Where I've Been

Before we dive into some more fun, let me update you on what has been going on.

I have been away for a hot minute, and I think it is time I share a lot of the details as to why. I could leave it simply at "I've been busy" and move on, but I feel like that is an injustice to you. I don't know how many people will read this whole thing, but hopefully it'll help clear things up.

Preface:

Let me start by saying that just because I haven't been posting here does not mean that I am not being creative. I have actually had quite a few things come to me in the past few months that I am absolutely amped about (more on that later). So, this isn't a defeatist plea for help, this is just going to be a super honest letter. 

Reason 1: Work

The biggest reason as to why I have been away is that I have been adjusting to a new job. I like it quite a darn bit, and its flexibility is something I have always aspired to have. It also lets me do one of the things I love most… edit. I am getting pretty well set now, but I am about to step up a little bit further and that may take some more adjusting. 

Reason 2: Tilt

The next big thing was prepping and launching and monitoring and completing the Tilt 4 campaign. Now, I am going to be honest here; I really wanted that campaign to do better. I was geared up for it, did more shows than I ever have before, and it still didn't pan out as well as we had hoped. I can't thank my partner Jessica enough for helping me prep the campaign and sticking with me through it. I feel very honored to have found new people to come in and check it out, as a writer that is all I can ask for. Still, it is a hit to the heart when you love a property so much and its performance is lackluster. I know that indie superheroes are very difficult to market if you don't have a bigger name behind them, but I still feel strongly that Tilt is really something special. I look forward to getting our first trade put together. 

Reason 3: Community

Alright, now some of you might not like what I am about to say. I am sure it has been noticed that I got rid of Facebook. For me, it was a long time coming, and I have not regretted it for a second. I know a lot of other creators are on there, and I appreciate the connections I made on that platform. However, too much of what I began to see became campy. I noticed that even in cross-promo chats, people would ignore my messages and then post about someone else's stuff. Now, I am not saying I haven't upset a few people in my time in indie comics, but I will go out of my way to support those who I feel are respectful and honest. On top of this, the Catalyst page had 2500+ people following it and every post got throttled so hard that we were lucky to get a like on anything. For this reason, and others, I ditched the platform. I spend most of my social time on Twitter now, and Jessica and I have been working on growing Catalysts Twitter. We also have the beards and comics twitter, which we are posting quick little pull quote reviews of what we are reading. (They are also available on here now)

Reason 4: Buffet

I had been using substack as a nice little creative buffet for a few months at the beginning of this year. I filled my plate up with content to give you all. I really enjoyed sharing at least 3 posts a week with you. However, I have noticed no growth, and slim to none interaction wise. To try and seek growth would require me to reallocate time from creativity to marketing. Honestly, I just want to create. I can hope that people will ask more of me someday, but even if that doesn't happen, I have to keep doing what I'm doing. I used to always say I was created to be creative, and I stand by that. 

Epilogue:

I am working toward something to give to you. It started as a little note in my phone, and it is only growing from there. I had shared it with Jessica as what I thought I could attempt to make a webcomic out of, but she was intrigued enough by just the text.

So, my next post I will reveal what I have been working on, and what you are going to be receiving. 

I appreciate all of your support, and the encouragement to keep on. I want to do right by all of you as subscribers, and I look forward to sharing more with you. 

Lastly, there is a section here called Battlebrain, which are all articles that relate to mental health and encouragement for creators. If you need it, it is there. If you know others who need it, send them over to it. It is a completely free to read section of this page. 

Stay blessed.