iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

This may be a tint of pettiness on my part, but these are shades.

A cartoon of swatch books in red and blue shades by Nathan W. Pyle.

Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

@art-inquiry.com creates extremely high resolution files. Editing for the latest episode just taught me about proxies. I managed to set up the cameras in their frames, recreating it using the asset files @melo.graphics developed from our awesome design. #MadebyMELO #CreatedByCat #ArtInq #Editing

Screenshot of the Art & Inquiry editing set up in Premiere Pro for behinds the scenes flavor to this post

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Yesterday was the last day to qualify for the EV tax credit. Tariffs have driven costs up. I still have to buy a car. So I am combing through my finances looking for stray money, hoping I can cut yet more things to afford a car payment and insurance costs.

An image of a Manila folder with the phrase working hard and a photo of a car with various files peeking out.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Ha!! I saved a couple. But I am trying to wait until I hear back from the garage about what mine will take to fix. I legit almost added a cute, black Hyundai to my cart, though, after they orequalified me. They deliver, you know.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

If any of you think I am not going to take a quest from a fancy box in an Aylied ruin, then you don't know me well at all.

This is a photograph of my gaming computer screen. It is a blue and pale orange vibe image (think cold foreground with warm background if you can't see the image). It says, "Aylied Sarcophagus - No! Don't touch the tomb! You'll be trapped forever with Khanni. Those I hired as protection tricked me into this tomb and left me to rot. Thieves! I shouldn't have trusted them."

My dialog choices are "you speak?" And "goodbye"

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

QUICK QUESTION: When given a choice, do you pick DARK mode or LIGHT mode on websites? #darkorlightmode #accessibility #preference #yourchoice #seekinganswers #websites

This is a quick image that I made to ask you all if you prefer dark or might mode on websites. It is a square with the left half black with light text and the right half white with black text and it reads "Dark or Light? Which do you choose?"

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

If you see this, post a picture from your device without comment/context.

This is a meme. It says, "my wife: why are you pulling over?" ME: "hand me my phone."
My wife: "we are on the freeway!" Me: "Hand. Me. MY. PHONE!"

and then it has an image of a mileameter where the milage is 80085

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

TONIGHT! 7/10 @ 5pm ET twitch.tv/catalyst_echo_designs I'll be live with the new #sims4 #expansion #enchantedbynature. We will take a look at CAS by creating some Sims and then start a Rags to Balance playthrough to test and check out the pack! I am excited.

Enchanted by Nature Cover art. This art features mystical Sims, house plans, the apothecary NPC, and a fairy from the upcoming Sims 4 ENCHANTED BY NATURE expansion pack that releases today! This cover art is a forest scene with various NPCs from the pack. I do not own the rights to this. EA Games and the Sims 4 own the rights.

This is a graphic of my simself and 3 sim cats on the load game screen of the Sims 4. The loading screen features an enchanted forest backdrop in greens with fantasy lighting through trees, a small fairy and the apothecary table from the upcoming expansion pack.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Hey, y'all! I'm going to be live tomorrow on twitch starting a new rags to balance playthrough featuring Enchanted by Nature! When: Tomorrow. 7/10 @ approximately 5pm EST (download permitting). Where: twitch.tv/Catalyst_Echo_Designs

Just a little image of my simself and all of the 46,000 cats (reality: 3) on the sims 4 home screen. This is currently a deep green Enchanted Forest with a small fairy and an apothecary table from the new expansion pack coming out TOMORROW.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

#ArtInqMe #Empowerment challenge. 20 years ago I did a photoshoot I called Fault Lines. I used the images as website backgrounds for my original art website but the point of the shoot was to show how our faults are beautiful. Posting this is inspired by something @chocoholickeyah.scares.men made.

A look back into the deep, dark magic for the #Empowerment #ArtInqMe challenge. When we spoke to @chocoholic.keyah on the Art & Inquiry #podcast, I immediately thought of this piece. Something Keyah made reminded me of this and I knew I had to dig it out of the ether and bring it back into the light. It is called Fault Lines and I made it in 2005. It is about how the faults within us make for the most beautiful stories. It is exactly who Keyah is to me and how I related to her.

check out the episode: https://youtu.be/xvP2XvUw5xE?si=zBTteNAgpSt5Jz4N

and stay tuned for Fault Lines revisited. I have tried it 3 times now but I know I can revisit this with my current fault lines.

This is a photo of me from 20 years ago with marble style lines drawn on my face and an artistic marble background.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

I feel like I have never been more exhausted. This is just a feeling. I have definitely been more tired than this. But I feel this way. Can I just go home and curl up with the boyos? Pic of them on their cat tree into my office for tax.

2 twin tuxedo cats relaxing on a cat grey cat tree in my office near the window. I brought that in for them because they needed a special place to hang out while I'm on the computer. I brought it in, and this happened about 5 minutes later when I looked back to see if they had figured out what I did. They had.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Potential Color Palettes. I checked these against Adobe's accessibility color palette checkers for contrast, distinct colors and 3 types of color divergent eye types (Deuteranopia, Protanopia, Tritanopia). I like how they look in all divergent configurations (though the vibes are different).

potential color palette for Catalyst Echo design projects. This one features highly saturated purples and greens for a dark, spring academia vibe. I checked these against Adobe's accessibility color palette checkers for contrast, distinct colors and 3 types of color divergent eye types (Deuteranopia, Protanopia, Tritanopia). I like how they look in all divergent configurations (though the vibes are different).

potential color palette for Catalyst Echo design projects. This one features has more muted purples and greens for a dark, spring academia vibe but calmer. I checked these against Adobe's accessibility color palette checkers for contrast, distinct colors and 3 types of color divergent eye types (Deuteranopia, Protanopia, Tritanopia). I like how they look in all divergent configurations (though the vibes are different).

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

Holy crap that was so easy to set up. Literally just plug and play. Modern comouters are amazing.

Please feel absolutely free to ignore the messiness of my desk. This is a photo of my 2 monitors already all set up on the new PC.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Happy World Goth Day (take 3, 3rd time is a charm). This is a photo of me from when I was in a new wave EBM band in LA called moodorgan. I played visuals. Check the alt text for details. Photo by Eric Charles. Makeup by Erika Diehl-Marcus. Outfit (such as it was) by me.

Moodorgan photoshoot. Photo by Eric Charles. Outfit by me. Makeup by Erika Diehl-Marcus

Okay, so the vibes of this photo are.... imagine you are in an artist and maker space in downtown Loa Angeles. There is a large projection screen behind me with some blue video footage (I'm pretty sure this was a cemetery scene). So, then there is me, set in bright red, black, and purple against the blue. My hair is red, I have 1 red striped arm thingies and these pleather cuffs I made with purple ribbon corset detailing. I'm wearing a bunch of other things I made out of fishnet material I got in the fashion district in LA. I've worn that "top" on stream over a tank top (little known fact). My video mixing controller has awesome blue lights.

The vibes are immaculate. I loved this day in spite of spending most of it trying to find help to give my cat their insulin so I could stay for the entire shoot.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 17/05/2025

Sneak peak. #ArtInqMe Empowerment Artist prompt. I reached back into the deep magick to work on this prompt. These are CD-R's from 2003. 22 years ago. The names say "fault lines" (the name I settled on) and "markings on flesh" (the working title of the photoshoot)

Sneak peak. #ArtInqMe Empowerment Artist prompt. I reached back into the deep magick to work on this prompt. This is a photo of 4 CD-Rs from 2003 against a purple space nebula background. The original art is from 22 years ago. The names say "fault lines" (the name I settled on) and "markings on flesh" (the working title of the photoshoot)

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

I filmed this weekend and thought it was important to take a selfie while I had my makeup done.

This is a really hard alt test. Okay, so picture this. There is a super high contrast, very well lit photo of a femme presenting person (me) with aqua/green/blue/purple ombre hair. The makeup is done to match with eyebrows reflecting the ombre. The background js a metric fuckload of various paints, glitters, random projects from one of my craft spaces. There are far too many objects to call out specifically, but there are many multicolored jars.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

It took Oblivion Remastered quite a while to download fully and be ready to play. So, I decided to stay up an hour late to just check it out one time really quick. I ended up staying up for 3 hours, and I accomplished almost nothing. It was just too beautiful.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

So, hear me out. I got home from work and my shoes were just so slippery so I fell onto the Oblivion Remaster and it went "fwoop" and flew into my cart and then I tried to get up and I fell AGAIN on "Confirm Purchase." I might stream about it on Twitch this weekend.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

It's a BOX! In point of fact, it is my box. It was a thrift store find that I stripped and refinished. #CreatedbyCat #resinart #furnitureflip #refinishing #makeoldthingsnew

This is a wooden box I stripped and refinished. Key features include lace and black wash stripes and black with copper embellishments made with molds by Zuri Designs! It is photographed outside on a sidewalk in front of leafy green foliage. I love this box and kept it for myself.

This is a wooden box I stripped and refinished. This photo, taken in a basement workshop type area, shows what the box looked like before. It had heavy green industrial paint and a raised but broken duck element on the front. The box was pretty beat up and needed a complete strip and refinish.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

🎨 🎥 "Keep it Melo" collage for @melo.graphics & the Art & Inquiry Co-host Challenge as part of our Collage: Layers of Creativity Episode. #CreatedbyCat #CollageArt #Multimedia #Digital #ArtInqMe #Co-HostChallenge

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

Work done. Passion project work done. There is a storm warning coming in for later tonight, and I am settling in to watch the horror season of @dimension20.bsky.social because aesthetic, storybook fear is way more fun than real-life fear.

This is a dramatic photo of lighting over pine trees. The color palette is dark, deep, primeval forest greens and blues. I have written, "It was a dark and stormy night...." along the bottom in the blackest part of the forest. I've included this simply for vibes, it isn't important to understand my post.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

We just wrapped filming on the latest episode of Art & Inquiry, and I'm so excited to share it that I'm about to tease a tiny portion of one slide from the deck. Don't tell @melo.graphics !! Shhhh! It will be our secret. #artinq

This is a tiny portion of one of the slides from the next episode of Art & Inquiry. It's a teaser! I'm teasing you. It features cutouts and shapes on a dark background with letters and an eyeball. The color palette is black, white, grey, half tone, and turquoise.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

Flashback to that time I made a wordless video about casting this Mariner's Jewel. youtu.be/OiYalg4Pn9s?...

Flashback to that time, I made a wordless video showing the process of casting this moving resin item. It is an astro labe styled in blue, faded gold and copper displayed on a vintage map.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

I've been getting back to my roots a bit with a #quicksketch in #charcoal #pencil

The image is a charcoal and white charcoal pencil sketch of an eye with makeup on. It is black and white on blue paper, and it has Catalyst Echo as a watermark on the bottom.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Okay, one more. Last one for today though! #artinqme

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

I added a little scribble shading and highlighting to this last one. I wouldn't consider it a final piece, but I like the energy. #artinqme. #Resist #handlettering

Rainbow resist. 🌈 This is a rainbow colorized attempt at faux blackletter with shading and highlights.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Another draft of my attempt to learn to #handletter in a modern #blackletter style. It's just a first draft. A sketch, if you will. This time I leaned into the 🌈. #artinqme.

Another attempt at hand lettering in a modern black letter style. In this one, Resist is written in a blended rainbow starting with red and ending in purple.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

1st Try: This is my first time trying to #handletter in a #modern #blackletter style. I've literally never tried to draw blackletter style letters before, but it is fun! I think I'll re-watch a few of the tutorials I linked in the #artinq #lettering episode and give it another try. #artinqme

This is the word "Resist" hand lettered in a modern blackletter style with purposefully expressionistic colorization with a hint of a rainbow 🌈...

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

It's going to be this kind of day, friends.

A close-up picture of branches that are covered in snow. The braches are a dark brown and the whow is white and fluffy, newly fallen.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

The other day, I hard-boiled 6 entire eggs.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Want to start over? I have been dreading this and am also looking forward to it. I know this is a surprise, but let's make a new character in Fallout 76. Give me like 10 minutes. Maybe 15. And then let's do this. Twitch.tv/Catalyst_Echo_Designs

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

I've been reading this issue of Time Magazine at work, and it just fills me up with joy that TTRPG is featured in such a way and has gained such a following.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

This little one is going to try to purr me right to sleep. He is a cuddle bug and an immediate lap cat the moment I got home.

A photo of an apparently black cat with yellow eyes and long, brightly white whiskers. He is looking back over his shoulder. It's a very close-up shot, appearing to be taken by the person whose lap the cat occupies. There is a window in the background with bright l, shining light coming through. Part of a ring light on a tripod is visible in the background as well as a knee with white, black and pink fuzzy cheetah print.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

"Love Cats" Trinket Box. This box found an excellent home already, but I still enjoy looking at it. It was made with molds and waxes by Zuri Designs when I was a design team member. #trinketbox #cats #egyptianinspired #jewelrybox #catalystechodesigns #createdbycat #resinart #goldcopperblue

This image features a close-up shot of a very small mold of an Egyptian style cat with Isis wings, an ankh collar necklace, and a jaunty, relaxed, and happy tail. It is styled with copper and warm gold waxes and sits on a blue and teal textured backdrop.

This is a photo of the trinket box on a stump outside. The box is a deep, darkest ocean blue with raised cat designs etched with intricate details and hyroglyphic pieces. One piece on the front drawer resembles a broken tablet. There are very small elements on the front, a tiny kitten and a scarab beetle.

This is a top-down photo of the same box, In this image, you can see the layout of the 3 cats on the top of the box. There are a pair of graceful cats seated facing each other on each side of the box. The cats are made up of detailed, Egyptian style motifs that curl around their bodies, emphasizing their grace and poise. The cat in the center is a gorgeous and graceful little cat with long limbs and a long, alert tail in a relaxed and attentive position. This cat also has Isis style wings and is the one featured in the first close-up detail picture.

This is the hero picture for the box that shows all the details of the first 3 pictures and how they come together on the piece. The box is called the "Love Cats" box, and it was made by me, Catalyst Echo, featuring silicon molds and finishing waxes by Zuri Designs.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Tuxedo Tuesday!!!! I (and my #tuxedotwins) love this idea.

A black and white photo of a pair of adult, male tuxedo twins cats. They have adorable white murder mittens, and they are cuddled together on a grey sheet with a black blanket. They look cute, and their white whiskers pop against their black fur.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Testing the "alt text missing" feature. I like it. It won't let me make a post with an image without alt text. It reminds me to do it. Thanks for the knowledge drop @misterlepus.bsky.social !

This is a picture of one of my tuxedo twins on the ironing board they won't let me put away. His expression seems calm but determined. "This is my ironing board," he seemed to say. There is also toilet paper in this image. I wasn't going to post it because of the toilet paper but then I thought, "fuck that, lots of humans use toilet paper, probably some cats too. There's no reason not to post it with the toilet paper." And so I did.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

I'm still seeing it everywhere. I don't even have to be searching for anything specifically color related. I was looking into key caps, for example, for my computer build ultimate wishlist and I found these. #artinqfind #artinq

I like this one. It has dark teal, pale buttery cream and Mocha Mousse escape and enter keys. Bonus points! The enter key says Create.

This one is dark olive green, pale buttery yellow and Mocha mouse. I dig it. It would go really well in a Dark Academia retro room.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

So, normally, I wouldn't post this and be like, "Desi Lydic rocking a Mocha Mousse overcoat reporting on the inauguration..." But, the thing is, this color is literally everywhere, and it was the first thing I noticed. #artinqfind

Desi Lydic from the Daily Show inauguration show yesterday dressed in a Mocha Mousse overcoat. Pantone's COTY 2025

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Bethesda has released a sweet roll plushie, and all I can see is Pantone's COTY. #artinqfind gear.bethesda.net/products/the...

A picture of Bethesda's sweet roll plushie, an iconic food item from Skyrim.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

An OVERWHELMING SURPLUS of Diggity.

This picture is an extremely funny meme about the song "No Diggity" that might just be the best new scale system to drop in many years.

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Catalyst Echo @catalyst-echo.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

I accidentally woke up the unholy tuxedotwinpile. Now they're "helping" me troubleshoot some technology.

This is a picture of Oregon and Wyoming, my tuxedo twins. They're in a pile, and it is adorable. They love each other.

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