On February 17th, 2009, sixteen years ago today, I started this blog. I do one of these anniversary posts every year, and each year, I am surprised that I have found myself here again. As if, at some point, I would drop this endeavor and move on to something else. But after what is now sixteen years, how could I? In some ways, this is the easiest, most straightforward option I have to put out into the universe what I am doing, creating, and thinking. So, to that end, we are here again as another year has ticked by. This is blog post 2,203, which isn't too shabby, but I don't have anything much to compare it to. But that is a lot of posts, and most posts document my journey as an artist. I hope that these posts serve to help and possibly guide those on their artistic journeys.
My studio in early 2025
I used to do lengthy reviews of the previous year, and in some ways, those posts are what got a lot of eyes on this blog. But the time and work that it takes to do one large review post has worn on me. I love doing them, but they started feeling repetitive and sometimes a bit morose. Ever since COVID-19, they just haven't been the same. So, I have started sharing more on these anniversary posts and sprinkling more nuggets of wisdom throughout the year. Is it the same? No. Is it close enough? I think so. After all these years, I am unsure I have any profound truths to share.
At some point, once you get your legs under you artistically, you have a path ahead of you that is yours and yours alone. My path is very different than it was sixteen years ago and is not one I ever imagined for myself. I knew what I wanted to do. I had my goals. But at no point could I have visualized the outcome and how that has changed nearly everything regarding my opinions of the industries, making art, and life in general. I certainly never imagined that I would have to double-process all of my images to protect them from theft! I can (and I did for sixteen years) tell you exactly what I did to get here, but much of that is unique to me. You will have to find your own path. I have, and will continue, shared nearly all I have learned along my journey. I hope this archive stays around for as long as possible so that it might help others and be a record of my time as an artist.
I will mention that I have a sort of long post planned for March. March marks the twentieth anniversary of us leaving Los Angeles and my transition to having a university career by day, and (by June 2009) I was working freelance in tabletop gaming. As it has been twenty years, I have decided it was time to clear the air and lay out why it became necessary to leave LA in the first place. But these stories and more are for another day in March.
I will say that 2024 had some very high highs for me. And, there were some rough patches. It was a tremendous year for me at conventions. I broke records at multiple shows and had by far the best single convention to date - Pensacon 2024. I am not expecting to hit those numbers again this year, but I know the potential is now there. I do not know what conventions will be like this year, and moving forward, we are in a time of great change. Hopefully, Pensacon will give me a taste of what to expect for 2025.
Also, I did produce a much larger amount of work for the second book of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia in 2024. I made more art for the book than I had in several years. Again, a very good thing. I am not off to such a good start this year, but that is entirely due to taking on some amazing freelance work that I could not turn down. It took up a lot of time, but I think it was worth it, and it was one of the most fun projects I have been a part of in a long time. I have said all I can for now, but there will be more news when I can share it.
I am not sure I have the words yet, but since October, my thoughts and opinions have shifted a great deal. I do not see things as I once did, and my priorities and interests have begun to shift. I am spending a lot more time focused on personal growth and development, and that doesn't always include making art. Fear naught, I am still working hard on my stories and art. And I am giving book two everything I can. Making books and writing stories is not all I will put my time to now. And it is for the best all around, and I should have better art and stories because of these changes. Yes, I am being vague. No, there is nothing wrong. I just want to keep some things personal for a time. As always, keep an eye on the blog to see what I am up to!
That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here on Wednesday! Until then...
