Upon What is Happening With INK and other Misadventures.

 So what's going on with INK?

When I first began INK I really wanted to dedicate a lot of time to doing the comic. I still do, but unfortunately an artist has to live in a real world and lately the real world has been pretty unstable. Between Covid 19, economic struggles and living off social security, I have had to make a lot of sacrifices, some I was really never comfortable with. 

To add to this, I was dealing with a storyline I felt wasn't working and will have to redo the beginning of Chapter 3 and it wasn't an easy decision because of all the time I spent on the artwork, but I had to admit myself it hurt the flow. So I had to reassess what plot line I wanted to follow.

Then came part time jobs that demanded more from me and my time that I wanted to sacrifice for minimum wage. But I had to have ends meet and bills to pay. 

You see I am not making that much off my art. Just a passive income and it isn't enough to get by on as I originally hoped. I don't look at it as a failure though, but a setback. Sales dropped off from Amazon dramatically, mainly because I don't know the secrets of self promotion...and trust me there is no real secret. I have spent countless hours watching Youtube of successful people, of course they later want to sell you a course. I studied about SEO engines, hashtags, etc. and still never was able to get to the point where selling my work online got to where I could devote the rest of my time creating. To be honest, that's all an artist wants to do. I also had to take in account, no one really has the money to spend right now on things that are not essential. I hope that changes.

INK is not gone and I am still working on it. But I also have to do artwork that I feel will generate something. I have been avoiding taking commissions but that may change. So I have to balance things. I also have to pay bills. 

I know I am not alone in this. Not just artists, but a lot of people are hurting financially right now. I wish I was in the situation where money wasn't an issue and I could simply draw all day. I also have to admit having worked the majority of my life at 9-5 jobs that offered financial security and transitioning to something that is often fickle and actually demands more devotion is not easy for me. 

The arcane secret some have of becoming successful on print to sell platforms is a bit of a magical formula that works for some. I haven't discovered it yet, one of the reasons is the stubbornness in me to do art that appeals to me and not just becoming full fledged commercial. I mean after all who doesn't love art of puppies and butterflies? I am not knocking that, just never was me gig so to speak. I tired to fill a niche and perhaps that is my undoing. Who can really judge?

I just wanted a modest success. In retrospect maybe that is a good thing that I didn't achieve it yet, because maybe it is the way Providence is showing me that I either have to work harder or that I need to learn how to develop my skills as an artist more. 

Either way, I am not done. I get frustrated certainly. I also get humbled, a lot. 

There are so many avenues, Patreon, print on demand sites, blogs, instagram, etc. to get your art out there. There are also people who have mastered these platforms and built followings. I have tried them all, some with more success that others. In fact Facebook really has been the biggest draw for my work. I have basically let my Patreon account set idle from lack of support. 

But I also have to be honest, my work is obscure and odd and not mainstream. That's a price you pay sometimes for being an individual. In paying that price, I will have to make more sacrifices, like going back to work part time to make ends meet. But I am far from done. 

Recently I even checked on a local framing shop that is run by a local artist. We chatted for awhile about known artists in the area as well as local art organizations. In my home town, it is basically nonexistent. He did tell me that he and another artist that I know and is well known in the region, make their money off of shows and they travel a lot. I am not in that position financially. But I did realize the amount of sacrifice and time they put into where they got today. It should also be noted that the internet was not there to help them in the beginning. These were very old schooled artists. 

So in the end, I guess it really depends on how bad you want it. I am not looking for recognition, just to survive so I can continue to create. So in the end maybe I have achieved what I wanted and even though I am not making a living off it, it is just a sacrifice I have to make. Because between the two, I would rather create than be known. Maybe being obscure, that old guy that lives like a hermit who lives with cats (currently a cat) is not such a bad thing after all. 

And even though I don't make enough money to live off of it, I do make enough to keep me going.

Currently working in ballpoint on a fan homage of Sandman by Neil Gaiman, for no other reason but I love the character and wanted to get back into ballpoint.

Currently listening to Audible books on the works of H. P. Lovecraft narrated by Wayne June.

Reading "The Boy Who Drew Monsters" by Keith Donohue.

Like what I do? Consider wearing it on a Tee from Amazon. All Tees 19.99$

 

Upon Growing Old, Creativity and Being Foolish

Most every morning I get woke up by Marlowe, my cat, who most know is the inspiration for INK. After appeasing him with his morning breakfast, I drive to a local park to do a morning walk. It is an old park that used to be where I rode motorcycles when I was a kid. Back before it was cultivated into a park with a nature trail, it was nothing more than boondocks where we ratted about on our cycles and bikes, jumping gullies and knolls.  

I suppose it is my morning spiritual communion. I get lost in nature and become not so important. After you leave the paved walkway and meander on small trails that break away into the overgrowth, you become more aware of how an ecosystem can become an entity.  Trees stand like silent sentinels filled with arcane, forgotten lore and stories, watch over you as you pass through. Some, covered with vines, honeysuckle and poison oak seem aware of your presence. The undergrowth is alive, teaming with insects as the process of decay begins its work turning fallen limbs and trees into fertile soil.  

Bird song fills the air while squirrels dance madly from limb to limb. The pond the trail encompasses is alive with an underwater world that hints at mysteries and breaks off into creeks that gave birth to small bridges. Nature has a way of reminding us just how small we are and how large its mystery is. 

I will be turning sixty-five in December. I already feel it. I am an old cat now. Gravity is not as friendly as it used to be and sometimes it makes me feel like I am heavier. Reflexes slow, knees do not seem to be resilient. Your feet tend to plod, and the nimbleness of youth seems to wane. You realize age is diminishing you in a world that celebrates youth.  

Recently it was reported that one third of people over sixty live alone and over fifty percent over eighty are solo dwellers in our society. Soon the number of older people in this country will increase. I am curious on how this will change the landscape.  

In the past year since Covid broke out among the populace I have been reading books on aging and listening to podcasts on living alone. I am also a sucker for audio books that I listen to as I either draw or work on a project. Thomas Moore, a psychotherapist who wrote “Dark Night of the Soul” (not to be confused with Thomas Moore who wrote the poem “Dark Night of the Soul) also wrote a book entitled “Ageless Soul” dealing with growing older.  

I would be lying if I did not say I was afraid of growing older. But I have learned to channel this fear into creativity. It is the nature of things. You are not always going to get what you want out of life and sometimes you will not always get what you deserve. For me, creativity keeps me alive. This does not mean creativity makes me sane though, in fact, it may lead to me being foolish and even more eccentric. I can always use the excuse I am becoming senile. 

Which leads me to a talk the actor, writer Ethan Hawk gave on Ted Talks.   

 

I do not think old age is what you make it, I believe it is more about how you deal with it. It can become a personal Renaissance, or it could devolve into a bleak waiting room waiting for Death to show up and tell you it is time to clock out.  

Me, if Death shows up, I hope it is Neil Gaiman’s incarnation of Morpheus’ sister and I ask her before we go to come up to my room and look at my sketches. Maybe I will get lucky. 

NOTE: INK now has his own collection on Zazzle.