[img id] Digital art of a caterpillar at the very end of pupation, with its body scrunched up at the top into wrinkles. Its proto-wings are clearly visible pressing against the shell of the green cocoon, which has expanded in girth since the last installment on this art series. The scrunchy caterpillar body has thick white, dark gray, and peach stripes. The art style has thin outlines and cel shading. Watermark at the bottom: http://hmcgill.art. [/id]

[img id] Digital art of a caterpillar suspended upside down, beginning to pupate. The style is cel-shaded with delicate, thin lineart and naturalistic (but not entirely accurate) proportions and details. The caterpillar's body appears stuffed full like a sausage, to the point that the chrysalis inside seems to have popped the body's seam along the head. The caterpillar's antennae dangle limp from the sides of is head, its feet appear to be deflating, and its butt is scrunched up like a dirty sock. It's like the body is going to slip off the shell. You're welcome! Watermark at the bottom: http://hmcgill.art. [/id]

[img id] Digital art of a caterpillar attaching itself to the stem of a milkweed plant. The style of the illustration features crisp uniform outlines, some colored and some black, as well as stylized cel shading. The point of view is from underneath the milkweed plant, up at the caterpillar under the nearest leaf. The caterpillar is curling around itself, dangling from a bit of 'glue' it used to hang itself upside down. The caterpillar is banded with stark peach, black, and white stripes. The milkweed plant towers into the sky. [/id]

[img id] Digital art of a well-fed monarch butterfly caterpillar helping itself to more milkweed leaves. The art is done in a style with thin black outlines and cel shading, but is otherwise rendered true to nature. There are three milkweed leaves in the picture and they have been eaten through the middle by the hungry caterpillar, leaving the steps and tips intact. The caterpillar, who is peach with black stripes, peels back the final leaf to nibble its edge. [/id]

[img id] Digital art of a spray of milkweed leaves, done in a cartoony cel-shaded style with thin, uniform lineart. The plant has six visible leaves and little bits of leaf scattered about it. Running through the leaves is a trail made by a little caterpillar chomping its way through the plant. The caterpillar at the end of this trail is perched on the biggest, most prominent leaf, and is preparing to crawl onto the other side of the leaf, away from the viewer. The caterpillar's butt faces the viewer. It is peach with dark gray rings around its body. [/id]

well it’s pretty much always #mentalhealthawareness day here... I’ve talked about my mental situation on the Internet for years. lately it feels like all I’ve talked about, in subtle ways or in overt ways— like my #anxiety podcast with @serenagwolf after a destabilizing year (Serena calls it my cocoon year) here’s where I’m at: I’m okay! ...sometimes. I’m not okay...sometimes too. and that’s okay. I’m in process and I’m stilll here....on this app sharing (some of) that nonlinear process in somewhat real time. not sure how long I’ll keep that up but here’s what I do know... •some sharing helps. •managing my mental health is my responsibility— no one can do it for me (I tried that). • I owe it to myself, my pals, & to my creative work to:: a. develop self-awareness to realize when I’m off. b. discover what tools help me & remember use them. I made this sound simple, it’s not. at my most depressed i can’t do either. this is trail & error, trying & failing...a real schlep of a process. *here’s where I’m at so far in mine... things that have helped:: -touching a creative project daily -therapy -repairing hurt relationships (when you can) -creating boundaries (with yourself & others) -eating enough -sleeping enough -drinking water -honesty with myself & with friends -listening to & helping people -getting organized -when I feel an uncomfortable feeling come up—feel it, allow it, rather than resist it. -remembering feelings pass like clouds and we can’t control them. things that don’t help: -overfilling my time -hanging out people who make me feel bad about myself -scrolling on my phone -obsessing about my appearance -obsessing about what people think of me in general. make your list & share below if you want. I hope this helps, lists help me sometimes. 〰️my pals @carolikesit and @christophersaunders did this fun, weird photoshoot with me this winter... saying yes to fun, weird things with others isn’t a bad idea either... this photo highlights the gray hairs this year #cocoonyear has given me 👩‍🦳 🦋 (at Greenpoint, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3hgCFgguno/?igshid=kfqw0kq8rd15