Category: Motivation

I Was Interviewed on The Horror Mosaic

I Was Interviewed on The Horror Mosaic

I was interviewed on Isaiah Swanson/The Bitter Wolf’s show, The Horror Mosaic, about what I do here on LittleZotz.com and – of course – my work over on my horror-focused website, HorrorFam.com!

Here’s the summary Isaiah wrote of for episode:

“As the founder and co-owner of HorrorFam.com, Lauren wears many hats. She edits every article, hosts the HorrorFam.com Podcast, manages social media (@LoveHorrorFam on Instagram, X, and YouTube), applies her many artistic and creative talents to the website’s design and upkeep, and handles countless behind-the-scenes tasks to keep the site thriving. In addition to her work with HorrorFam.com, Lauren manages LittleZotz.com, a place where she writes about “everything else”, as she puts it. In the profile, Lauren discusses growing up in the horror industry, talks about her work with HorrorFam and LittleZotz, and reflects on the power of horror and art in general to help us through the darkest times in our lives. I think Lauren is an inspiration, but I might be biased because I write for her in my human form at HorrorFam!”

Check it out! I’m not interviewed often (I’m usually the one interviewing other people) and, on the rare occasions when I am, I usually find the end result barely watchable… But I thought this one was really nice! Isaiah interviewed me for over two hours and edited my nervous rambling down to a concise 15 minutes while still maintaining the context.

If you’ve ever been curious about me or what I do or how/why I do what I do: This is the interview for you to watch! 😀

I’m 10 Years Free from Self-Harm!

I’m 10 Years Free from Self-Harm!

On August 3, 2014 – after over a decade of cutting (self-harm) – I made one very final cut… God, the EMTs, the ER docs, and a few others said, “Not yet.” August 4, 2014 was the start of what became the life I have now. A life free from self-injury.

I’m one decade clean from self-harm as of yesterday (August 4, 2024)!

To celebrate, I drew self-portraits of myself at each age from nine until now.

I Got New Glasses! (Hyperlapse Illustration Video)

I Got New Glasses! (Hyperlapse Illustration Video)

This drawing about my new glasses isn’t sponsored but I *am* a GlassesShop.com affiliate (and a customer since 2012!). If YOU need new glasses too, please consider using my affiliate link: https://bit.ly/ZotzGlasses (capitalization matters). Thank you for watching!! ♥

Don’t need eyeglasses or sunglasses but still want to support my content? Buy me a coffee! 😀 https://ko-fi.com/littlezotz Thank you!!! ♥

Music featured in this video, in order of appearance:

  • “Friendly Day” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • “Split In Synapse” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • “Bright Morning” by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • Rising Dawn by Ethereal 88 | https://ethereal88.bandcamp.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
My Writing Process: How I Write Posts Online (From Initial Idea to Publication)

My Writing Process: How I Write Posts Online (From Initial Idea to Publication)

Due to my writing background, every once in a while, someone will reach out to ask me what my thought process is in regard to writing posts online. They’ll ask things like, “Where do you get your ideas?” or “What made you decide to write about that?” or “How do you go from idea to published post?”

I usually don’t have an answer. Or, rather, my answer differs wildly from post-to-post! If you ask me about a specific post, I can tell you how I went about writing it — from germination of an idea to what was finally uploaded — but, in a general sense regarding my posts overall, I wouldn’t be able to describe my “process” in a satisfactory way.

That said, I’m going to tell you exactly how this week’s post on HorrorFam.com happened. Welcome to the inner workings of my mind:

Continue reading “My Writing Process: How I Write Posts Online (From Initial Idea to Publication)”
5 Movie Quotes I Think About More Than I Should

5 Movie Quotes I Think About More Than I Should

I’m well-aware that placing text over stock photos is one of the most Basic modern artforms there is, but I enjoy it. I engage in it myself sometimes (as you may have seen in at least one of my previous posts), usually focusing on a movie quote or song lyric I particularly connected with.

This post is going to be five of those “Deep”/Inspirational Text Over Vaguely-Related Stock Photos that I made showcasing some of my favorite movie quotes. Feel free to grab ’em to share them on your own social media accounts (but I’d appreciate it if you credited/tagged me @LittleZotzWrite if you do, please ♥).

I’m also going to share what each of these quotes means to me… Feel free to tell me in the comments what they mean to you, if you like ’em too! 😀

Continue reading “5 Movie Quotes I Think About More Than I Should”
One Full Year Uterus-Free!

One Full Year Uterus-Free!

On July 23rd, 2021, I had FIVE organs removed: My cervix, my right fallopian tube, my left fallopian tube, my right ovary, and my demonic uterus. Today, on the one-year anniversary, I’m making an update about what’s been going on in my life since then.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything using my links, I’ll get a small commission for referring you at no additional cost to you. It’s a perfect way to support me/my content while buying something awesome you would have bought anyway.

Want to know how I drew this? I recorded myself creating it as a Supporter Exclusive video!

One Year Ago Today: July 23, 2021

It’s hard to believe it’s been 365 days since my lifesaving — and life changing — surgery! Wow!!

One year ago today, my husband Frank and I took an Uber ride to the surgery center. Then, Frank had to kiss me goodbye and wish me luck. Due to COVID restrictions in Los Angeles, no one was allowed into the building but staff and patients… that meant no loving husband by my side. Frank caught a ride back home where he and my parents waited anxiously by the phone, texting my bestie Christi the details as they came in.

Meanwhile, I was getting prepped for major surgery. They gave me a Pepcid for stomach acid (didn’t want acid reflux making a nasty guest appearance while I was unconscious!) and crossed their fingers that nothing would go wrong with the anesthesia. I had been put under once in my life before, for my hip replacement/bone graft as a wee one, but every medical and dental procedure I’d had since was done with only local anesthetics.

I tend to have bad reactions to strong medications. And even some “normal” ones (I’m deathly allergic to cough syrup, for example!).

They gave me zero painkillers while I was under. I had a prescription for Ibuprofen and an antinausea medication for when I got home. And, Papa & Barkley CBD ReLeaf Capsules came highly recommended. So, I had a bottle of those too! And they’re amazing. As someone who has struggled with chronic inflammation for most of my adult life, they were a Godsend, even now, long after my recovery period has come and gone. I was so impressed that Papa & Barkley’s CBD products actually do everything they say they will (from what I’ve experienced, a lot of places just slap the “CBD” label on to be trendy and the actual benefits are nil) that I became one of “Papa’s Champs” and recommend their products to everyone — especially fellow Spoonies who have never known a life completely free from pain…

Speaking of pain, the surgery itself went extremely well! And I kinda freaked out the staff a little bit. They were hovering around nervously, expecting me to have some trouble — after all, I’d just had five organs removed with zero painkillers! — but I was basically a-okay!! Compared to the pain I’d been in BEFORE the surgery, the actual operation pain was NOTHING!!

Our friend Brian’s girlfriend, Annie, picked me up and drove me home from the surgery center. They’d been together quite a while, but that was the first time I’d gotten to meet her in person (how memorable, huh??). She got me home safely and was an excellent driver. I liked her a ton, even though it was odd circumstances and a bit hard to concentrate due to the lingering anesthesia making me a bit woozy.

I’m happy to report that, since then, Brian and Annie have gotten engaged! ♥

So, that’s one big thing that’s changed since my surgery last year! Here are a few other things:

Continue reading “One Full Year Uterus-Free!”
Hysterectomy 1-year Anniversary Drawings

Hysterectomy 1-year Anniversary Drawings

This was formerly a Kofi Exclusive. For more about why it’s not anymore, you can read this update: https://ko-fi.com/post/Im-No-Longer-Kofi-GOLD–Heres-What-That-Means-Y8Y4KPBW2 Thank you for your viewership/support! –Lauren*

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ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: On July 23rd, 2021, I had FIVE organs removed: My cervix, my right fallopian tube, my left fallopian tube, my right ovary, and my demonic uterus. I drew these for the one-year anniversary (07/23/2022) update about what’s been going on in my life since then, physically (“Adventures of Lefty the Ovary”) and otherwise. Music = “Burning Trapezoid of Fire” by Kevin MacLeod via FreePD.com