Damn, it's been a while....some thanks, and a bit of an announcement.

I'm incredibly grateful for all of the offers of projects and commissions that I'm being solicited for. Thanks, you guys, so very much! I also want to thank my clientele who have been so incredibly patient with me through all of the medical problems that have plagued me over the course of the last year and a half. I promise that those long-awaited pieces are forthcoming!

I had a really great talk with my wife after the con was all said and done, about this path that I'm embarking on again. I've read the horror stories from long time industry pros that I respect, talking about the lack of medical insurance or consideration from a company that they've slaved for for years, only to be pushed to the wayside in the wake of younger, "hot" talent. Guys getting sued by multinational corporations over making a tiny bit of profit for themselves, off the characters that they themselves created. The face of the business isn't terribly pretty, and that's for the pros. God help the freelancers like me. I wanted her on board with full knowledge of what would be in store for the near future if I went this direction. Luckily enough for me, she was kind enough to give me her support.

I know how tough it is to be a professional starving artist. I've already been through one studio collapse, and burned through a nice nest egg in order to make ends meet, but also I've learned a lot from the experience. I feel like I'm ready to tackle it again, but in a smart manner, with more hard work and determination this time around. The last time around was a lot of fun, but when it really comes down to it, I don't think we were really serious about making it a success as a business. I don't regret it, and I'm not bitching, but I'm in a place where I can look at it honestly without my ego getting in the way. My partner was also a convenient crutch for me to lean on to cover my weaknesses as an artist, and it allowed me to not have to learn how to do some key things the right way. This time around, there can't be any shortcuts or crutches. Just bootstraps and a whole lot of pulling.

Right now, I know things are going slow. This last flare-up really knocked me for a loop both mentally and physically and I've never been a very quick artist to begin with (I think "plodding" is about right...). I feel, though, like I've been slowly awakening from a bad dream, and I'm in a good headspace for the first time in a long while. My mental processes are flexing, and I'm knocking the ring rust off my body bit by bit. 

If a few irons in the fire go our way in the next few months, we'll be in a position where I'll be able to leave my M-F day job and pursue this again full time, as opposed to sneaking in those moments I can spare, when my brain isn't near-dead from dealing with the Morgue. Just the thought of that makes me smile, even if it's just a tiny bit at the corners. =)