The fact that I get to look forward to more cptsasquatch in 2023 makes me so happy!!!
You are quite the talent and an inspiration of mine, well deserved!!!

Congratulations, man! Not many people can take a 10 month hiatus during the year and still sweep 3 awards; but, honestly, I'm not surprised you pulled it off. The quality of the work you put out during those other months was insane.

That Robert Plant one especially. Trying to make wood conform to new shapes is difficult enough, but to do it under that kind of lighting takes serious skill. I mean, just getting those specular highlights to look convincing must've taken half-a-dozen passes with as many techniques. But that's what you do. You come up with an idea that's waaaay too difficult to achieve; and then, instead of simplifying little details that nobody would notice, you brute-force your way into making it happen as imagined. And for a long time, non-photoshoppers didn't really notice how special those pieces were. But by continually challenging yourself over-and-over, you've built-up a formidable set of skills; and by putting them all together, you're producing such unique and high-quality work that you've become undeniable.

I don't listen to much jazz. And if you showed me a good local group playing a flashy arrangement, versus a world-class band doing something genuinely new and complicated... well, I'm just not familiar enough with the genre to tell who's retreading well-established tracks, picking all the low-hanging fruit; and who's trailblazing, while doing things most pro musicians can't. It all sounds new and complicated to me. But when you put on an album like "Bitches Brew" or "A Love Supreme", even I can tell it's something special.

Look, I'm not saying you're Miles Davis here; but man, you're definitely starting to do that thing where even people outside of your niche (photoshopping) are starting to take notice. It's why you've doubled your wins with just a handful of 'shops over a few weeks, despite working your ass off for years while being under-appreciated. You're finally mastering the albatross of a challenge you set yourself back in the day — building 'shops from the ground up — to the point they're out-competing images created with larger, pre-fabricated parts.

I can't wait to see where you take it next.