Miller January 2025 Update
Updated: Mar 7
(Quick Note: Hey, hey! This is Michelle writing our update! I’ve been further behind than expected and struggling with the energy and mental capacity to write. I’ll try to cover what I can, but I can’t guarantee there’s a lot or that it’s very interesting. It’ll have to be written quickly, with my to-do list always overwhelming. Like they say, “There is no life balance for those with chronic illnesses.” So, we’re doing the best we can and are so grateful you’re still with us on this ride!)
Well, the end of last year and the start of this year brought quite a bit of chaos. It’s becoming increasingly apparent how the snowball effect of fatigue and burnout—on top of dissociation and time blindness—affects our ability to keep up. We are active, but “switching gears” is such a ridiculously simple hill that somehow takes a massive toll on us.
We aren’t just lazing around doing nothing. Most of the time, we’re in a daze, in pain, unable to sleep, and just waiting for our bodies to recalibrate so we can function again. We aren’t even able to watch or read because that mental process is currently down for maintenance. After years of being made to feel like we were choosing this, we’ve started giving ourselves grace—knowing this is just how we work. What a wild concept: that people are built differently and experience the world differently. Then again, a lot of that pushback came from an era where anything “different” or “new” was terrifying. But let’s change that, shall we?
This is probably just my point of view, but I truly believe that humans:
Were never meant to fully fit into how society is structured today.
Are naturally attuned to different times of the day—some function best at night, others during the day—and, ideally, society would have a system that allows people to contribute in ways that align with their natural rhythms.
Instead, we’re shoved into a rigid structure that ignores our natural inclinations. Specifically, the sheer amount of time humans are forced to work is absurd. Studies show that after six hours, the quality of work significantly declines. Yet, we’re expected to push through full days, multiple times a week, with minimal rest—ignoring what our bodies and minds actually need. And don’t even get me started on winter.
Here, winter brings massive risks—frequent snow, ice patches hidden beneath layers of unmelted snow, and roads that are supposedly “cleared” but covered again within 30 minutes. I’ve watched people force their cars out of two-foot snow drifts just to drive onto a road that’s completely buried again. And this is normal. There are jobs that expect you to show up, no matter the conditions—even when your industry isn’t important enough to justify risking lives on the road.
Now, we are blessed to be able to stay home and work here, no longer forced to endure the cold outside—especially since we have issues with the weather.
Oh, side note: We realized we may not be able to live in Colorado long-term. To function and avoid constant pain from the weather, we have to stay indoors with the temperature at 78 degrees and two humidifiers running at all times. After five years of making different adjustments, this is the best setup we’ve found to keep ourselves alive and minimally functional. Both of us grew up in families that kept their homes at 65 degrees or lower to "save money," which ended up causing some low-key, long-term issues. Since we’re both very tactile with our hands, we can’t just "throw on a jacket" when our fingers are freezing—it causes us to dissociate. Add in trauma connected to cold and winter specifically, and it’s a double whammy.
That being said, this winter has already been so much better since we figured this out last year! It doesn’t solve all of our problems, but it’s a small step toward living more comfortably.
We… well, mostly I had a lot of plans for 2025 that I started working on in November. But I haven’t been able to sit down and work on more than half of them. That just tends to happen with us. The things we have to do, let alone the things we want to do, may or may not get done depending on our health (which also comes with heavy memory issues). On top of that, we have a ridiculous number of amazing ideas we’d love to bring to life but just can’t.
This year, we’re going to focus on writing out as many of them as possible—concepts, steps, visuals, etc.—so we can find the right person to pass them on to. There are so many talented people out there who just need an idea that excites them, something they want to accomplish. And we’ve got ideas. Oh, do we have ideas… I’m literally drowning in them, and I haven’t even written down half of what we come up with. (Our walls are closing in, and I have WAY too many filled binders… send help.)
No, not everything we think of is a great idea. But because we have so many, even if only 10% are viable, that’s still a significant number when you’re working with a thousand ideas. And we’ve been collecting these for over a decade.
If you have a talent or skill you’d love to put toward something meaningful, contact us—let’s work together! We also don’t mind if you take an idea for commercial use, as long as you openly give us credit for it. That doesn’t seem like too much to ask.
I know, I know—I was going to write things differently this year. But since we missed that mark at the start of the year and are still struggling to catch up (we’re pretty sure this is an ADHD and PTSD combo effect), we’ll just keep retrying every month, hoping things fall into place for the next round.
Every year, I choose a single focus word—something that permeates everything I do for the year. For example, I once had a year focused on “Growth,” meaning I examined different areas of my life and asked: Where can I grow? How can I improve myself and move forward? I think I’ve been doing this since high school or early college, around the time I got tired of hearing the whole “New Year, New Me” or “New Year’s Resolution” talk—especially with the running joke that people rarely stick with resolutions past January. If you really intend to accomplish something, you should be able to start at any time during the year.
If a goal is so big that it intimidates you, you’re setting yourself up for failure. But if you break it into small, manageable steps, the chances of success—and of maintaining that success—are much higher.
With that in mind, this year’s focus is REST.
We both struggle with rest, having lived in a state of constant cortisol release for as long as we can remember. But with our backs against the wall and our health significantly impacted, we have to prioritize this now.
For us, and the way we were raised, “rest” was synonymous with “lazy.” If we weren’t constantly producing or doing something, it was seen as a flaw in our character—something inherently wrong with who we were. We’re now unraveling years of that false belief. And honestly? It wasn’t just us. That mindset was heavily pushed in certain eras. It’s not uncommon at all. My own parents used to brag about how much sleep they sacrificed to get more work done. Or they’d send subconscious messages—like my mother, who, just a day after invasive surgery, was out on a hill pulling weeds and planting flowers.
That constant reminder that you need to produce to be worth something is such a dangerous message to spread.
But here’s the truth:
Your existence is what gives you worth.
The sheer miracle of you existing.
You might think that’s not much. But you have no idea how deeply amazing that is.
Your choices, preferences, the way you see the world, how you’ve responded to past challenges, your gifts, the things you love, the places you go, the hobbies you try, the people you choose to interact with—and the fact that you, at this exact moment in history, exist right here, right now in this chapter of the world’s story?
How is that not unique and special enough as is?
We’ve been watching travelers visit various countries and disconnected societies, where locals are often surprised that someone would want to see their day-to-day life—something they don’t consider special. But that’s the thing: It may not seem like much to you because you’ve been desensitized by repetition. However, when you show it to someone on the other side of the world—someone who might not even recognize half the things in your home—your entire life becomes something fascinating to them. And that is always true. No matter where you are or what stage of life you’re in, you will always live in a bubble that never fully overlaps with someone else’s.
How is that not exciting?
My projects revolve around the uniqueness of human existence—the vast variations and differences that keep life exciting and fresh. Even today, there are passionate communities with strong bonds that most people have never even heard of, despite their openness and presence. I’m working on several topics that explore how to discover and expand on who you are, and some of these realizations have floored me. I’ve been diving nonstop into this research for three major long-term projects. You’ll probably be hearing more about them as time goes on. (Lucky you! 😆)
Back to the business side of things!
ATC Kits
Last year, we managed to create and give out 892 free ATC kits at Who Gives a SCRAP! We experimented with new ideas, revisited old classics, and—above all—focused on encouraging people to create!
Made a little general ATC Instructional zine that is free to grab!
Our energy has been a struggle since April 2024, so we’ve finally reached a point where we had to hire help for parts of the business we just can’t manage alone. As our therapists and mentors often remind us, we’re carrying a lot—things most people don’t even realize exist outside of movies or TV shows. Even the smallest actions in our daily lives can be incredibly heavy and draining.
That said, we’re making progress and are eager to keep pushing our business forward. Some things we did in the past may not be feasible anymore unless we can hire more help in the future. For now, we’re tweaking and adjusting things to make them sustainable within our current abilities and finances.
Still learning as we go!
First Art Swap of the Year!
Our first Art Swap of 2025 was on February 8th at the PPLD in Fountain (waaay on the farthest edge of Fountain—long drive for us). It ended up being a fantastic event, filled with crafty people! A few regulars stopped by to say hello or make a card with us. Many attendees were grateful for a laid-back creative space amidst the whirlwind of art supplies around them.
We each only made one card the entire time because we spent most of the event chatting with people. Right now, we’re investing a lot of energy into socializing, which is emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausting for us. Social anxiety and past traumatic experiences have made this a huge challenge, which is why it also affects our ability to keep up with posting.
But! We finally hired someone to help! 🎉 Posting should start by the end of this month or early next month!
Upcoming Art Swaps
March 8th – Penrose PPLD Library (We will NOT be at this one.)
April 12th – High Prairie PPLD Library (We will be at this one!)
All swaps run from 1 PM – 4 PM unless otherwise indicated.
More details: https://whogivesascrapcolorado.com/artswap/
NEW TRADE DISPLAY!
We put up a new trade display at Rainy Day Anime! Yes, you heard us! We now have another location at 2350 S Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80916, inside their event room. That means you now have another spot to trade cards!
Erissa, the lovely owner, will be unveiling her trade station and deciding on the final setup. Once everything is solidified, we’ll share photos so you can see how it looks. (Hint hint: The design is tied to their store! 😉)
Our Craft Groups Are Expanding!
We’re now splitting our craft groups into two!
1️⃣ Rainy Day Anime – Last Sunday of the Month | 11 AM – 1 PM
2️⃣ 21C Library – 2nd or 3rd Saturday of the Month | 10 AM – 12 PM (for Christ-followers who want to discuss what we’ve discovered in the Bible while crafting!)
Now you have two options to choose from depending on your comfort level.
This year we do not have set themes for our first craft group. It will just be a crafty buffet of art supplies you can play around with to create as many cards as you would like. The Christian Craft Group will be similar but with more direction.
Art Update
As for art we’ve created… well, we haven’t been able to make as much as we’d like. It’s been a major health struggle just getting ourselves moving, let alone keeping up with everything that keeps getting pushed aside for “pop-up higher priorities.”
We’ve started a lot of things, but we don’t have much to share just yet.
I took I think TWO pictures this month of art in progress. I've been wanting to create my own pattern for an Articulate Doll design. I've had this in my head for a few years now so decided to just go with it and make one. So now I have a sample and a full design that will be available down the line. Will be taking it to Crafters Clique at one point to have people there test out the pattern and give feedback! But the body parts move very smoothly and I'm quite proud of it.
John had mentioned to me that PPLD was doing a contest for new card designs. He and I were going to submit, but he got busy and forgot. I managed to complete two, really loving this art style I stumbled across. Would you love to see these designs as a PPLD card design option when signing up with our local library?
Sherlock Update 🐱
Sherlock is doing great! She still flips between wanting to be near us all the time and needing her own space. She’s also gotten a bit more vocal and demanding lately—very much a Tsundere.
The best example? When I leave, she cries loudly for me (even if John is right there!). But the second I step back through the door? She just walks off like she totally didn’t care. 😂
That said, she’s always happy to be picked up for some attention. We love how unique she is compared to any other cat we’ve ever had or encountered.
WE LOVE HER SO MUCH!!
Consistency & Progress
I know this update is shorter than what we’ve shared in the past. I’m working on planning out better methods to streamline our process and keep things more consistent. Still figuring out what works best for us, especially while dealing with dissociation and learning to listen to what our emotions/senses are actually telling us.
So, I apologize in advance for what we have for now. As the year goes on, the quality should improve. Warmer weather = higher energy! 🌞
We’re making progress—baby steps, but always steps!
That’s all I’ve got for now… at least, all I can think of at the moment. I’ll probably remember something else a day after this is posted. It’ll either make it into the next post or get forgotten as soon as it pops into my head (it happens 😆).
We’re looking forward to growing our crafty community and seeing you all in the future! 💕
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