Welcome back to the newsletter! The title is a juicy one -- changes are afoot! The future, unknown! -- but before we gaze into the crystal ball.. how about some ghosts? ‘Tis the season, you know..
Ahh, fun.. both of those little nuggets were born nearly ten years ago; pretty sure they were posted to my old Facebook page, definitely on my DeviantART account (may they rest in peace). I’ve never liked doing “pencil work” using a stylus on an iPad, so most likely this was penciled on actual paper, scanned, then inked and colored with Procreate. In fact, with few exceptions all the art I posted to those old accounts was done that way; I find the frictionless surface of a tablet unnerving to draw on, less so when inking or coloring. Go figure. Nowadays I rarely touch Procreate for anything other than doing a fix on a completed drawing I scanned before sending it off into the world (and for that purpose I almost never do it at all anymore.. it’s like I finally said screw it, give those mistakes a big juicy kiss, be FREEEEEEEE hahaha..)
This doesn’t mean I’m anti-technology, or I’ve become a newfound analog disciple. If you have the means, you use the right tool for the job. For me, that means the chicken-scratch doodles I ruin perfectly-good sketchbooks with are completely at ease getting slathered with colored pencils or, increasingly, watercolor, whereas a comic strip or something that I need to produce a bunch of, consistently, on a regular basis, then digital is the smarter choice.
Speaking of doing things on a regular basis, let’s discuss... THE FUTURE (insert ominous ghostly sound effects of your choosing here oooooh OOOOOOOOH....)
..actually, the future is pretty simple: stop chasing end goals -- a comic, a record, a finished film, etc. -- embrace the process more..
Example: what happens if I use Koala Sampler using only Koala’s built-in effects and synthesizer? Or, what happens if I use watercolor and some weird doodles together and make..whatever? Ask questions, then use the process to find the answers. See what questions those answers spawn. Repeat.
I’ve been doing that more frequently and I gotta say I like it. A lot. Much more than just focusing on finishing the thing, where the thing is the center of attention and everything else revolves around it. That’s a dead end. I mean, I get it, finishing is super-important if making your whatever-it-is is your actual gig, that’s how you put food on the table, right? But I’m a mere hobbyist; I do this silly business in my spare time, after my day job, after all my other obligations are taken care of, and finishing things to publish for the world to see/hear is not as big a deal to me. All my socials are full of people trying to “make it” -- if they just put in the time, if they show up every day, blah blah blah... great, wonderful, good for you... but that ain’t me. I’m perfectly happy doing what I’m doing: making art and music, using tools and processes I find fascinating..
Basically, I’m chasing the bright-shiny something wherever it goes. If a new bright-shiny should show up, by golly I’ll be chasin’ that sumbitch, too, probably before I’m finished chasing the first one. That’s why I can’t do long-term projects like making a feature-length film or doing a recurring comic strip; even short-term projects like a limited strip require I stop doing all the other things I’m interested in. I don’t want to do that. I like being inefficient; I like being unhurried (I do set internal deadlines, just so I don’t forget to breathe or eat..)
(This is also why I don’t have a Patreon or a Substack subscription paywall; no one wants to get billed for something they have no clue is coming..IF it comes at all! Much rather have a tip jar, but even that is effort I’m not interested in making at the moment..)
Now, all that said, these are some items I’m giving serious consideration:
A return to guitar-based jams
Making zentangles using watercolor pencils/paints and ink
Making zentangles using just ink (black and white, or colored)
Making performance videos
Drawing, coloring, painting zentangles
Drawing, coloring doodles
Making guitar jams
Making VERY short animated shorts (basically glorified motion-graphics things using my hodge-podge of animation tools haha)
Making a minicomic
Those are what I’m currently interested in. As of right now, this very second. They can and will change on a regular basis and I’m all for it..
I’m approaching these from an experimental framework; if whatever it is I’m working on isn’t vibing with me, I can jettison it, maybe recycle it for another attempt at a later date..
So, sorry, no, it wasn’t a big announcement where I say I’m making a feature film or a twelve-track LP. I’m merely saying I’m a flake and I’m perfectly content being one..
Now, just so you don’t go away empty-handed, I have made a commitment to myself to produce one or more things every week:
a new music track
a quick CG, eye-candy video with a soundtrack
a performance video
a finished illustration
zentangles, color-pencil experiments drawing characters from the doodle books
a mini comic
Will I achieve that every week? Probably not, and we’re getting into the holiday season which means LESS available time for the hobbies, but I’ll try..
Welp, that’s it, hopefully not too much of a disappointment. If it is, remind me to share my experience where I attempted to make an actual weekly comic strip, or when I did make that six-minute film that took up seven months of my life AND I COULD DO NOTHING ELSE THE ENTIRE TIME.. that might put things into perspective! Otherwise, I’ll catch you on the bounce. Peace, my friends...
Dan
Got it! Will keep my subscription to your Substack no matter what you choose to do 🙂 If it's cool for you, it's cool for me too 😉