I have known for quite some time now that coming back to Substack was going to require some sort of explanation of where I have been. I understand that I am not a celebrity, and I never try to place that kind of emphasis on myself. However, I do believe that integrity is a defining trait that not enough people care to push to the forefront of their own outlooks on life. With this in mind, allow me to share as much as I feel like sharing so that I can feel justified in continuing a shared creative journey with you all here on the Sub.
“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” - Douglas Adams
The Mixed Bag:
I am often astounded at the ability that life has to throw obstacles in my path. However, I also recognize that obstacles and blessings are two sides of the same coin. Since late 2021, I have been battling through losses that have been extremely taxing, expensive, and heartbreaking. I am blessed that I still get to spend time with my daughter, and I cherish that time immensely. She is growing up so quickly, and I want to make sure she constantly sees an involved, loving, encouraging father. I was also gifted the blessing of a woman who loves me as I am, encourages me to stay creative, and truly champions me. She also has a young daughter, and she has been a blessing that keeps me on my toes and also loves to see me be creative.
Now, I also lost my job, which was paying me to use my editing skills that I very much enjoyed, due to them getting rid of the editing position in favor of programming. It is highly unfortunate, and it has been extremely impactful to nearly every other aspect of life. I have applied to hundreds of jobs, and in almost all cases I have been 1 of at least 400 applicants. I am prayerful that the right thing opens up soon.
The Flux:
As you probably know, I am the founder of Catalyst Comics Studio, co-host of Beards and Comics Podcast, yadda yadda yadda. Well, with the current necessity of finding a job taking precedence, it became obvious that my focus was going to have to shift. The first in “things that you might not want to hear” is that Beards and Comics Podcast is going on an indefinite hiatus. I have enjoyed doing the show for the past couple of years, and I can’t say that I will never do it again. However, the reality is, it took me a whole lot of work for almost no payout. I don’t mean financially, I mean the amount of time it took to edit the show, upload the show, make the graphics, and find clips for social media; even after automating as much as I can, once we looked at the analytics, it just doesn’t make sense to continue it for now.
As far as Catalyst goes; I am scaling back a lot of my time with that work as well. As it stands; the Invasion of Everville script is with the artist, A Bards Tale #1 script is with the artist, Fall of Knight is ready for a campaign, and the Tilt Volume One trade is about to be campaigned. This means that my workload can be a bit more focused while most of the other stuff I am taking my hands off of.
For right now, I will just be focusing on the Tilt Volume One trade, and making sure that it will make as big of an impact as it can. The other things can be in various stages of development, but I do not want to be the one overseeing them. This means I will focus on job hunting and everything in the next section.
The Next Stuff:
Restless-
I have been wrestling with so much in life over the past couple of years, and through that, my faith has been reignited in a way that I have felt was missing for quite some time. Even in the face of struggles, I have been able to participate in a deeper relationship with God than I have ever had. Out of those struggles, and the search for encouragement, Restless was born. This is an upcoming devotional/journal for fathers who are struggling. It breaks 30 days down into daily encouragement, focuses, and prayers; and includes a section to share your own thoughts.
Presence-
This project has been an on-again off-again relationship for over a decade now. It has gone through so many different iterations in the past but it still has a ways to go. I have always had it in my mind to be my first 80,000 words project, and I plan to keep it that way. I am right around halfway through with the manuscript and have a lot of other elements already outlined, they just need to be developed and written. I look forward to putting more time into this to see if I can get my first novel completed.
A Worship Shaped Hole-
For those that don’t know, I have a book on Amazon regarding Biblical Worship. It currently stands as a collection of papers that I had written in various college courses. I have always wanted to expand it and reformat it, and I have finally outlined a way to do that. So, I want to take some time and make that into a much stronger handbook for anyone interested in what it means to live a lifestyle of worship.
A Bullet for the Road-
This is a novella that I had started a while back, set in the Wild West, but with superpowers. I am over halfway done according to the plan, and I need to just sit down and knock the rest of it out.
Substack-
There is so much more for me to do with Substack, and I would love to grow it, even in the free format. I had a lot of interaction and great responses to Parallelium, as well as, the various creative articles that were posted.
That is what I have to share for now. I hope you can get better insight into the reality that I am actually being creative still, but it has been a lot more personal than it has been public facing. I look forward to surprising you all with new things in the future, and especially to reconnect with you all here on Substack.
Thank you so much for your support.