hello, happy 2023. i hope January's been treating you kindly. mine's pretty productive with a dash of the-world-is-burning energy. like usual.

just a quick life update:

i'm still making resin, which is fun. my small, slow-art shop Anything Goes is 1 year strong as of dec 2022. you can find it here: @anythinggoesbym
i've already finished 2 paintings and they're pet portraits! it was a challenge that i really welcomed. you can see them in my gallery here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/michellemmanese/gallery
portrait commissions are still open with very limited slots, you can reach me via IG: @michellemmanese
i opened a Gank account because so many people reach out to me saying they can't tip me here, so here's my still-empty-as-of-today Gank profile, where they accept Gcash: https://ganknow.com/michellemmanese/donate
look, i really appreciate that you even have the intention of tipping me but i know life is tough now so your support is more than enough. feel free to share my work with other people as an alternative!
finally, finally, after 3 years, our first show is on saturday. i'm equal parts terrified and excited, it's been so long.
i also made the show poster by hand and i'm proud of it! here's the photo without the details. i hope to make more posters this year.
we're different people now but i hope the stage missed us as much as we missed it. i hope it all goes well. wish us luck!

now for this poem. haaaa. i wrote this late last year because i felt kilig over someone i didn't want to feel kilig over. it's annoying. so i wrote it out of my system.
hoping i get to illustrate it sometime soon but i wouldn't hold my breath over it. i'm doing so many things on top of my current job. my goodness, if i could show you my notion, it's crazy.

anyway, this is getting long. i guess that's it for now. but you know what? i appreciate the reply function of tinyletter, i guess you can leave comments here if you want. i read them all!

take care of your heart today and i hope the coming days be kind to you.

talk to you soonest,

M

butterflies for breakfast
m manese
catch these butterflies slamming themselves
against my ribcage
swallow
any stray, let it sit
in the belly

one by one
a pot full
it'll reduce when done

stew them with rock sugar
and a little lemon and lime
a little salt for good measure
stir it well, medium high heat
keep an eye on it,
don't let it burn
turn the heat to low

simmer simmer simmer, see?

all done
let cool
keep it somewhere airtight

then
spread it on this breakfast's
toast, sweeten tea,
top pancakes, eat by
spoonful

do what you must

congratulations, congratulations
eat well

Buy M Manese a good luck charm

quick life update + new poem

Overthought #1: To quit means progress.

Baby, I will miss that plane for you.