Major Patreon / Life Update!

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

This post is long overdue.

First and foremost, I deeply apologize for being less active over the last few months.

I am quite aware that I am overdue on some rewards both digital and physical and will be fixing that in the coming months. This is me acknowledging and taking responsibility for it! I promise they will come. Patreon remains an important part of my work as a creator and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

The masters program I'm enrolled in at The London Film School has been more time intensive than expected. Most days I'm in class from 10-5PM and use whatever free time I have to do pre-production on film shoots required to pass the term for school, or I'm actively trying to get cinematography work to establish myself in London after I graduate. I aim to graduate in 2024. Afterwards, I can apply for a graduate visa which allows me to stay in London for 2 years. Then it's up to me to find a visa through a job sponsorship or what is known as the Global Talent Visa (which is very hard to get!).

To be transparent, in addition to some personal life details, managing film projects and crowdfund, and purely trying to survive in a new city, 2022 proved to be quite a challenge to balance things. My mental health took a deep dive this past year:

In August 2022, my divorce finalized during my first feature film shoot, and separately had a year long relationship end concurrently. I haven't fully processed the loss of a home, a best friend, as well as four pets. In a way I've been ignoring these feelings and it all caught up to me with the loss of the second relationship. All of this has compounded the loneliness of being in a new city, being on my own, and the anxiety of financial and future uncertainty. 

In the winter of 2022, I suffered malpractice from an aesthetic practitioner and it has taken a year to reverse. There are several women who have also been victims of this aesthetician, but we fear coming forward about it for various reasons. Needless to say, all the emotional and mental turmoil caused other medical complications that I'm currently receiving treatment for.

I'm sure you all know me as being extremely motivated and on top of things, and very active on social media, but this year - I'm sorry - it was just too hard for me. There were many days when I wanted to retreat and ignore the world. I deeply apologize for being absent, behind, and not active as I should be.

I recognize it's time for me to pull myself out of the hole and get back to it. It's the only way forward, it's the only way to heal, and of course, it's what's fair to the people supporting me. Thank you endlessly for being patient. 

Please expect rewards soon, more updates on my film work, school, and so on. Thank you for sticking it out with me thus far. Your support means the world to me to and it has helped me through a very difficult time. Please trust that I will deliver what you came for. If you have any questions, do shoot me a message!

Warmly,

Ravenna