TheDesertPeacock

Its been almost a year since I was on Deviant Art. Things have changed immensely in my general situation. I still crochet, and do love it, but I am also getting back into novels as Victoria Asher. I am in a vocational medical school here in New Mexico, and doing well on my path to become an MA and move into a better living situation.

I left my husband some time ago, back in July. Since then I have been trying to stand on my own two feet, having a part time job at the VA hospital and going to school. I've made some new friends, lost others, have a fantastic boyfriend who respects me and is proud of the progress I am making.

I do miss my fur babies, but they will come back soon. I just need to graduate this Medical class and finalize my medical assistant training before I can move into better housing and get a well paid full time job that is less stressful. I am looking forward to renting a house and having my cats and dogs come back.

This has been a good path for me. I have quit smoking pot, on a great ADHD medication, and finally have some stability in my life. I'm working on my hobbies again, and not giving away every piece of crochet product that I create. Most of them have been aimed at keeping for myself, which is a real change in how I view my self worth.

Im still working at Wilderwood Equine Therapy and Rescue in Peralta, NM. Its been a great experience for me, and I am appreicated with all the work that I put in. Its been realy good to have my autistic side supported and to have an outlet with horses. I have always been a horse nut, and now I get to let my children, particularly my oldest, have that experience as well.

Lots of positive things going on, and I am as happy as a lark.

Be well my friends.

Nine years a deviant in March. It's been a long journey. My crafts have always reflected my personality even when I didn't realize it. Floating from one delight to another, always looking for sensory input along the way, never realizing I was ADHD/Autistic until I was 38 years old.

In truth, that was about a month ago.

And what, you may ask, brought on this sudden realization?

Six months ago, my husband and I decided we had enough of Texas. We packed up and moved to our new home in August of 2021. It was absolutely, hands down, the best move of our life. Our children are in good schools, my husband is happier being very close to more of his family, and for shit's sake people would at least wear masks when mandated.

What have I been doing since I disappeared a few years ago?

1) Getting back to writing and getting my books printed. I have 2 completed novels ready to be uploaded, Dragon Born, and A Dangerous Legacy. I started writing under the penname Victoria Asher, and started uploading on Wattpad.

2) Crochet! OMG I love the constant rhythm of the motion. In Autism terms, it's my stim. It's a quick, repeated motion I find soothing. I love feeling the different yarns, in skeins and ask I work them. I love the changing colors and patterns and I ADORE crochet. I have 2 afghans in the works and I have sworn I will accomplish at least 3 more before December of this year.

3) Graphic design. I am learning how to utilize the full adobe suite to build my own graphics and art for Kindle Direct Publishing, and Marketing. I currently hold the position of Marketing Manager for Queer 2 Queer Film Festival held every 6months or so in Dallas. It's utilized my graphic design talents, my marketing skills learned from running the Emporium for so long, and I really enjoy this team. It's a great resume builder, and I have been working my butt off on it.

4) Japanese Dolls are my new JAM. I have an order of silk on the way from Ohio Kimono, about 5lbs of scrap silk that I am going to turn into kimono and other things for various sized, posable dolls made with sport weight yarn, but at least 12 inches tall. I am also making a crochet dog for my son every time he reads a book. First up, a Dalmatian!

5) I did spend more time in Japanese embroidery but I find myself with the lack of discipline to work on it. Plus being hours away from my teacher and not being able to travel much right now due to covid, it kinda went on the backburner, as much as I didn't mean for it to. I really love the look and feel of the silk, but I am terrified of messing up. Maybe now that I am medicated properly, I can focus on it more, and actually start the Suehiro piece through video conferencing or something like that, and forgive myself for stupid, newbie errors and mistakes.

6) I do not regret shutting down the shop. NOT. ONE. BIT. The Emporium I was known for was a disaster, money sucking project that never did recover. Hana Kanzashi, while very pretty, does not sell. You have to be a really incredible artist, and then they opened the Japanese School again, and I gave up. Everything I did was to be monetized, and it brought me no joy. RIP Lilyashes Emporium.

7) HELLO to the Desert Peacock. I have plans to open a studio online, and have other artist to assist, promote, or build additional income though KDP. Art books are a thing people! And why the name? I live in Rio Rancho, New Mexico now, and my last name in Dutch is Peacock. I have always had a thing for peafowl, since I have a thing for sensory colors. So yep, it's a new me. Eventually a shop will be created, but right now I am drowning in other projects.

Look for new updates, promotions, and artists here at the Desert Peacock's Studio!

I don't post these often, but usually once or twice a year I come on and try to update anyone who desires to read or follow my work.

I have given up tsumami kanzashi art. While they are very pretty and are fun to make, they do not sell. They do not handle storage and I can not keep a satisfactory product in store. Not to mention I had my own .com for over a year that sucked all my money away and I never made a single sale.

So no kanzashi coming up. Ever. Well, maybe not ever, but not this year for sure.

I AM doing a lot more drawn art, Japanese silk embroidery, and Oriental (Chinese and Japanese) brush painting with watercolors. SO look for that in the future. I am trying to learn more traditional art to draw out my embroidery designs. I have a real love of the POP surrealism movement, my designs were always of that nature before I gave up painting in my 20's. (Having kids running around will do that sometimes) But i want to get back into more of that, not for marketable purposes, but my own sake.

Part of the reason I gave up the online shop (both the .com and Etsy stores) was because I became very market driven, and lost the desire to compete with these things anymore. I'm just going to make stuff I like, and maybe post here and there. You can still find me here, and on Instagram, under vmdepauw. I really just post my embroidery about once a month, if I can even work on it that much.

My health has at least been better, and I hope that continues. I am expecting another Japanese Silk Embroidery lesson in February, putting the final touches on my Hanazume piece and then moving onto Suehiro, my Phase 2 piece.

I am still also making ornaments here and there. I do plan to make enough to reopen my Etsy store next year for some my customers who have requested ornaments. I don't know how many I will sell, but I do still enjoy making them. The calluses on my fingers swear my fealty to this craft, lol. But I still plan on my embroidery and traditional art to be at the forefront.

I also still have a ton of paper supplies that I am really not certain what to do with. BIG sheets of washi paper, sitting in my closet in large tubes, beautiful colors from the Rare Orchid: no ideas. Any suggestions?

If you have read this far you have my thanks. I hope the new year finds you well.

Virginia