State of the Dojo - Where have I been?

 Hey peeps, DJ MK here.

Feels like an eternity and a half since I've written on here, huh? Well, there has been a lot going on in my life lately. Obviously there has been a lot with everything on the news and, of course, a near world-ending pandemic on our hands. But I'm now in a much more stable position to describe everything that's been happening here.

Camp NaNoWriMo 2020, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Writing

Hey peeps.
With all of this time to reflect on our situation, there's also been a lot of time to figure out what activities to keep our spirits up as much as possible. I've been doing several and I've detailed them in some of my livestreams - the obvious Netflix catchup, language learning (I'm picking up my Japanese again), music (in my case, singing and piano), and reading. There has been one creative endeavor I have been wanting to go back to for a while - creative writing. It's something I've had a complex relationship with for years (this blog and my previous one being no exception to this) and it's only now during this period that I've been able to begin to heal it.
This year's Camp NaNo has been my most successful writing campaign to date, not only in consistency but also in word count. My confidence in my creativity has gone up and I've also found a happy medium on my writing productivity. That moment when I crossed the 10,000 word mark was a magical space because that feeling of flow hadn't been in my world for so long.

 

Up until that point, the writing process I loved and felt passionate about was almost akin to pulling teeth. I couldn't produce anything outside of academia or journaling for a long time even with the ideas still coming to my brain. I'm not sure if this manuscript will see the light of day but the possibility of finishing the challenge gets me excited to go to my laptop everyday and get something down.
I'm still figuring out what finally managed to help me get through the gates. I'm still learning how to get better at my craft. But I'm glad that I'm feeling unconditional happiness again. I may write more posts here on the winding journey to this point.
For now, the biggest message I want to give to you is this - if you've been an creative rut, whether a short lived one or a lengthy one like I have, please know that there is a way through. Don't judge yourself harshly by what others produce no matter how tempting it is or that you could've started sooner. Relax and see where your words take you no matter how flawed or unclear things feel right now. Most importantly, remind yourself of the things you do enjoy in your craft and create more moments like that.
Take care of yourselves everybody. Find something you've always wanted to do and find a way to do it. Most importantly, may your heart be your guiding key.
<3 DJ MK

State of the Dojo - COVID-19 Lockdown

Hey peeps, DJ MK here.

This period has been a difficult time for all of us, especially in the nerd community. Between cancelled conventions, delayed media releases, and more packages and titles than we thought we had to deal with, the overwhelm is real. And then there's of course the genuine struggles, fears, and losses we've experienced along the way.

It's been over three weeks since my state shut down. In some ways, I feel like I'm taking on the role of Simon Itani from Blackout - trying to make sense of all of this while at the same time trying to provide comfort to my audience through whatever means I feel confident in. (Side-note: Blackout is a podcast I highly recommend along with Homecoming and Bronzeville)

In terms of activities besides the livestreams, I'm participating in Camp NaNoWriMo writing some new fiction. I'm also learning Japanese and the piano as well as retraining my voice so that I'll have some awesome burnout free karaoke times by the time I get out of here. I'm not sure how frequently I'll update the site but I'll be sure to communicate as often as I can on here.

Here's an awesome quote from Kate Mulgrew in her recent letter to fans (proud to say I'm one of them) -

In this time of extraordinary challenge, exercise your right to be deeply human. Be surprised by your own generosity of spirit. Don’t be afraid of fear, confusion or anxiety. We are living through an Unknown Pandemic, and we have every right to be unsettled.

 It's okay to feel what you feel right now. It's okay to not always know what steps to take or which direction to face. Now is the time to be patient and ease up. In the midst of the chaos and uncertainty, remind yourself of the things you do feel sure about even if they are temporary. If you can't come up with things, it's okay. Allow others to do it for you. There are helpers out there. If you're one of them - whether you're a first responder, retailer, delivery person or just donating a meal to a neighbor or the small amount of funds to research, I salute you.

Stay safe, be aware, and know that there is support when you need it. Take it easy everybody and of course, may your heart be your guiding key.

<3 DJ MK

Mahou Kunoichi (the radio show) is back!

Hey peeps!
If you've listened to my latest episode last Sunday, you'll have seen that I've finally gone premium on Mixlr and that the show is back on the air officially! I'm pretty rusty on my production and my space is not exactly conducive to long streams at this point but I'm working on getting back to top form. Reviews for The Farewell and Midsommar are coming up on the show and here so stay tuned for that.
I've also officially opened up my card reading storefront for business! If you use the code 'VIRGO' when you request a card reading, I'll throw in an oracle card or rune for free. This'll be good until the full moon passes out of Virgo (which is 3/10) so jump in on this deal quickly!