About
My name is Baethan D.
Hello! Thank you for taking the time to look at my website. As an indie artist just starting out on my journey to create a small business, it means a lot.
To start, a little about myself. I am nonbinary, disabled, and neurodivergent. I always knew I was different than the other kids but was too busy with my nose in a book or pencil in my hand to care much. Only when everyone else around me seemed to grow up so fast did I realize I was being left behind socially. It took many years for me to come to terms with the fact that I am not like other people, that I will never experience the same milestone that "everyone" goes through in life - and that's okay. I felt broken for a long time but I know who I am now and that's enough for me.
My artistic journey began as a child where I spent hours upon hours drawing Pokemon from my poke manuals and characters from Dragon Ball Z. I didn't think much of my talent until I decided to try drawing a realistic flower just for fun. Several hours later, I was stunned to find a near photo realistic drawing with not but pencil and paper. I was shocked as I had never received any formal training and didn't even know what rendering or still life drawing was. From that moment on, I knew this was my calling.
Things got a bit more complicated, however, as I took my pen and started writing instead of drawing - again - just for the funnies. I quickly fell in love with writing and almost forgot about drawing completely. As my passion for writing grew, I started drawing characters to accompany my stories. These two skills complemented each other in a way I never knew possible.
When it came time to turn my gaze towards college, I had a choice to make. Continue my creative writing or illustration education. In the end, I chose to attend the Academy of Art University in San Fransisco to pursue Game Development: Concept Art.
Video Games have been a keystone aspect of my life since I could first hold a controller. First it was Pokemon Fire Red and Ruby, then Champions of Norrath and Diablo II, then Call of Duty Black Ops, then Skyrim (my beloved), and Dragon Age Inquisition and the list goes on and on. The medium of video games combines my two passions, writing and art, in a way that no other medium can even conceive of attempting. There is something so intimate about video games and the interactive nature of the medium that is nearly impossible to recreate in other mediums. Once I realized becoming a game designer was possible, I knew that creating video games was my calling.
However, I am not just trying to become a video game designer. Table Top Role Playing Games are another passion of mine. I started my ttrpg journey in high school with a simple game of DND5e where the players were all Bhaal Spawn trying to resurrect our father - the god of murder. It was a blast and I fell in love with the concept of interactive improv story telling. Since then, I've become a dedicated ttrpg player and seek to create my own table top rpgs. One day, I long to create my own ttrpg podcast but I need much more practice GMing before that is even a whisper of a thought. One day...
Through all this, however, I have struggled. In October of 2022, I succumbed to Long Covid. It hit me like a freight train one day out of the blue and left me bed ridden for two years. I dropped out of college and it took everything just to keep waking up another day. That was the most miserable two years of my life. I survived, however, and my body has slowly started to recover. I still struggle with Chronic Fatigue and occasional pain and I cannot work a 'proper' job due to my illness but that won't stop me from trying my hardest to get an art business up and running! My passion for art and writing and stories is what got me through the hardest 2 years of my life. I am hoping they will be able to support me for the rest it.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy my art. If you'd like to support me monetarily, I accept commissions and donations through my Ko-Fi.
If you would like to keep updated on my business and art, return to the home page to find all my links and my email if you would like to join my monthly mailing list.
Thank you so much for your support! It means everything to me.