Hello dear Reader 🐉

I am writing this to you from the écal type design classroom, in Lausanne, Switzerland. I have arrived on Sunday by Flixbus, and have been teaching an experimental type design and typography workshop to type design Master 1 and 2. Tomorrow is presentation day, and I'm extremely excited. The students are absolutely killing it. I'm so sad to come back home tomorrow, I've been having a blast. Though I do admit I crave a routine back. Never thought I'd say this, but I miss the gym. And my own place, obviously.

Friends, how did the past two weeks fly so damn fast?? Honestly, I have went through at least 4 mental breakdowns lately, with follow-up highs just as high as the breakdowns were low. But these breakdowns were only kickstarted by me breaking my routine, and acting an entitled fool. I am now extremely determined, with 4 months until my goal, to reach it. It took scaring myself, but I'm going to do it.

Following my ups and downs, I have decided to systematically, methodically, psychotically simplify everything I could, to ultra narrow the focus on what I have on my plate. I find I am unfortunately way too dumb to be able to manage more than 3, of anything, at once.

Therefore, in terms of type, effective as soon as I am back from Switzerland, I am choosing to put aside absolutely everything that is not: one, the Baleze graduation on Future Fonts; two, the secret project I have with a French foundry, that should be unveiled sooner than later; an extremely secret project I am protecting teeth and nails, but that is, basically, something I have never allowed myself to do, despite wanting it desperately, actually more than anything career wise. I am the type of person that unfortunately needs permissions from others, and I was granted it by someone I trust, and I finally have the courage to go all in. The only thing I can tell you is that it's related to text fonts. Lol.

Like, dear reader, I've removed every single font file from my computer, that was not related to these 3, and it's Halloween soon, so it's fitting that this is TERRIFYING. I have backups of course, but my entire life is 28go and 126 font folders on my hard drive. I feel like I've turned a corner.

And on top of this, I am finding that there is no point in me fighting it or being frustrated about it: I love teaching, and I want to take it seriously. I still feel, after 2y, big imposter syndrome, but I'm trying my best. This fantastic, incredibly honouring écal experience is so humbling, but so profoundly enriching to me.

So that's my recent type design win. Finally, allowing myself to go all in on The Project. I've made progress already, and I have stupid, blind trust. LFG.

No really notable independent or muscle mother wins for the past two weeks. I have made significant and silent progress, and I find myself daydreaming vividly about when I'll have abs in the future lol, but other than a rock solid mindset, nothing yet to report. I'm just living my best life and trying to make the best of days getting shorter.

Rapid fire overview of the media corner, though I've been just pinteresting my ass off lol; gaming: still neck deep in Diablo 3, but I find that I want to minmax my actual life more than playing a game, again; music: Ikkimel has been on a LOOOOOP lately; show: the first episode of Edgerunners s2 was incredible, and I look forward to binging the rest of the season once I'm back.

Dear reader, this was probably not my most important issue to date. It's daytona messy, it’s all over the place, I feel scattered af. I'm really in a transitional period. But I swear, I'm making huge progress mentally. I'm looking around me right now, it's almost the end of day 4 on 5 of workshop, and the students are all so invested and working so hard, it's just a blissful feeling, I'm so happy.

I am at a point where it's not a question of if I'll make it or not. It's barely even when, cause I track habits etc like a madwoman, and I know the pace I'm going at. It's just holding up until it happens. Days going by. Building the glyphs. Building the glyphset. Protein gram after protein gram. Step after fucking step. Learning, progressing, sharing.

I'm changing a lot physically, and I never expected to have trouble recognising myself. Especially when I'm so far from where I want to be still. The fitter I get, the more I look like a specific person from my family that I immensely respect. It’s odd and wonderful. But I'm thankful for it. 4 months until I reach my goal, and then a lifetime to get better. LFG.

Take care ⚔️🔠
Ando