, I made the decision to ask myself this question when I arrived home from work:

"What will I do?"

and I gave my answer: "Well, I want to start that blog. I want to start that webcomic. I want to start exercising."

And it's a question that I have been asking myself everyday. And my life has significantly improved.



* As soon as I can remember, I'll give proper credit.

Meet the Inner Critic

Have you ever experienced working on something you deem marvelous, something that you think will change the world?

If yes, have you also experienced hearing this voice inside your mind?

 "Your work sucks. It won't change the world. It's not even marvelous"

I've experienced this numerous times. The voice makes itself known when I'm about to work on a project or when I'm thinking of a project to start. It's the voice that dissuades me of pursuing something meaningful and worthwhile. It's the pestering voice that disturbs me when I'm trying to focus on my work.

Over the years, I have come to label this terrifying voice as the "Inner Critic". An invisible entity that appears when I don't need to appear.

The Inner Critic is hard to ignore. It's very loud and It demands attention. And I wondered if I would ever get rid of it.

Now, I don't think I ever would.

You see, I have come to realize that  the Inner Critic will always be with me. It's inside. It's a part of me.
It's an embodiment of my perfectionism, screaming nothing but the best. It means well, even though it can be cruel. If the Inner Critic is a part of us, we cannot eliminate it.

It's easy to hate our antagonists, and it's difficult to appreciate them.

For a long time, I have hated my Inner Critic. Hated it with such passion. Now? I don't hate it as much before. I just allow it to rant in my head.

Why? Because the Inner Critic is simply doing it's job.

Would you stop a writer from writing novels? Would you stop a teacher from teaching students?

Of course not. They are simply fulfilling their jobs.

We can allow the Inner Critic to be itself, and at the same time,  learn to listen and tone down it's volume.

The Inner Critic is, afterall, a voice, screaming and raging with baseless claims.

So let it do it's job, and simply do yours.

Sunday Comic Strip: To the Inner Critic

Sunday is that time of the month where i'm excited to read comic strips in the entertainment section of the newspaper.
Since i'm looking for ways to express my creativity, why not post weekly comics?

To the inner critic who pops out whenever I start a creative project

A sketchpad for my thoughts

I made myself a new sketchpad.

I felt it was imperative to make one, since i am re-establishing my lost habit of sketching.

While i was thinking of the possible sketches i could draw on the blank pages, it struck me to make an "Introduction Page".

My reason for creating this page is simple: to remind me why i decided to use this sketchpad in the first place.

It is not a dumpsite for perfection, rather it is a dumpsite for my thoughts, ideas and a place to practice and play.

I am trying to eliminate the instilled concept in my head that sketchpads should only contain the most beaitiful and perfect art.

And this is my solution to my problem.
A sketchpad with an introduction page on how to approach the pages. I hope to fill this one before the year ends!

*** Austin Kleon's books have inspired me to do this. I might write a book review on his books in the future

Starting Point

Because all things have to start at some point.

My name is Nurjean Chaneco.
I'm a nurse by profession, however I chose not to practice it and opted to have an
8-5pm job as an Administrative Assistant.
Before I became a registered nurse and an employee, I was a young girl filled with dreams of pursuing a career in art. I dreamed of earning from drawing. But reality slapped me hard. I abandoned that dream and chose to become a nurse... only to realize that it wasn't what I really wanted.


An Interesting Jade is a mash-up of my writing, my life musings, and my art.
It's a documentary of my journey in life: to feed my soul's longings, to become a better person, to express my creativity and to touch a person's life in a significant way.

and this is an experiment to see whether I can sustain a blog for one year :)