Hey all!
2 consecutive posts? Hooray!
Nothing new here, though I don’t think these have been posted before. I haven’t checked, but don’t remember. I’m going through some old files and thought I’d share some sketches and doodles.
Along with getting this blog rolling and drawing comics, I’m updating my portfolio, hunting (and hurtin’) for a steady gig. I haven’t worked in animation since 2023. The industry, along with the country (along with the world) has been going through shake up after shake up. Streaming, outsourcing, crunch, and automation (driven by corporate greed, of course) have made an industry (already challenging) feel impossible to navigate.
There’s a lot of jumping back and forth between chasing paying work and making personal work. Every day. It’s mentally exhausting. I ask myself if I should continue putting my eggs in the animation industry basket. My healthcare and pension are tied to Union jobs in animation. Unfortunately, the job security isn’t so great. Once a show is cancelled, so are the crew’s jobs. Time to hustle for the next gig. The pay is good though. At least compared to other art jobs I’ve had. And I enjoy it. Though if I had my way, I’d be making a living making creator owned projects.
Not like job security is even a thing when it comes to self-employment. I wonder if I have a choice right now, though. My phone isn’t exactly ringing off the hook with offers, and my job applications have gone off into the great unknown, never to be heard from again.
Self Employment is it’s own hustle & grind. In an era flooded with bootleg merch and artificially generated words & images, I feel the way to stand out is to lean in on originality over gig-friendly portfolio pieces. It’s a longer and slower game for sure, but I’m stocked with 30+ years of characters, stories, and art. That being said, I still need to eat. My dogs still need to eat. I need healthcare. My dogs need their vet check ups. I’ve got past due bills, yes.
So that is my dilemma at the moment. Employed vs Self-Employed. Each has it’s headaches and roadblocks. How much do I put into each bucket. What will it all amount to?
Speaking of artificially generated words & images, I’m reluctant to allow web crawlers and to implement SEO practices for this website. I feel like we’ve been sold a bill of goods when it comes to web search. As artists, it’s up to us to promote and share our work. It’s how audiences are grown. It’s how we eventually end up making a living from our work. I’ve been posting to the internet since 1999. Before that it was in showing art in person and via mail. With the rise in use & sophistication of artificial generative apps comes a rise in slop and cheap imagery, all scraped from the work posted by myself and the like. Without consent. All hoovered up to make rich bros richer. So, I don’t really feel like feeding the machine. We’ll see how much traction I get letting go of my dependence on Google and Big Tech. I love working with and am fascinated by the actual technology, but those fuckers have stepped over the line.
This trajectory we’re on isn’t very reassuring. I’m about to watch the Address to Congress. All I know is things suck shit now. No better moment to make art. So here I am.
