2021 - The Search For Normalcy

This post is more or less a continuation of the post I made one year ago. The events and trials that we found ourselves in for the past two years are very much still with us, but at least there are now vaccines that will help defend us from the current strains of COVID-19. As I write this, the impacts of Omicron are felt around the world, and I am once again working from home as my day job thought it better we are safe rather than sitting in a particular chair as we do our work. And throughout all of this, here I sit, like so many others, trying to make art and find our way.

Cryptic Knight

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - SOLD

All currently available originals

© 2021 Christopher Burdett

While I am not counting words or comparing lengths, my recap of 2021 feels shorter than in past years. I think this results from living during an ongoing pandemic and that there is less going on in many ways. In the fullness of time, I am sure we will look back and lump a chunk of time together and refer to it as the COVID years.

Two Years Behind

Prolific Whittler

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
11 x 14 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

At the end of 2019, I had a stack of prepped illustrations, and I couldn't wait to get started. These pieces were a mix of ideas that couldn't fit in book one of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia, destined for book three, and new ideas for book two. As I have mentioned before, I was on fire at the end of 2019. I had finished my first book. It was about to launch on Kickstarter in early 2020, and all I could see were the following books that I could not start on soon enough. Not to beat a dead horse, but things did not go as any of us planned, and I was incapable of making art of a large part of 2020. I did everything to rectify the state of things, and eventually, I was making art. Though I was making art, I was nowhere near where I envisioned myself, nor where my old self would have gotten me.

At the end of 2021, I had finally completed all of the work I prepared myself at the end of 2019. Nothing on the surface was wrong with this, except the workload I had before me should have taken about six months. While it is not exactly two years, I am a solid year and a half behind schedule. 

Ill-Prepared Summoner

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

YES, there is an active global pandemic affecting everyone in negative ways. I know that it is unrealistic to hold myself up to pre-COVID expectations. The fact that I have finished anything should be a reason for celebration. I understand all these things and much, much more. But at the end of the day, while I know I need to give myself a break and focus on what is before me, I can't help but feel the massive weight of time lost. I can stay as positive as I can, I can look ahead to all that I want to do - all that I know I can do, and I can take care of myself mentally and physically in these trying times, but still, the lost time looms in my mind.

Another aspect of the past two years that has affected me is that I was not generating anything new. Yes, I was finishing work, but it was planned out for 2019. I was not making new images; I was only completing them. This meant that the second to last image I completed in 2021 had its final sketch created in 2019, but the original idea came from 2011. I was working on a ten-year-old idea that very much needed to be made, and it was bad timing, to be sure. I was in an artistic malaise for much of 2021 as I slogged through work that has sat around for years. It's not ideal when you are trying to get your motivation and mojo back. Yes, I made a fair amount of new freelance work over the past two years to help generate artistic momentum. I have made many new pieces for Magic the Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons since 2019, and it was crucial for me to get back on my feet. And while freelance work is excellent and does scratch some artistic itch, it is NOT like completing personal work and work like I am putting into the Grand Bazaar.

 2022 and Beyond

The Completed Circle Seal

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
9 x 12 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Currently NFS
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

The future is still a nebulous void of uncertainty as it pertains to COVID and the opportunities we will have. But after two years of this, it seems that most of us are pushing ahead in any way we can to find some normalcy or at least something better. This past October saw the return of in-person events like Illuxcon, which I attended and felt perfectly safe doing so. February will find us back at Pensacon, which we are excited about. They had a safe post-COVID show last year that we were not ready to attend for personal reasons. In June, I should be at a local event, Infinity Con. August, we see our return to Gen Con and finally the realization of bringing the Grand Bazaar to the event as a Featured Artist. Finally, in October, there will be another Illuxcon. These conventions are something to celebrate and be excited about, but they bring risks that were not a reality two years ago. I am trying to stay focused on these events being a reality for us, but I know in these uncertain times that plans may change. 

Fortune Teller

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

I continue to scribble on paper as much as I can. The first piece of art that I planned for myself in 2022 ended up being the unexpected final piece of 2021. This was the first personal piece that I completed created since 2019. Again, something to celebrate. As I find my new normal, I spent a significant amount of time over the holidays looking at my notes for books two and three. I needed to get my head back in my world and get a fresh look at what I had previously set out for myself. I moved things around, added, deleted, and fleshed a lot out. One of the main things I did was to begin making a list of the smaller pieces of art that I will need for the next book. After talking with Dear Wife at length about all of this, we decided that focusing on smaller works for the short term will be a good start to things. These pieces should be quicker to complete, which will give me a more immediate feeling of accomplishment and will result in finished art at a lower price point for Gen Con and Illuxcon. We are working on ways to focus long-term and still be productive.

One of the unexpected aspects of the world I find myself in is making art is hard again. It has never been easy, but it has gotten harder than it used to be. After over twenty years of doing this, I could let myself work on autopilot and let the muscle memory and learned skills get the chunky, time-consuming work done. I would focus on the sketch and linework, and then the final comes together. Now, getting the sketch worked on is a significant event. As I gear up on new smaller pieces, I find the thumbnail/sketch phase taking two to three times as long. It is likely due to being out of practice, though some self-doubt is likely mixed in. Given time and the opportunity to dust the cobwebs off, I am sure this will improve.

Final Thoughts

Ambitious Farmhand

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2020 Christopher Burdett

Stay safe, get vaccinated, and wear a mask. If we all do these things, maybe, just maybe, we can start to feel and be safe again. I have seen too much death and pain over the past two years to tolerate anything less from the human population. I will keep scribbling, and eventually, I hope to share with you another book.

That's all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com