A Visual Memoir…
The Key of Jaye
A Sense of Wander . . .
This midlife chapter begins with a whimsical yet practical experiment: growing lettuce on my apartment patio.
Curiosity pulled me deeper into the rabbit hole until that patio became a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Then, at the end of one magical, smoke-and-poop-filled summer, your main character was abruptly dumped by her brooding Wolf Man. 😭
Naturally, the creative outlet abides—and often returns with a vengeance. 😈
50+ Solo Dates began on September 4, 2026, when I took myself to brunch. What started as a post-breakup brain dump is becoming a visual memoir: the open-world, storybook-RPG version of my actual life, where reality blurs with the adventures of my illustrated alter ego, Thistle McGrimm, and her feline familiar, Curses.
This digital art diary unfolds through essays, photographs, illustrations, video, and whatever strange little portal opens next.
Some of the magic is metaphor. More of it is real than you might expect.
Wander with me as I grow ever curiouser and curiouser . . .
She ✨Gnomes✨ Some Things
CREATOR SNAPSHOT
I’m Jeannine “Jaye” Rochon: a fifty-four-year-old storyteller, artist, garden witch, professional maker-of-things, and analog soul navigating a profoundly digital world.
I’m also a Telly Award-winning video editor, opera-trained singer, web designer, visual storyteller, and owner of Clever Unicorn, LLC. In other words: I Do Things™.
By day, I help authors and other interesting humans translate their ideas into cinematic content, websites, and storytelling systems. By moonlight, I create darkly whimsical art and objects, write strange and personal things, tend a tiny wildlife habitat, and document the unfolding lore here.
Different portals. Same woman holding the key. ✨🗝️💫
Portals & Side Quests
Other Places I Make Things
Clever Unicorn
Cinematic storytelling for people with something worth saying. Author websites, book trailers, visual content, and creative systems designed to make good work unforgettable.
Sparkling & Dark
Darkly eclectic goods for whimsical creatures: gothic accessories, enchanted home décor, wearable mischief, and useful objects with a little magic in their bones.
Author Jaye Rochon
Bestselling short stories for children and folklore grimoires that weave art, storytelling, and easy, practical magic into busy lives. I’m also writing my own true-crime story—yes, it’s a memoir 👀—and a rock-and-roll eco-fantasy series.
The Memoir . . .
Latest Post
The Hermit Retreats, the Empress Orders Breakfast | Solo Date 1
Recently, a man I love decided to retreat from a relationship I thought we were building together. He didn’t have the capacity to show up completely, so he pulled back—not only from us, but from society in general. I understand the impulse. Things feel bleak. There is...
Digital (+ Analog) Garden
The Blog Witch Chronicles
1 Minute Book Review: Heart of the Moors by Holly Black
Heart of the Moors: An Original Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Novel is an adorable little YA fairytale retelling that any Disney Villains—and Princesses—fan will love. You do need to have seen at least the first Maleficent movie though, as it picks up where the film's...
“And then you become the curse.”
Quote of the Day from Heart of the Moors by Holly Black. Just stopping by to catalog what I'm currently reading... because a middle grade novel after a 500-page urban fantasy is a great way to keep your streaks alive, but also take a breather. It's a fun way to...
Replacing GoodReads with Margins… Hopefully!
De-Influencing Bezos In my effort and experiment to get away as much as humanly possible from mega-corporate, billionaire-owned companies, I know that Amazon is going to be the most difficult to quit—especially Prime. *shakes fist at the sky* Although I can't say I'll...
