I'm currently flying back home from a stay in the States to attend BFC. It was wonderful, and I'm excited to be back home where I can put my newfound energy to good use and make all sorts of new and fun things for y'all.

During the internal flight back from the con to my little sweetheart Fae, where I was staying for a while, my playlist landed on the song "Mother, I'm Here," which resonated with me powerfully (and is essential to the enjoyment of this piece), to the point of tears. It inspired an idea, as music is wont to do, but I didn't have the time or energy to tackle it at the time.

On the transatlantic flight to my layover in Amsterdam - which is where I'm preparing this post - the song came up again, and I was not about to let inspiration pass me by a second time. Luckily, I had my new sketching kit with me, and an empty seat beside me, so I set myself up to draw.

I hastily scrawled the lyrics down, fruitlessly attempting to choke back my tears again, and split the song up into pictures to go with each stanza.

My dearest Mommy Garnet was certainly at the forefront of my mind when I first heard the song, given the pointed lyrics and the fact that I have a room set aside for me to stay in at hers, but there are so many people in my life now who are eager to welcome me "back home," despite how far away or long I've gone. This is why I changed "Mother" to "Lover" in the sequence, as she is also very much that to me, too.

This gift I now have is, in no uncertain terms, something that I have sought out for my entire life, and as hard as it is to say goodbye each time I leave one home to return to another, the fact that I can do this at all is something that I cherish and value in ways that words cannot do justice.

And that is why I spent a couple of hours on my flight home feverishly drawing this, and uncontrollably crying nearly the entire time.

I took the photos on the plane to add the sense of immediacy and context of travel to the final piece, almost as if it were a performance in itself. However, this did make the sketches a little harder to read, so here are some clearer shots of each page to try and help with legibility.