Hi Folks!
January was so calm that February hit me INSTANTLY with responsibilities and work. Quite like flipping a switch. I have been writing this blog for over a month. Things kept happening after I thought I was finished. I’d have to lie down and then take another stab at writing the blog again.
EMERALD CITY COMIC CON
I’ve been making new merch for Emerald City Comic Con, and have been picking up a bunch of OLDER pieces again. I used to be the type to abandon work, especially if it’s several months old because my art has changed. But lately, looking back at old unfinished work gives me such a spark! Like I have to finish it! I haven’t had much energy to come up with new concepts lately, so it’s a great way to show people “new” things without having to put too much thought into concepts.
I’m trying out a new POD (Print on Demand) website that an art peer was also trying out. I’m testing out printing cardigans and glass! I’ll let you all know how everything turns out in the next month, and give you my honest take on this new website before sharing it!
Above is a digital preview of the knitted cardigan! Crossing my fingers that the final result will be good, but I’m so hesitant. If it turns out amazing, this could be a game-changer for smaller merch designers! (like me! and you?!)
This year is going to be wild! ECCC 2024 is crazily one of the biggest cons for me of the year (mostly in scale, not income), and the guest/exhibitor/artist alley lists are popping off! I’m incredibly nervous. I have been spending a lot of months thinking about my place in the world, and how I think no one knows me and that my art has no reason to exist. But it’s been fading away slowly as boxes of merch arrive at my front step and I’m able to hold my art in my hands. I forgot how tactile and real my art gets when it’s in a physical space. And maybe my art means something to someone out there when they hold it in their hands too.
Here are some new stickers I’ll have there too! YAHOO!
pitching
It’s been slow going. A little bumpy road for my mental space. I have forgotten how much art school hurt me, so the writing process and sharing it with someone in the early stages (that I do not normally share it with, bless Molly’s soul) has been painful. But I want to tell a story of my own, that maybe could have a space on a bookshelf that isn’t a tiny zine. Hopefully, it will be someday soon. I’ll be sure to let you all know when it’s done, and maybe I can ask my agent/future editor if I can share the process of making a pitch! or well. at least MY pitch. Hahaha
Kickstarter
Can you believe it! It’s been a month now since the Kickstarter finished. I have sent off the appropriate funds to the manufacturer and now we’re all twiddling our thumbs for the next few months. I’m surprised that’s the only update on this, but that’s really it!
Interviews
I just finished two big interviews, one for an artist residency called Shiro Oni Studio in Japan, and one for a popular company right now that I’m not sure I’ll get hired for. I got accepted to the residency, which has been a lifetime dream. To the person who told me about this studio many many moons ago, before the pandemic, thank you. Not only am I doing a story about dams and rural towns someday, but I think being able to talk to locals about this stuff and how it directly affects them will not only enhance my feelings about their importance but also their effect on people’s lives.
I’ve moved on to the second interview with said big company though. With the help of a referral from a friend, I hope that I’ll be able to live a small dream of mine to be a production merch designer. Crossing my fingers for this, and will probably write about what happens next month. If I get the job, it’ll be a big shift in how I operate as a freelancer… meaning NO MORE FREELANCE! HUZZAH! I love the flexibility of freelance, not going to lie, but stability. Healthcare. Not having to be on the big internet anymore to make a living. AND I get to be pickier about what I take on for work and stuff. It’ll be a dream to run this blog without it feeling like I’m trying to hustle all the dang time.
Next month I will try and comb through comments and answer them! I am really moving head first into merch and drawing my OCs again. It’s been very quiet and nice. Maybe I will also talk about my relationship with social media lately, which has been hard on me, but I’ve been finding some balance.