WELCOME TO THE STORY THAT WE HATE TO TELL...

My beloved darklings and chosen family. We have an update on our family's situation.

-JON'S DAD PASSED AWAY-

As you may know, Jon's dad passed away recently and we had to drop/cancel everything and go to Arizona. The inevitable was coming true. The literal family patriarch. It broke our hearts and decimated our savings.

-JON'S MOM IS HOSPITALIZED-

Instead of grieving now, we are coping with the new awful reality that Jon's mom has been in the hospital for months and there is no release date. As a poet, all I can say is "true heartbreak can be fatal".

-A GLOBAL LOVE STORY-

Jon's parents were married right after high school graduation and went to college together, living in the married dorms. They have been together almost their entire lives, intertwined in a way so deep, they prove that true love makes you each whole, yet unable to exist without the other. They took Jon and his brothers from birth and traveled around the world. It sounds like a dream life, but these were not tourist destinations. These were mostly war-torn countries, conflict areas, and they were intimately exposed to cultures most of us have never even heard of. Most would make us weep, understand, connect, and grow as human beings.

"If you look at any piece of art close enough, you can tell where it is weeping". - Kaytee Thrun

-BILLS FROM EMERGENCY TRIP-

I am a lifelong Chicagoan. I have not lived abroad. Our home is here and after the first emergency trip cross country to Arizona, we are still catching up as we were forced to cancel several jobs. It was also very expensive to do everything last minute and unprepared. Many of you reading this are also working artists, musicians, and authors. It is hard to take time off.

"You work, you eat" quote I am sure said by a million artists.

-PREPARING FOR THE NEXT WAVE TO HIT-

It seems we may not simply be trying to recoup the financial hit we had to take out of necessity when his dad passed, but also preparing for another emergency trip. Those words cut deep. However, we need to be able to get there when the storm begins to strike lightening. I always hated storms. But we love Jon's mom. She is a truly outstanding mother, protective like a fierce tiger with her cubs.

-OUR LITTLE FAMILY IS AGING-

I have know Jon's parents since I was sixteen years old. My own father passed 20 years ago, and Jon's father was my second father. Jon's mother, to this day cares more about me than my own mother ever did. They were my lifeline to a full family. Perfect? No. Who is? Now, we have very little family left. Unfortunately, the foundational structural of our family is failing. We inside may be consumed by the rubble. Literary, but a good explanation. It is tragic, but even as a author, I am struggling to find the right words to describe this horror. Aging is a cruel joke. Your mind expands while your body contracts.

-WE NEED YOUR HELP-

We are still recovering and struggling from the first travel costs, missed work and pay, canceled jobs, and now unpaid bills, and of course all those surprise medical care costs, now for both parents (the brothers are all contributing to get the best care and pay medical bills). We hope to find a few friends, chosen family, acquaintances, or strangers with understanding hearts that have bled this way. Perhaps when it did, we stood beside you. My whole life has been organized chaos mixing business and art and whenever possible, I try to support fellow creatives, even if just sharing an Instagram story or attending a $15 show on a Tuesday night. We want everyone to succeed and life their best life.

"Artists help other artists" - Charles Levi

This is where life becomes a cruel mistress. If you are able to help with $10 and then someone else equally as wonderful can help with $15, then I am reaffirmed in my belief that the dark aesthetic communities we love and exist within are just as strong as ever. In many ways, one dollar at a time or one concert ticket or autographed vinyl or beautiful dark painting or mixed-media sculpture or autographed book. That is why we are still here all these years later. We look out for each other. That is why the dark aesthetic communities that breathe a touch of chaos into the world are the most incredible in the world. Asking for support sucks, but being supported in times of need feels wonderful. We love you all my darklings and chosen family.

"Remember to thank those who inspire you" - Kaytee Thrun

Thank you. Truly.

Love,

Kaytee Thrun and Jon Martin