2025 Recap: Losing My Creative Spark & Achieving a Childhood Dream

What started as a year for creative projects, warped into rebuilding my life after a layoff.

This year wasn’t what I expected it to be.

In December 2024, I was laid off from my full-time job after the video game I had worked on for three years was canceled.

At first, I was excited to lean into projects I had pushed back for the new year. I made plans to post monthly on Substack, build a comic tutorial YouTube channel, and work on my graphic novels…but the world had other plans.

A test shot of the YouTube channel I started working on

Instead, I fell into a dark place after the layoff. Stories and characters that frequented my mind took an indefinite leave of absence, replaced by a fear of the future and an overwhelming sense of loneliness. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t create art to make me happy. Thankfully, I had a source of income from my graphic novel, but the dread of not having health insurance lingered in the back of my head.

After weeks of inking my graphic novel in isolation, I decided to get another job. I missed collaborating with a team on a daily basis, the security of full-time benefits, and longed to work in tech again. In a stroke of good fortune, I landed a video game design job at my childhood dream company in the midst of finishing my inks. I’ll never forget the night of my first day of work: I laid in bed beaming ear-to-ear, feeling like myself after months. Unfortunately, the stories and characters weren’t back, but at least the deafening thoughts were no more.

A pen and ink piece called “Anxiety” I debuted at an art gallery this year

For the rest of 2025, I dedicated myself to my new full-time job which consisted of designing user interfaces with C++ code and completing my graphic novel. Some months, I wouldn’t leave my apartment when on deadline, but it led me to finishing my inks for Cramming. There’s a lot of things I would change about my inking process if I could start over, which I’m currently working on for a future Substack newsletter.

Before thumbs and after inks of a page from Cramming.

I also took a trip to New York City to visit one of my childhood friends, a few literary agency buds (including my Round Table mentee, Steph), and my amazing book editor, Jessica. A highlight was visiting the public library that was magically dusted in snow. Oh, how I’d work there all the time if I lived in NY!

Book excursions didn’t stop there. I attended local comic festivals such as SPX, Baltimore Graphic Novel Fest, and DC Zine Fest where I met up with fellow author-illustrators. It was so nice to see familiar faces again and meet online friends that I had spoken to for years, but had never met in person.

Some of the coolest graphic novelists you’ll ever meet

An event highlight was interviewing my friend Angela for the launch of her beautiful graphic novel, Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology at Fantom Comics. It was a great turnout and something I aspire to have for my own book launch someday. I’m still is disbelief at how talented my friends are.

A strange turn of events also led me to Italy this year for a weekend of pistachio gelato, uncontrollable giggles with a friend I rarely see, and scenic Tuscan views at a castle. That trip was a much needed reprieve from a stressful year, and a glimpse into what my art residency would be like next year in a French chateau.

Photos from my trip to Italy

To cap things off, I visited China. My friend Jessica and I attended a wedding for two of our friends while scouring every city for the best boba places (Ah Ha won by a long shot). We also went to Shanghai Disney, Dali, and Suzhou, where I visited a popup shop for the video game I work on. It was surreal to see features I contributed to in the flesh, and even more amazing to meet a fan of the game. Soon after, I flew back to the states where I attended my mom’s wedding.

My friend and I posing in front of a video game popup shop in Suzhou, China

There’s no hiding that this year was one of the toughest years of my life. Other than recovery post-layoff, I also struggled with physical health, the death of a friend and the sudden passing of our family dog, Ella. Even if it wasn’t what I expected, it led to many wonderful things that I hope to bring with me into the new year…including getting my creative spark back!

I also wanted to apologize for not sharing more updates this year. It’s hard to explain how challenging it was to do anything outside of my jobs, but I’m happy to report that all the posts I’ve had sitting in drafts for months will finally be out in the world next year. See you in France for 2026 and Happy Holidays! 🎁

Before I close out this update, I wanted to share a few favorites from this year:

• Drink: Fermented Pu’er Tea ← my new obsession

• Snack: Lang Ya Tu Dou (狼牙土豆)

• Video Game: Clair Obscur - Expedition 33

• Song: Serotonin, by Girl in Red

• Musical: Epic the Musical