First Month Update
Today marks Wizard Workshop's first month of operations, and I wanted to share something more personal, highlighting one of the reasons why I started it.
Living a healthy and balanced life has always been challenging for me. In high school, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, an autoimmune disorder that significantly impacts my digestive system, energy, and mood. Managing the symptoms and medication side effects is an ongoing roller coaster, with flares lasting months or even years.
Successfully managing Crohn's means maintaining consistent health insurance and nurturing relationships with doctors who understand my medical history. Losing a job jeopardizes my health care, medications, and doctor relationships, forcing me to potentially move and re-establish medical care from scratch. Persistent long term stress can be a significant trigger for my symptoms, further aggravating these challenges and creating a difficult cycle.
The Invisible Kingdom
One of my favorite recent books talks about living and managing chronic illness in modern society. It's a powerful book filled with stories that teach compassion and empathy. Purchasing through this link helps me and local bookshops through Bookshop.org's affiliate program.
I was fired from my last job for not meeting their expectations while I was in the middle of a Crohn’s flare. It was a brutal experience that left me feeling discarded and dehumanized. With the financial strain of ongoing health costs, I had no choice but to abandon the life I was building in Washington and move back to Colorado, where I’m now living with my parents as I try to recover and rebuild.
For much of the past year, I poured my energy into job applications, searching for stability. Unfortunately, I faced repeated silence and rejection, which only amplified my stress and symptoms. Eventually, this overwhelming cycle inspired me to find another way to support myself, leading me to create Wizard Workshop.
Wizard Workshop excites me because I want to help creators understand and navigate industry changes, particularly the disruptive impact of AI. I believe AI can be a powerful creative tool, one that unlocks new ways of making and sharing and opens the door for more diverse developers to tell their stories. Maintaining a mindset of curiosity and continuous learning is central to my vision.
However, I'm still figuring out how to balance Wizard Workshop with my own health. Sometimes, I'll have the energy to dive in fully; other times, I'll need to step back and rest or focus on other avenues for stability. I see Wizard Workshop as flexible, something that can evolve alongside me. Ideally, it could become my full-time endeavor, but realistically, it may also serve as a supportive side project.
One initial goal for Wizard Workshop was establishing this blog to create meaningful content. I've already published a few posts about starting the company and building a creative tech stack. I'm working on more that I'm excited to share when I feel safe and energized enough, without pressure from my own expectations. A notable success this first month has been the substantial learning from setting everything up. It's been deeply meaningful, giving me a sense of focus and a welcome break from the chronic pain I've lived with over the past year.
I appreciate your patience and understanding as my contributions may fluctuate. Your support means a great deal, and I'm genuinely grateful to have the opportunity to create something I can offer to the world. I hope that my personal stories help show the reality of the challenges many game developers face while trying to work in an industry that often fails to support them.
Finally, I want to give a shoutout to the incredible work being done for the Access-Ability Summer Showcase 2025. This event highlights amazing games being made with disabled gamers in mind, many of them created by disabled developers themselves.
There’s always more to learn, and I love seeing the creative ways developers are making games more accessible to those who need it. The escape and comfort games have brought me during difficult times is some of the best medicine out there.
👉 Support these games and the creators behind them.
So, thank you for being here. Wizard Workshop is more than a project, it's a small act of defiance against burnout, exclusion, and invisibility. I hope it becomes a home for curiosity, compassion, and co-creation.
Peace & Love
- Jonas
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