starless @starless@pixie.town

@pixouls I use my soldering iron stand often. Perhaps they could lend you one? A ceramic thing could do to contain it in a pinch, but lead exposure could make that tricky to borrow.

Otherwise, a scrap of wood with a little hole in it and some coat hanger wire should be able to make ya a stand. A search for diy soldering iron stand can bring up instructions.

If you fill it with sand or something heavy, you may be able to use a soda can, depending on the iron length/shape.

@Oric I found it easiest to work on scrap paper. I felt less guilty making art on old newsprint, packaging, or things I would throw away anyways.

Embrace the suck. Some people say you have a thousand bad paintings in you, and being an artist is about getting the bad ones out. Give yourself permission to make lots of bad art.

Do a sketch and move on. If you erase and re-make the same thing a ton, it feels like you're doing less and you lose evidence of your effort. You're making a bad drawing either way, give yourself permission for it to be bad, and try again fresh. That way, you'll at least see you've done twelve drawings, rather than one drawing with lots of erase smudges.

Also, you could take an art class. If you get your critique from an instructor, it might be easier for you to give yourself permission to not be your own critic, and to just focus on making things and doing your best.

If it's collegiate, the instructor will probably want you to learn how to take critique. Do let the instructor know about your situation and consider asking that they record their feedback for you so you can emotionally process it in private yourself. Taking critique is a messy process, but part of being an artist is engaging with critique in a healthy way.

In my experience, community education art instructors are very gentle and joyous, and can be critical enough that you can help quiet your inner critic. These classes are also usually less expensive.

@bryanhansel wow, scammy quality medical supplies are a real messed-up thing. I'm sorry that happened.

I get most of my "can't get it at the local grocery store" household stuff off iherb, and have found them to be pretty good. I hope you're able to find the supplies you need.

It's interesting how hard it is to assess the impact of getting things delivered vs driving out and buying them. The type of courier matters, size of the package (and its packaging), and a bunch of other weird stuff. It's frustratingly hard to know the environmental impact of the whole thing, IMO.

The guiding work sounds interesting, though. Would you mind sharing what area you guide in?

@bryanhansel I've felt this about a big chunk of online marketplaces. The best luck I've had has been browsing review photos, or ordering something custom.

It's wild to see how much stuff (garments are what I've noticed most) of a really low quality is being made and sold. Stuff that, if folks could assess in person, they wouldn't buy. It is almost impossible to shop for something that's made of actual, real silk from a place like Amazon. Anyone can use it as a listing tag, even if what they're selling is a polyester satin without a scrap of silk in it.

What stuff have you noticed problems with getting?

I'm curious what the impact of online-first shopping has been on waste (and, ideally, what a nice way to address it might be).

@futzle I'm down! :)

@aurynn I'm sorry to hear that.

When my knees were giving me more trouble, I picked up a cane and found it very helpful for sending folks a nonverbal message of "don't make me dodge you, it might injure me".

I'd suggest getting one before you "need" need, if you can. I've found mine handy around, and since they're based on your leg length/ height, it'll probably be good for a while. You can get removable ice spikes and such, too, for winter. My cane was nice because it helped prevent my knees from over-exerting and getting further injured.

I got mine from fashionablecanes.com because of course that's a website, and the older people in my life recommended it.

I got a solid wood one that isn't adjustable, but it is very sturdy and I've always felt a bit safer carrying it at night. It's the kind with the smooth, curved handle, rather than a more ergonomic grip. It's easier to put on my arm for a bit, or to flick up to gesture for someone not to run into me. I used mine a lot to claim space near me (preventing me from doing a pivoting motion that was causing damage to my knee), or as a way to reduce some pressure on a leg if i was standing for a while. There's a chance that this kind of handle might not be as useful for you, but it was just what I needed.

My advice when looking for one is to follow your heart/ body and listen to what it wants, to try out grips in person (if feasible), and to measure the length based on how you want to use it.

If you're thinking about it, my unsolicited suggestion is to go for it when finances allow, if you can. I found mine to be liberating, but it was a positive experience for me, so I might be biased. :p

@bright_helpings dude that story was great and you look so freaking dapper.