WhatAnOddUsername

Something I've found about myself is that I'm always addicted to some kind of screen-based media.

So, for example, I used to be really into mobile idle games. Then when I forced myself to give that up, I found myself scrolling through social media for hours at a time. When I force myself to give that up, I find myself playing mindless puzzle games on my computer for hours at a time.

Whenever I give up one addiction, I end up picking up another. This suggests to me that there is a deeper need here that is going unaddressed. It suggests that simple techniques to get rid of a habit (e.g. "Try deleting the game from your phone!") aren't sufficient in the long term. But I'm not sure what to do about that.

Ideally, I would like to be able to talk to a therapist about this. But since I'm back on a waitlist to see a therapist, I don't think that's going to happen for quite a while. I've been attempting to do other things for my mental health (meditation, journaling, exercise) but I find that the problem of my screen addiction continues to persists.

Every so often, in discussions about mental health, I see people recommending workbooks as an alternative for people unable to access therapy. I've been skeptical about this, but on reflection, it seems like that might be the right amount of structure for me. Meditation and journaling and exercise aren't really directed towards a specific problem the way a converation with a therapist can be, and if there are workbooks or similar resources that would help me work through this problem, I think it's worth a shot.

My ideal situation would be an interactive online or physical workbook that give me prompts for writing and reflection within a structure, e.g. I don't just want a book or series of YouTube videos I can passively read or watch (I can easily find those -- HealthyGamerGG is a well known resource on YouTube) but I also don't want to be told to just generically journal about my life (I'm already doing that).

If anyone knows about such a resource, please let me know.

Hello there. For the first time, I actually have some concrete questions about activism/doing my part in a union.

I'm in a teaching assistant union that's currently on strike. Since I'm sick for a few days, I've requested to be part of the "remote work" group, and the task I've been assigned is to find contact information for people who've donated to the university.

It occurred to me that "tracking down a person's contact information" is probably a fairly useful skill to have in the context of organizing, so I thought I should ask whether there is any advice I should follow here?

The university lists the names of donors alongside the scholarships, grants, etc. So far, I've mostly just been Googling "(person's name) (name of university)" until I narrow down the right person, and usually find either a LinkedIn page or a page related to that person's business. (Or, a few times, an obituary). The only slightly more sophisticated thing I've done is "whois" lookups for websites. Is there anything else I should consider?

I think the title is a fairly good summary, but for a few clarifications:

I'm not really looking for general fundamental drawing lessons -- not because I don't believe the fundamentals are important, but because those resources are easier to find for me (e.g. Proko, Ctrl-Paint, DrawABox). Those are good for fundamentals, anatomy, etc. but they can feel a bit like "eating your vegetables" sometimes, and every so often it's fun to get inspiration specific to the kind of art I'd like to make.

What I'm looking for would be something more supplemental, partly for the purposes of learning, but also partly for motivation. What I'm imagining is tutorials or demos either of specific techniques, or artists who do streams of their own drawing projects -- something where I could potentially draw along and put what I've learned into practice, while also seeing into the process of a real project, not just beginner exercises.

In the vast ocean of the internet, I refuse to believe that something like this doesn't exist. I know there exist artists with YouTube or Twitch channels who do videos about drawing that, while not exactly formal lessons, can still be informative about their process. And statistically, at least some of those artists must be furries. I'm just having trouble finding good ones, because it's never occurred to me that this could be a fun way to supplement my learning, and because typing "furry drawing youtubers" into Google isn't as helpful as I was hoping it would be.

EDIT: In case anyone's looking, the closest I've found is this Google Doc via /r/FurryArtSchool: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OTqhtsRMR3I_tofdM7D0GqdBMcg9-7kLZ_9gbL9SFcA/edit . Still a bit more focused on fundamentals than on specifics, but at least it's focused on furry art.

Since search engines weren't helping me, I tried ChatGPT in an act of desperation. Here was the result, which is fairly close in concept to what I'm looking for, although if anyone thinks they can do better, let me know:

Jazza - Jazza is a popular artist who creates a wide range of content, including furry art. He has many tutorials on his channel that can help you improve your furry drawing skills.

Vivziepop - Vivziepop is an animator and artist who is known for her unique and expressive art style. She often features furry characters in her artwork and animations.

Draw with Jazza - Draw with Jazza is a YouTube channel that is dedicated to art tutorials, challenges, and speedpaints. While the channel is not exclusively focused on furry art, it does have several videos that are relevant to the furry fandom.

Vix N dwnq - Vix N dwnq is a Twitch streamer who is known for creating digital art, including furry art. She often streams her art process and provides helpful tips and insights for her viewers.

Silverkitsuneart - Silverkitsuneart is a furry artist who creates both digital and traditional art. She has a variety of tutorials and speedpaints on her YouTube channel, as well as streams on her Twitch channel.

Furry Little Peach - Furry Little Peach is a digital artist who creates vibrant and colorful illustrations, including many with furry characters. She often shares her process and tips on her YouTube channel.

Toastyhat - Toastyhat is a furry artist who creates both fanart and original art. They often stream their art process on Twitch and share tutorials and speedpaints on their YouTube channel.