I took the week off last week from posting my usual extra stuff on Patreon and Substack because I felt I was getting close to burnout. But, a week into it and it's more apparent that I'm in my usual creative valley; that low point after a period of high productivity. The valley could last me another week-or another month-who knows? But after this newsletter goes out, I'll definitely be getting back into my usual weekly shenanigans and posting it for all the world to see. The difference from me taking a week off from burnout vs. being in the creative valley is...perspective. My weekly ramble podcast is just that, an audio recording I create for Members and Subscribers for each platform. It requires no pen, no paper, and often no real ideas-ha! It's just a quick chat where I touch base with you and we catch up a bit. And, small confession, I did work on the next sticker design for the sticker club last week, AND since Free Comic Book Day has come and gone, I officially have a new comic I can share! What I'm saying is, being unable to create doesn't necessarily mean I've got nothing to share. Going back to that perspective I mentioned a minute ago though... It's one thing to feel like you need a break, it's another thing to understand that I need to lean into consuming things instead of trying to produce them. Which is the way I think about it. If I'm not busy creating a thing, then that means I should focus on consuming a thing. I shift my way of thinking from "make this!" or "think of your next project!" to "read this book, watch some movies, listen to a podcast or two." It helps take the pressure off and instead of me worrying why the well keeps coming up dry, I start visiting other people's wells to see what they're coming up with instead. Being in the valley means being patient and allowing the ideas to find me, and they always do. The important thing is to not rush things. There may not be any new autobio comics for a week or so while I'm here. And the next After Death page may be delayed, again. But so goes it. You can't force greatness so I'll take my time. But there are still irons in the fire from before I reached the valley, so let's get into the latest news from a week in the life of the lowly cartoonist, shall we? |
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Attack the Page is this weekend! Well, by the time you read this, it'll have just happened on Saturday. For those who don't know: Attack the Page is the event where some local cartoonist gather together in a bar in Denton, TX for a 12 hour comic making marathon. You walk in with some paper, pens and pencils and walk out with a finished mini comic! At last year's Attack the Page I made Crash Landing** which is still one of my favorite stories. I've got...ideas for this year. But I'm going to see how things pan out. Last year I did character designs and the sort all prior to the event. This year I have a go-to story on the back burner, but Rhea and I are going to try and truly go in blind and see if we can't cook up something from scratch right there on the spot. Even though I'm in the valley, I'm pretty confident if Rhea and I put our heads together we can come up with something fun. She is an excellent brainstorming partner. **you can also purchase a digital copy via my Patreon shop here. |
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The Neverending Stories... |
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It seems like I was a little too eager to celebrate the children's book being finished and it indeed has come back to haunt me. The briefest way to explain what's going on is to say that the company the author has chosen to print and bind the books have not been very clear on what you get for your money. And so, I've taken it upon myself (at the author's request) to re-format the book in order to trim 4 pages off the total page count in order to save $5 per book, retail. It feels like this book will never be finished... On that same note, I'm struggling to reach the finish line with my other freelance client Lisa, as a mid-May deadline approaches. I will definitely be able to get all the work done and delivered on time, but this entire project-a home school curriculum based on the book Charlotte's Web-has really been a much bigger commitment than I was originally lead to believe. By the time you guys are reading this, I should have everything completed and officially wrapped up. Part of why I think I've found myself in the valley in the first place is because so much creative output has been put towards completing these two projects. Once I'm able to deliver the final, final work on both of these jobs, I will be drawing a line in the sand and taking time away from both clients for a while. I just want to make comics y'all! These other gigs were just to help me survive! |
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The last bit of news I think it's important for you to know is that I'm definitely aiming to launch the Kickstarter for The After Death Book Two in July! I was hoping to launch in June, but <ahem> valley, clients, and I'm hoping to put on a garage sale next weekend too, so I think it's best I launch in July and start heavy campaigning for it in June. I mentioned it to you guys a time or two and wanted to go ahead and give you the official heads up! |
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What's Making Me Happy This Week |
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What's making me happy this week? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are making me happy this week! It very much seems like "turtle mania" is back in style as the TMNT celebrate 40 years of turtle power this year, and do so via some amazing creators working on a ton of new books. Kicking things off was a TMNT preview released on Free Comic Book Day that, if you didn't get down to your local comic shop you might've missed out on. I managed to find a website that has the entire comic posted up if you wanna' give it a read. Specifically the second story in the comic titled "Splinter's Day Off." It's a short little comic that was a lot of fun to read. Here's the website if you wanna' give it a look but warning: it's just as bad as recipe sites with all of the stupid ads you'll be assaulted with, but if you're willing to deal with that, it's worth a quick read!
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At this time I'd like to ask all of you to return your seats to their upright positions as we try to take this newsletter in for a safe landing. As always I appreciate you reading (and subscribing if you haven't already). This newsletter is free to read and subscribe to and also free via Patreon and Substack via those platforms' free tiers, but pitching in a couple dollars on either platform goes a long way to keep things going so please consider doing so! I hope you have a great week ahead and I hope to see you back here next week! ~b |
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