It's been four years, almost to the day, since I updated this journal. In that four years I have traveled throughout North America and South East Asia for my business and personal research, met amazing people, collected beautiful antiquities ranging from 40 year old Asian coin silver pieces to 2000+ year old Maya jadeite ear flares.

I've learned I need to delegate, so I hired employees.

I learned to carve jade and amber, my two favorite materials to lay my hands and eyes on.

I have started carving reproductions of ancient jewelry and I now consider myself to have a pivotal role keeping ancient arts alive.

I have learned that you can't please everyone.

I have learned that it is indeed possible to march to the beat of your own drum, and as long as you are sincere and confident in that, people will follow.

I have learned that things will work themselves out, simply by the nature of.. well.. nature.

I have learned that the world is more beautiful and more terrible than I ever could have imagined, and that contrast itself is beautiful.

I unfortunately no longer create two dimensional art. I have not been inspired to do so in years, I've tried and it pains me but I am no longer physically capable of doing it. What I have been doing for years as business, I consider to be my comfortable art form for the moment - creating wearable pieces of art for people to wear in traditionally elongated ear lobe piercings, stretched lip piercings and other assorted scultural do-dads made from natural materials (wood, horn, bone, amber, jade and other stones). This comforts me, is exciting to no end because I adore these materials, and has a well enough reception among people in and out of my body art circles that it satisfies my creative social needs.

I am content.