#1 Issue Sketch 'n Tea

Starling

Jul 01, 2026

1# Issue

Sketch 'n Tea July 2026 Print V

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Good morning all!

I’m delivering the first issue of our digital Zine on your first day of the month! Hope you’re going to enjoy it with your cup of tea or coffee~

Why is it important not to give up when a plan A and B sinks.

When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a graphic designer. Back then, I had no idea how many ups and downs would come after I turned fifteen. Looking back now, I’m simply glad I survived — even if my original plan didn’t. It sank completely.

I was left battling depression and anxiety while struggling through secondary school, almost becoming a dropout. Thankfully, my mum never allowed me to give up completely.

When I moved to a different country in my early twenties to start a new life, I never expected that college would become a place where I would finally thrive academically. I also never expected myself to fall in love with painting and decorating, or genuinely enjoy learning about construction.

Ironically, when I was younger, I believed I had absolutely no talent for anything technical or mathematical.

What changed everything was meeting teachers in Scotland who encouraged me instead of making me feel incapable. Many of my experiences with teachers in Czech secondary school left me feeling discouraged and convinced that I simply wasn’t good enough. In Scotland, despite facing many challenges, I met teachers who were supportive when they saw genuine effort and determination in a student.

That encouragement slowly healed wounds I had carried for years.

Sometimes we think that when Plan A fails, everything is over. But life does not always end where we expected it to. Sometimes losing one dream creates space for another version of ourselves we would never have discovered otherwise.

I never became the person I imagined at fifteen. But maybe that is not always a bad thing.

- Starling

July tiny paintings

Occasionally in college I was either painting or drawing. So I would like to share the butterfly which I was working on between our work.

- Starling

Mum shared with me a picture of a boat when she was on the trip. I really liked it, so I had to paint a small card.

- Starling

Kitten’s corner

Chert was looking after me at the toilet again. So It wouldn’t eat me!

- Iri

Fero the neighbour’s cat is on a visit.

- Isumi

Poem corner

Dracula’s rose

Across the meadow, shining far away,
Blooms a rose of crimson red,
A flower red as blood
That once was spilled into the earth
When the cries of war rang everywhere.

There fell Dracula’s foe,
And the dragon banner flew in the distance
Where the Turk was brought low.

To honor that great victory,
A bush of red roses was planted.

Yet even now
Only a single crimson rose blooms,
And through the passing centuries
Its radiance still shines afar.

- Iri