Space

Well I usually do my preliminary sketches with pencil. But everything after that is digital, yes. Mostly use Adobe Photoshop. Typical day is fairly uneventful, in a good way. Usually start working at 7:30am or whenever I want, and work on my computer until lunchtime. Then a few hours after lunch. I just spend most of the time producing work on my computer or exchanging emails with clients. Basically, you just need a good amount of high quality work that shows you can do the job. You don't need to separate the portfolio into technical aspects and then creative thinking. It's all the same thing really. Decide how many pieces of work you need in your portfolio before you start reaching out to prospective clients/employers. Unique original style is the style that identifies your work to you. To be successful you need one style and you also need to show that you can produce that style consistently. Style is developed through lots of work and experimentation, and then more work. Its good to practise with different mediums but don't jump around too much. Find something that works and then stick to it. I don't know too much about the comic industry tbh. But the bottom line is, just focus on what you genuinely enjoy doing and get really really good at that one thing.

It's never the wrong timing. There is always a need for artists. Basically everything we own and consume has been designed by artist or designer so there is massive demand for it. I don't have any experience with comic art, but I am a professional freelance illustrator now. Ultimately it comes down to 2 things if you want to be any kind of artist, illustrator or designer: 1) Having a really good portfolio of work that shows technical skill, creative thinking and a unique original style. 2) Being able to consistently produce good work. You want to be in a position where you a consistently good rather than occasionally great. So if you don't have those 2 ticked off then get to work. Its totally possible to get into the comic industry, but i'm not sure it pays all that well and theres a shit ton of work, similar to animation. But if you're genuinely passionate about it, then absolutely go for it! Job satisfaction is more important than money tbh.

A recent piece of editorial illustration I completed. Simple composition but I felt it was relevant for the forum

@universe I love Anna. She's so charismatic and expressive

Secure

Thats right. You'll have to let go of either graphic design or illustration in order to fully pursue the other. Graphic design can definitely provide more work opportunities, but if you love drawing and creating images then illustration is the way forward.

@Advocate Wonderful! Sounds amazing. A few questions: 1) Have you ever done MDMA by yourself, and if not would you consider it? 2) Following on from the above, how important is having other people to communicate to during the trips? 3) How does a low dose of 60mg MDMA feel? Do you get any of the hyper-stimulation, restlessness, jaw clenching etc?

@Amannl3in I worked for 3 years building my skills in illustration whilst working a full-time job. I recently was able to quit my job and am now working as a professional illustrator. So I can offer you some good advice here. 1) If you think that going to university is necessary for you then go do that. But my personal view is that it's is not necessary whatsoever. The only major benefit of doing a undergrad is that you get 3 years of critical feedback from teachers and other students. This is the only thing you cannot get else where. I would say its worth paying just for the constant feedback. However, it's absolutely not essential. You can become a professional-level artist on your own. Because thats what I did. Firstly you need to get clear on whether you want to be a graphic designer or an illustrator. These are two entirely different paths. Completely different. This will dictate the kind of practise you need to start doing. You don't need to learn to shade realistically. This is a small technical skill that isn't even necessary to be an illustrator and definitely not to be a graphic designer. You can learn this later on. 2) Start practising. A lot! You need to be putting in at least 1-2 hours of focused undistracted and deliberate practise every single day. If you want to be an illustrator, start by drawing 1000 figures, and then 500 heads and 500 hands. Copy from other artists, copy from anatomy books, draw from imagination, draw from life (videos on youtube or in real life), draw from photographs, draw from imagination etc. I guarantee with 100% certainty that you will be a significantly better artist after drawing 1000 figures. Start drawing anatomically proportioned stick figures. Then practise gesture drawing. 3) Start creating your own projects with briefs. If you want to get ahead of everyone else and speed up your learning curve massively, start by doing brief-based projects. This means either finding existing 'mock' briefs online or just create your own. Obviously these are going to differ considerably if you are doing graphic design or illustration. Very important that you do the projects to completion because this forces you to be creative and make final decisions which will grow you as an artist. 4) You cannot fail as an artist! Failed projects are never failures. Bad work is never bad work. Some pieces work better than others, but all work is a step forward and a useful set of experiences that will permeate forward into your next projects. So be sure to have this in mind when you make bad work and you get discouraged.

@gggkkk I wouldn't say its a bad idea and I don't think it would negatively impact your retreat haha. Maybe don't use it every day, but every now and then I reckon it could be an interesting experiment. Obviously it's not necessary. I took caffeinated coffee with me on a recent 10-day. That helped a lot!

@CodyXarex Ultimately it comes down to asking yourself 'if I had to spend 6,7,8 hours (a normal working day) every day for the next 10-20 years doing something, what would that be?'. Forget about money, family, location, or any societal expectations. What would you find most enjoyable and full-filling if you had to spend many hours doing it every day. Because no amount of money will make you day job more enjoyable. And think about the actuality of the day if you were doing this thing. What would each day look like? Its important to think about the normal day-to-day tasks when you're thinking about what to do in life, and not some vague idea of what it might be like. I would also say that the fact that you're questioning your current job as a tradesman says that it's not really what you want to be doing. Jobs can be hard, grueling, boring and tedious, but you can still love it and know its what you're meant to be doing. If you're questioning it then I wonder if you don't really love it. My job is boring and tedious at times but I still love it. There's no question of doing anything else. Hope that helps.

I'm not too sure to be honest. I think its because DMSA and DMPA are just not widely used. They're not prescription drugs. Where as ALA is much more widely used as a supplement, so you can buy it on Amazon.

@PurpleTree Yes i've bought it recently. But delivery takes a few weeks. https://www.livingsupplements.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_8

Search for Andy Cutler Chelation book. https://andy-cutler-chelation.com/

You must make sure that there are no specks left in the teeth. You simply can't chelate with any specks left. Specks are basically just very small bits of amalgam left in the tooth. The good news is that if you worked with a SMART dentist, he/she would very likely be well aware of the necessity of this. Part of the whole SMART process is to ensure that 100% of the amalgam has been removed. Request your bitewing x-rays from the dentist. And then go to the facebook group page that I linked in my original post and ask for a review of the bitewings. Just post a comment in the main group feed along with the attached files. Usually takes a few days for someone to review them. If you didn't have any x-rays after the procedure then you'll need to go to the dentist and get them done. You want to be 100% sure that there are no specks left. It's worth the effort.

Leo mentioned this in his recent video, but I really want to stress the importance of this. IMPORTANT: YOU MUST HAVE YOUR METAL FILLINGS (AMALGAMS) REMOVED BEFORE STARTING ANY CHELATION PROTOCOL. This is absolutely essential, and non-negotiable. IMPORTANT: The amalgams MUST be removed safely. It is strongly advised to get the amalgams removed by specialist mercury-safe S.M.A.R.T (Special Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique) dentist. Normal (non-SMART) dentists will remove the amalgams unsafely and potentially cause more harm to you. To find a registered S.M.A.R.T dentist in your country use this website: https://iaomt.org/member-listings-smart-member/?fbclid=IwAR01P3GcVICFCBnE0IrBbMrJ0me3Sg2ebV4ZR13Coudd0_47wal5ObVIZV4 Not to scare people away but the procedure is rather long and not the most pleasant of experiences. However I had 3 amalgams removed and it wasn't too bad. The dentists have to place a sealed rubber dam around the tooth which can take a while to get set up. The dentists will also need to wear special breathing equipment so to not breath in any toxic vapours themselves (this just shows the level of toxicity we're talking about here). Google Image search 'SMART mercury removal dentist' and you'll get a sense of what to expect. READ EVERY LINE ON THIS PAGE, it provides a detailed guide and lots of useful information for the chelation protocol: https://andy-cutler-chelation.com/#THE_CHELATION_PROCEDURE_-_AFTER_DENTAL_REVISION IMPORTANT: It is strongly advised to get mid-x-rays done during the procedure. This means having a high-resolution full bitewing x-ray of the teeth after the amalgam has been removed and BEFORE the new filling has been put in. This ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. Why? Because if you have a speck of amalgam left in the bottom of your tooth then you will need to have the whole new filling removed again for the speck to be removed. YOU CANNOT START CHELATING WITH ANY SPECKS OF AMALGAM LEFT. So, get the amalgam removed, the dentist scans the teeth, you both check the x-rays there on the day and then you get the new filling added. Specks are very small bits of amalgam. They appear as a solid bright white colour on the x-ray. But because they can be so small it's important to get high quality, high resolution images. IMPORTANT: Get your mid-x-rays checked by another dentist on the dedicated mercury amalgam removal Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/153239041441176?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=4439893866108984 You must post the mid-x-rays in the group and request for them to be reviewed by one of the dentists in the group. They're all volunteers but usually get back to you fairly quickly and they all seem quite reliable. If one of the dentists says there is a speck you must go back to the SMART dentist to get a new filling. There is no debate or way around this. IMPORTANT: Be careful of chelating with dental crowns. Some dental crowns are placed on top of metal amalgams, hiding the amalgam from view. Both will need to be removed and replaced in order to start chelating. Review your bitewing x-rays and talk to your dentist for more clarification. And for more advice go to the Facebook group page linked above. For context, I had my amalgams removed safely January 2021. I've done 25 rounds of chelation since then. Any questions please ask below.

As far as i'm aware the correct terms are 'amalgam' for metal fillings and 'composite' for non-metallic fillings. But i'm sure the terms are used interchangeably by different dentists. But i've never heard or seen metal containing amalgams that look white/cream colour. They're usually metallic silver colour. I could be wrong though so don't take my word for it. Best bet is to contact your dentist and ask for clarification on the filling materials.

Amalgam fillings are pretty obvious. They're a metallic silver colour. I'd contact your dentist and get them to confirm if any of the fillings are amalgams or not before starting chelation. Metal amalgam fillings are not banned. They are still widely used by most dentists in most countries because they are supposedly more durable and long lasting than other non-toxic filling materials.

I doubt it. Shouldn't be an issue now as i'm assuming it's fallen out? Because they won't use the proper protocol. They will just drill it out like any other filling or cavity. This causes a bunch of toxic metals to go into your body and cause even more harm and damage. Go here for more information https://iaomt.org/member-listings-smart-member/?fbclid=IwAR01P3GcVICFCBnE0IrBbMrJ0me3Sg2ebV4ZR13Coudd0_47wal5ObVIZV4. I wrote about it in a post I did a few weeks ago. Search through my post history to find it. If there is actual mercury inside and it breaks, yes. If its still contained/sealed inside the thermometer then no.

@ROOBIO I think it's likely that it will contain some % of heavy metals. Huel even say they are well below the limit of danger which is implying that there is heavy metal content. The question is to what degree and how much Huel you're consuming.

@Opo Its not the end of the world if you got it removed without the proper protocol. At least you have the amalgams removed and out of your teeth, thats the main thing. However you may have had quite a bit of heavy metal exposure as a result of the regular extraction. I'm from the UK and you are legally entitled to your x-rays if they were taken by a NHS registered dental practise. Just email them or call them up and ask for the uncompressed individual files. You definitely do not need to pay. Not sure about other places in Europe. If they question it maybe just make up some reason like 'I need them for a full health examination I am doing'.

@Matt23 This should clarify things for you.

@Yarco I would probably say do both at the same time because they're both going to take a long time (not medical advice).

TLDR: Started Andy Cutler heavy metal chelation protocol early 2021. So far I’ve completed 20 rounds with varying dosages of ALA/DMSA. Have had mixed results. Some periods of sustained improvement in mental health. Other periods of no obvious improvements. And some periods of worsening health. Hard to determine effectiveness due to also making many other nutritional and health related changes over the same period. But overall glad I tested the process. Will be continuing with rounds for some time. _______________ Intro So I thought I’d give a quick report on my experience with chelating over the past year or so for anyone interested. If you’ve not familiar, chelating is a method of heavy metal detoxification (with a particular focus on mercury). It involves taking the supplements ALA and DMSA in regular intervals over a 72 hour period. That counts as 1 ‘round’. You can do dozens or even hundreds of rounds depending on the severity of toxicity in the body. The main reason I started the process was because I had 3 amalgam fillings (which contain mercury) in my teeth for many years and have experienced a range of mental and physical issues that were a possible symptom of the mercury amalgam fillings. Ultimately this was a long, somewhat expensive and still on going test to see if I can improve my health. I had my amalgams removed early 2021 partly because I didn’t want to have mercury in my mouth for the rest of my life. But also because in order to start chelating it is absolutely essential that all the amalgam fillings and all remaining ‘specks’ i.e. tiny small bits of amalgam in your teeth, are removed. If you are considering following this protocol it is absolutely imperative that you follow the correct instructions and guidelines laid out here: https://andy-cutler-chelation.com/#THE_CHELATION_PROCEDURE_-_AFTER_DENTAL_REVISION Amalgam fillings must also be removed by specialist SMART (Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique) dentists. Good database of SMART dentists here: https://iaomt.org/member-listings-smart-member/?fbclid=IwAR01P3GcVICFCBnE0IrBbMrJ0me3Sg2ebV4ZR13Coudd0_47wal5ObVIZV4 Rounds/Dosages I’ve currently done 20 rounds with quite a detailed log of all my rounds, dosages, dates, and symptoms on round. Started out with just DMSA for a few rounds, then moved onto DMSA and ALA together. Started with very low ALA dosages of 1-2mg and slowly worked my way up as per the recommendations in the above link. The most recent 3 rounds have been 25mg DMSA and 12.5mg ALA. I seem to be handling it fine with no significant side effects so I’ll be going up to 25m DMSA and 25mg ALA soon. On round I have also always taken the recommended additional supplements like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B, Zinc, Magnesium. However Zinc makes me nauseous so I don’t take it as often as recommended. I should also mention I had a couple rounds where I messed up the night doses, and either woke up and forgot to take the supplements or just slept through my alarm. I’ve refined my setup now so I actually have 3 alarms! And my phone is plugged into a set of speakers so its basically impossible to miss the night doses. The doses are positioned slightly away from my bed so I have to physically move up right to get the dose. And I also only have two doses in the box so I don’t get confused in the middle of the night. Experience To sum up the experience I have had periods where I saw significant alleviation in my anxiety and improvement in mental performance to the point where it was nearly undeniable that the chelating was working. By mental performance I mean reductions in brain fog, quicker access to memory, and more creative thinking. But I also experienced periods of the complete opposite, where the chelating didn’t seem to feel like it was doing anything at all to improve my health. I could have possibly entered into the ‘dump’ phase around 1 or 2 months after starting which is commonly talked about but I don’t know for sure. I’ve had a number of mild negative symptoms on rounds like irritability, spaced out feelings, lack of focus, tiredness etc. However these could easily have been a symptom of other things, so again it's hard to diagnose these. But some of these certainly came about on round and went away a day after I had finished the round, so in some cases it was clear that the ALA and DMSA supplements where the cause. I also consistently experienced extremely intense and vivid dreams on round. Without fail every time. These don’t really affect me too much in a negative sense, but its definitely a relief when I finish the round and go back to dreamless sleeping. One really interesting effect is on meditation. I consistently, again without fail, see an improvement in my ‘meditation ability’. My morning meditations feel much more ‘deeper’ and more powerful. And its not subtle, its very obvious that this is occurring every time I’m on round. I could probably say the chelation has improved my mental abilities, memory recollection, more clarity, less brain fog etc by a small amount, but its honestly hard to quantify it and the changes than I’ve seen in these areas over the past 10 months could be due to changes in my diet or something else entirely. So I can’t say definitively that it's a result of the chelation. Its also hard to think back 12 months and remember what my brain function was like and how it compares to now. But, on reflection, I don’t feel like I’m struggling with my mental performance these days. Where as a year ago I know I was really struggling. I will be continuing with doing more rounds because I want to increase the dose of ALA quite a bit more and see what effect that will have. Hope this was informative and helps anyone else interested in giving it a go.

No it's not only for those who have had mercury fillings. As far as I understand Leo hasn't ever had amalgam fillings and he did a lot of chelating. And many other people too.