If you've been a long-time customer of mine, and perhaps have been wondering what exactly is wrong with me, well, there's now an official diagnosis.

I have adult ADD (attention deficit disorder), severe anxiety, and moderate to severe depression. Personally, that last one I'm pretty sure is tied to the first one, but that's just me.

So, I've been on medication to control these issues for a little over a month now, and they're supposed to hit maximum effectiveness in 3-6 months from the time I started taking them. Yeah, it's a while, but as this is the medication with the fewest number of nasty side-effects, the doctors are giving this one a shot before trying anything stronger. I'm also undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy to cope with the ADD, and talking with a grief counselor (due to my mother's passing last November, which lead to all these lovely afflictions converging at once).

In other news, I'M STILL HERE!!

The other biggest news this week is that we're operating on special hours this Friday (tomorrow, I know. ADD is fun!), from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, and we'll be CLOSED on Saturday the 9th. I'm so sorry for the short notice, but this will likely be the last of the unexpected closings for the foreseeable future.

Okay, so yeah, this is new and exciting ground I'm covering. Suddenly a lot of my past issues and behaviors make a lot more sense. I'm being as honest and forthright as possible because you guys have entrusted me to take care of, preserve, and protect your art, and I am going to do my best to continue to do so.

At any rate, for the time being, I'm having to estimate a 4-6 week turnaround for new orders until this stuff truly kicks in and I can become a LOT more productive. My deepest apologies for those of you who've placed order prior to my ER visit and subsequent diagnosis. Your art is very important to you, I understand, and I'm doing as much as I'm able to get orders completed as soon as possible.

At least now I'm on a path to a truly long-term solution to avoid these kind of lead times. Once I'm caught up, I'll go back to the normal 2-3 week turnaround time.

I'm trying my best to be transparent and avoid any miscommunication as far as expectations go. I'm not out of the woods yet, but at least now I can see the path there. Thank you for your time and understanding, and for Pete's sake, please take care of yourselves too.

Stephen