A letter to all:

(Mind the poor grammar. Despite my bachelor's degree, I’m not a very good writer)

So, originally I was going to ask a few friends to post this if I ended up not coming back, but I realized that I didn’t want to wait until I was gone to say what I needed to say. So, I deleted my original post after about two months of writing and made this instead.

The next leg of my journey is going to be a possibly dangerous one. I mean that with no exaggeration. After almost dying in a vehicle flip over three times and after seeing the same thing happen to two other friends of mine, I realized that I can’t go out again without at least saying a few words to you all.

The time I spent with you all has been the happiest I’ve been in my entire life. I’ve never felt more free, supported, and fulfilled. The community you and I have worked to foster is a beautiful and highly supportive family

What I do IRL in the military is not out of a contractual obligation. Even though I can barely see it, and most of you have to remind me, I have become a far stronger woman from my years of service. I’ve learned to be selfless towards others, to communicate effectively, to take care of myself, appreciate and value what I have, to lead, and to take on hardships head first. I’ve learned so much that I’ve been able to pass these lessons down to people struggling in my life. So, as much as I suffer, I do not regret it.

If I don’t come back in 3 months I implore you not to look for me. Who I was is gone and I want to leave you with the same thing that brought me so much joy over the 5 years I’ve been with you.

Love,

Sylvia

AKA: The Draft Horse

P.S. A message for the artists and inspiring artists:

This section is for those who want to become artists. It’s what I’ve taken my entire life to understand and it’s the key to my success. It can best be started with a quote by Will Smith, “The separation of talent and skill is one of the greatest misunderstood concepts for people who are trying to excel, who have dreams, who want to do things. Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft."

Too many of you are living amazing and thought provoking lives, but you lack the ability to speak through art. Why? Because you were born without talent, and you were only taught by talented people who never understood your struggle. I remember trying to learn from talented artists who had no ability to communicate their process, because their start came naturally. They could look at a reference and draw it without erasing or sketching, and when you ask them for advice they’d simply respond with, “just keep drawing”. This is not good advice and only works for an extremely small minority of the population.

If you want to progress as an artist, it’s far easier than you realize and what people teach. All you need are three things: resiliency, a willingness to switch mediums often, and ideas for what you want to CREATE (NOT draw, sculpt, write about, etc. Only picking one way to create is far too narrow and lacks a variety of expressions).

Resiliency is self explanatory. It’s your willingness to push through adversity and take criticism. If you don’t have this you’ll become discouraged quickly. I recommend reminding yourself why you create to begin with. This will help you stay on track and reduce negative thinking.

A willingness to switch mediums often is one of the most underrated ways to succeed in art. Understand now that you do not know what medium you like, until you’ve explored that medium. I didn’t know that I loved ceramics until I reluctantly took a class in it. But it’s not just about exploring to find what you like. It’s about exploring to add more tools to your belt. 3D art will improve your 2D art because you’ll understand more about the 3D space. Meanwhile 2D art will improve your 3D art when it comes to planning and visualization due to the limiting scope of 2D art. So if you ever feel stuck or unfulfilled, SWITCH MEDIUMS. You will notice huge improvements when you return.

Lastly, when it comes to creating, I always wanted to create horse, self expression, and wholesome art. Throughout my journey, I always came back to these points that I was passionate about. Following and expanding on these areas (an example is when I added kobolds) fuels your love of creating and can help you focus when you’re lost.

Most importantly do amazing things. I know you will. 😊💜