Arsenal is back

Hello,

Arsenal is back and thus so am I. Before the Arsenal stuff, I just wanted to say thank you for the response and messages from the last post. I yet again received an overwhelming amount of responses.

I got a lot of questions from people asking if I am okay and I just want to publicly say that yes, I am. I think I spent a good part of my life trying to not feel things. Or rather, trying to feel things between a predetermined range. Never too sad, never too happy. I can’t recommend this, because this ultimately led to me waking up every morning with a panic attack for a month straight and ultimately being diagnosed with a panic disorder. (Pro tip: spread those suckers out, don’t put them all in one month.)

Poorly Drawn Arsenal was born out of this period of my life. It started as a daily task. Draw something, every day, for a year straight. That something became Arsenal. Through therapy, Poorly Drawn Arsenal, time, and many other factors, I got better. And so, this is a long-winded way to say that while I was feeling sad, heartbroken, and many other things at the loss, there was weirdly this little tiny part of me that was happy. Just happy to be feeling something again. Something outside of that predetermined range.

I debated sharing this story, but I’ve gotten what I needed to get out of Poorly Drawn Arsenal and more. I never expected it to become what it is. So, if this story helps one person realize that they are stuck and that there’s a way out, then Poorly Drawn Arsenal can serve a greater purpose.

Anywho, onto the sports.

Arsenal is back and boy does it feel good. Goals from Saka, Martinelli, and a wonderful goal from Eddie Nketiah made for a match that felt almost celebratory. There were some concerns building up before the match about how Gabriel Jesus’ injury would affect the team and if Eddie could fill the shoes. Maybe last night eased those concerns somewhat. Anywho, it’s nice to have Arsenal back and to have it be a nice win.

Finally, and most excitingly, there’s a doggo update at the end of this email 👀

That and this week’s drawings are below,

Poorly

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Drawings from this week:

Olive update:

When I mentioned in the last newsletter that Liz and I wouldn’t last long without a pet, I was not kidding. Well, say hello to the newest member of the family. This is Olive, she’s 12 weeks old. She was found in the middle of a four-lane highway with a bad flea infestation. She’s all better now, very loving, and cuddly.

Poorly Drawn Arsenal Ad Agency:

As some of you might know, I had a Patreon. I’ve now moved it to here on Substack for a number of reasons, but most importantly, to offer some financial flexibility. As a reminder, nothing is going behind a paywall. The Poorly Drawn Arsenal Ad Agency is a way to support me and have some fun. We create fake ads for products that don’t exist so that Poorly Drawn Arsenal is supported by people, instead of gambling companies. There’s also a private discord where we have match chats, etc.

It’s $5 a month or $50 for a year (two months free!) Also, the main reason I moved it over to Substack was to be able to offer this: if you are under financial strain and can’t afford this but want to be a part of the community, email me and I’ll give you a year-long trial. No questions asked.

Here’s the link if you wish to join: Subscribe now