More art of Nightmare Moon because I hate summertime. 🌙✨

Ayo! New follower here. I love your art and your mind set of just messing around to make cool stuff. but I’ve also seen you love been to at least one convention (I didn’t scroll far enough to see more about conventions) and I wanted to ask. How you did it? I really enjoy making art and I would love to make it a career so this boils down to :

how did you do it? And how can I do it too?

not just like first steps but what happens after that? I’m young enough that if this doesn’t work out I have plenty of time to look into other careers before worrying about paying for rent or necessities with money from my future occupation. I know that everyone’s experience is different but I still hoping you can give me a somewhat clear answer.

thank you for inspiring me

(sorry this ask was so long)

Hello there! Thank you for your message.

These questions are large and hard to answer. Being more specific in your questions helps. "How I did it" is very... large in scope. That question could be answered just by saying, "I did it by never wanting anything else and never losing sight of my goal." But that doesn't help you much. So I'll just try to touch on some key points and contexts.

I'm 32. Only in the last couple years has my practice been enough to make a living doing it. I've always wanted this and literally everything I've done in my life has been to get here. I've worked two jobs my entire working life (age 19-now): retail/customer service and art stuff on the side. Because of the pandemic, I got double unemployment and stimulus checks, which became my initial investment into merch and savings safety net to get started. I started therapy to address my fears of asking for help, my negative self-talk, and catastrophic thinking. (Therapy has helped me with my art so much.) Then I was laid off for real in 2020 and hit the ground running with art. I split rent with roommates, I live very very cheaply, and art is my passion. If art for a living is what you want to do and you're happy to make lots of concessions to get it, this career works. It takes a while to get momentum and regular sales/attention-- just don't quit. The more stuff you do the more people will recognize you and like your work.

It would be dishonest to not address my privilege here, too. My parents have always emotionally supported my practice, my friends too, and I got to go to art school with no debt. I did outside of school art mentorships. My art education experiences taught me a lot of art techniques and self-employed skills and that only happened due to the support of my folks. I had resources a lot of people don't. (Which is why I want to help new artists learn this stuff as much as I can; not everyone is as lucky as I am.)

My advice for you if you want to do what I do, which is being self-employed making and selling art and art merchandise for a living:

Get used to making concessions right at first. Your art career will probably not start out gangbusters, so get used to low sales and saving money and working hard. Make things within your means and grow from there.

Fuck around and find out. Try making merch, try making videos, try things you see other artists doing, try everything and see if it works for how you like to make stuff. I learn so much from YouTube, to be totally honest. Artists are good sharers.

Follow a shit ton of artists and see what works for them. Join artist groups and ask thoughtful, specific questions to learn from those already doing it.

Learn how to write about your art. Write about why you make it. It helps make it more compelling to others. "How to Sell Your Art Online" by Cory Huff is a good book to read for tips on this.

Develop a healthy relationship with art-making. If you sit down at a blank page and it terrifies you: address that first. Don't try to start a business if you're still struggling with making art regularly.

In fact, don't start a business until you're really ready. Art comes first. You can easily do art and build skills and do commissions and run an online shop along with working a job that pays bills reliably while you grow into the artist you're meant to be.

Don't pigeon-hole yourself into only one channel: don't JUST apply to cons, try street fairs too. Don't JUST sell online, get your work into cafes as well. You'll see which routes are more profitable/worth the time as you try them out. Eggs in many baskets, you know.

There's probably a whole essay I could write on this. And you're right--mileage varies between person to person vastly. The part of the world you live in, your access to transportation, education, your mental health, what type of work you like to make, etc. Art careers almost never look the same 1:1 even in fandom spaces like furry/anime. If you're self-made, it will reflect that.

I recommend the YouTube channels Rafi Was Here, Robin Sealark, Cat Graffam, and the website The Abundant Artist (again by Cory Huff) for more resources.

Don't be afraid to take leaps of faith. Try everything. Be true to what works for you and what doesn't feel sustainable. Be authentic with your art and stay true to your interests. And good luck.

Don’t panic ‘The Bear Minimum’ will still show up every now and again, just a lot less than it used to. This is a continuation of my thoughts on the comic I posted here last. I’m just not enjoying making art anymore, like -not at all- & it’s really getting me down. Art is an intrinsic part of my identity, so not wanting to do it feels awful. This reticence has been building for at least 4 years now & as of last year I have been acting on my desire to leave art as a career, before I burn out to a crisp. Please note this is the first time in a long time I am feeling mentally healthy & have the resources to go without my portion of our income for some time (while I try to get IRL work). So, I really need to seize this moment of security to make big life changes. Even if it means we’re going to have to tighten our budget a lot while I try to find work. Some of you may remember that I am attending school full-time for an assistant administration diploma, ideally to have a broad skillset to bring with me while job hunting. I’ll be graduating from that course at the end of May if everything goes as planned. I have been on a commission hiatus since the start of this year to put schooling in action, continuing only with the weekly comic & monthly Patreon exclusive work. This brought my monthly income down to 1/3rdof what it usually is, but that was all I could manage alongside fulltime school. Doing so much less drawing has been incredibly beneficial to my RSI hand pain! For the first time in years, I can go to sleep without restrictive arm braces & I don’t need maintenance from the physiotherapist. I honestly thought that was permanent so I can’t even convey my relief there! However, despite drawing a lot less, my love for making art did not return. I enjoy making comics, but they are a whole lotta line-art & that can be a very repetitive process. Being a comic artist has been extremely good for my growth online; to the point where I owe half or more of my current following to it. Some people don’t even know I draw other things, that’s how good their reach is compared to my other art. Despite that I am going to be taking the comic off schedule. Even if it means sacrificing most or all my Patreon income and kneecapping my reach on every platform. I’ve been making the comic 4 times a month, with little break for 6 years. It started as a good outlet for my thoughts & an exercise in consistency, as I had never had a schedule of any sort prior. Doing the comic weekly was a great lesson in self motivation, but no one is forcing me to continue with it other than me. Plenty of times the deadline came I didn’t have a good idea & just made something I wasn’t proud of, because it was income and because I had just done it every week for so long. If you don’t enjoy my non bear/comic art, then I suppose we’ll part ways. In the end I must do right by me though & I feel like this is the best choice right now. Patrons have been notified on what will be happening over there in their own post.

Slow-Down Announcement

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your patience during my break, my move, and through the holidays. It means a lot that you’d all be so generous as to keep paying me while you wait. In general, your continued support is incredibly important to me. And as much as I appreciate it, I will have to ask you for a bit more patience.

Ko-Fi was an experiment I started to see if it was practical for me. I was excited about the response my AUgust 2022 prompts had gotten, and I wanted to see how my audience would respond to access to more of my writing and more of my process. I was also curious to see if I could use Ko-Fi to grow my audience, or supplement my writing career. Building a brand online is difficult, but I couldn’t let an opportunity like this slip by me.

After about 15 months, I can say I’ve had a lot of fun on Ko-Fi. I love Magnet Mondays, I like sharing what happens behind-the-scenes, and giving you all sneak peaks of what’s to come. Like I said, I’m forever grateful you thought my art to be worth paying monthly for in the first place, it’s not something I ever dreamed people would do for me. Unfortunately, posting on Ko-Fi as regularly as I wanted has become impractical for my schedule and mental health.

Keeping up with the rate of posting I promised—weekly, biweekly, and monthly, over my various categories—isn’t sustainable in my current environment. If I had the opportunity to do nothing but write for 8-hours a day, 5-days a week, it would be easy! I would have plenty of time to share my writing with you, continue my personal projects, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Sadly, my writing schedule is not so generous. My full-time office job cuts into my creative time a lot, and stacking the self-imposed obligations of my Ko-Fi schedule on top of that means that I’m “at work” a lot more than I otherwise would be.

Long story short, I’m getting fatigued trying to keep pace with Ko-Fi updates. I’m going to be slowing down my activity here, and prioritize what I can do without burning myself out. I have a flexible plan that I’ve been developing, so you know where you can find me outside of Ko-Fi if you’d still like to follow my work elsewhere.

Keep Reading below here or on Ko-Fi

First, Magnet Mondays are sticking around, but this time for free. Polls are easier than counting comments, so I’ll be hosting the weekly vote and the poems on my ink-flavored Tumblr account. I really don’t want to give up doing Magnet Mondays, since it was a lot of fun for me (and for you all too, I hope). The first poll will go up this Sunday (January 7th) and the first poem will go up the next Monday (January 15th), so I hope I’ll see you all on Tumblr! I’ll still post the final poems here on Ko-Fi for organization's sake.

Second, one of my goals for 2024 is to be more active on my new Neocities website. The freedom of having my own writing website where I can post whatever I want without the need to be overly professional like a portfolio, and no risk of getting my content reported like on social media, means that I can share a lot more of what I write. Please do check it out, and feel free to sign the guestbook while you’re there!

More generally, I want to migrate some of the Typewriter-tier behind-the-scenes posts to Tumblr and Neocities, so more people can see what goes on under the hood when I write. I don’t have imminent plans to share the exclusive content on Saturdays anywhere else—save for things like AUgust, which are already all free—but I won’t write it off.

Finally, as for the fate of this Ko-Fi account, I’ll be reworking the tiers a bit. Magnet Mondays will be free, so it can’t be a perk, and my plan is to post behind-the-scenes or exclusives sporadically, whenever I feel like I have something to share. I’ll keep the BTS to Wednesdays and the exclusives to Saturdays, but that will be the only consistency in scheduling. Nothing from the Manuscript tier needs to change, since I don’t plan on halting commissions.

Thank you all for being so understanding, and for being so generous this past year and a bit. I’m happy I even had the opportunity to try this out, and it would have been over before it started if I didn’t have people like you.

Hi Mr. Lodge,

I’m always been enamored by your illustrative style and dieselpunk world building of your upcoming novel!

I’ve always aspired to be a notable illustrator, but I always get shy or anxious about sharing my work on the internet or in general especially now with the whole AI art controversy happening, but I do want to build myself up.

What is your advice about sharing an artist’s work?

Hey Retrorubus, thank you so much for the supportive words. Always really encouraging for me to hear from folks like you. AI worries: AI image-scraping is a reality we're going to have to live with from now on. If you're relatively obscure you don't have much to worry about, but artists with bigger brands will more likely be targeted by the Abominable Intelligence. Art theft and piracy have always existed, now it just got worse... But not insurmountable. Remember that AI can only imitate human creations. AI can't imitate what hasn't yet been created. It can't live the life you've had, the sorrows and joys which shaped the art and characters that live in your mind, waiting to be made. Anxiety about sharing art online: Generally I think you should go ahead and start posting some work online, but start small by posting it to only 1 or 2 platforms at first just to get used to it. Try to stick to a schedule too, like picking 1-3 days a week that you'll post a new drawing on even if it's just a sketch. You'll realize soon that there's little to be anxious about. If anyone leaves nasty comments, just ignore or block them. They're never worth your attention when there's so many other good people out there worth getting to know. Don't feel like you have to publicly post everything you draw. I only share about 15% of what I've drawn. The rest is either on my Patreon or unreleased comic pages. If you're still fairly beginner/intermediate with your skill level, don't stress yourself out over getting a big followings or engagement - that all naturally comes with skill, persistence and time. What helped me a LOT when I was new was hanging out on illustration forums and art/animation-themed IRC chats where I could get to know peers in a more chill environment and share our progress on various projects. So yeah, small, art-focused Discord servers or Telegram chats with artists who share your interests might be a good option to look into. Finally, don't worry about being a notable illustrator, just focus on being a good one. Create whatever is truly meaningful and important to you, and you'll have renown among a truly loyal and appreciative following. Anyways I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any follow-on questions, and thanks again!

Hello hello! I feel like you’re the right person to ask about this cause you could give me some motivation and good advice maybe? Anyway, I have two OC’s in bg3. The first one is a female and she’s the dark urge, then I have another one that i haven’t created yet but i’m planning for this one to be her love interest; so I wanna swap out one of the companions and redo them, into my male oc, so I can get kissing scenes between my two oc’s. Does that makes sense? I’m just like, idk, worried, that people will dislike me for it, for not pairing my durge with any companion or npc in the game :((( just love to create fictional original characters. Idk where i’m going with this, but do you think i should do it or should i do like most people, pair my durge with for example Astarion instead? Dont wanna get hate :(( thank you.

Hiii!! ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ ) I must apologize if this does not help or comfort lol I can only give advice from my perspective :x sorry for the long answer!

You make perfect sense lol that’s literally what I do, with all four companions more often than not LOL!! And have been doing a bit less than a year ngl ^^ BG3 is a tool in my eyes, in many ways. I find it fun, writing and bringing life to an entire crew, shaping their lives and “being” myself. To be honest, there may be people putting assumptions on the “why” you’ve swapped a companion. They may assume it’s a deeper meaning when in reality, you’re just trying to have your characters in action. Don’t let that get to you! You know what they say about assumptions ;) lmao. Personally, the negative reactions I’ve received over the months are from “trolls” posting psychological attacks, as well as a few that have more personal issues with me/what I’m doing. (Tbh, I consider all hate mail and unwarranted malicious acts to another as internal problems the person needs to work on themselves, but can't/lack the ability to do so.....but that's online spaces for you. Sitting behind a screen is like liquid courage to MANY, MANY people) I’m here to tell you if it happens, you’re human, it might sting, but don’t let someone else’s personal issues cause you to toss it all away and just stop!! Unfortunately negativity runs rampant in online spaces, if it happens once, I'm sorry, it could happen again. Never let another have so much control over you, that you stop though!

If you love your charas and truly want to flesh them out, you might need to take a bit away from the negativity but don’t stop. You could create while taking a moment away! I’ve had interactions that made me create and not be bothered posting to the online world. Vibe out, don’t let them into your head…at least not for too long. That’s what negative people want, to try and cause you to stop! Like you said, you love creating, don’t let someone else’s dark cloud latch on to you!!! Never let someone else stop you from doing what you enjoy! If you get hate, or deal with something less than positive, protect your peace. Always. Block them asap!

Pairing your durge with a canon character truly, mostly, garners more interactions due to others understanding said canon chara already. (I've lurked before really diving into things, I noticed the way things were lol) Doing so initially can build a following faster. As you’re fleshing your characters out, others are learning about your characters along with you! For me, I knew people would see a gang of my own original characters and be confused to what’s happening. It reminds me of something I saw and it had a person confused with a piece of art that had a random character who was with the canon charas and they go “oh, it’s their tav” lol

I’m here to tell you once you start, no matter how it may seem, you aren’t alone. A ton of engagement or not. It might feel a bit lonely, but that’s when engaging with the community a bit comes in handy. ^^ The more you create, especially consistently, the more others are seeing it and connecting with both you AND your charas. It's a slower process, but don't let that discourage you ^^

Ofc!! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ ) ♡ any time! Hope I've helped!!

hi, im 19 and have always grown up catholic and have always loved my faith and religion but recently something has been calling me to expand my faith. i’ve started reading the bible but i was wondering if there were other things i could do to dive deeper into my faith

Hello there my brother or sister! Yesss you can:

Pray the Rosary. You can pray it anywhere silently or vocally. When we pray the Rosary we meditate on the life of Jesus and His mother, Mary. Please be careful if you pray it while driving.

Watch videos to help you pray the Rosary. This one has pictures to help you stay focused on each mystery.

If you fall in love with the Rosary, you can join the Rosary Confraternity for free and receive graces.

There are other types of Confraternities and Arch Confraternities too. Ask your local priest about them or look online.

Listen to Relevant Radio to learn more about the faith. They also have live shows of praying the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Find a prayer Chaplet you like. There are many. I am fond of The Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Get some Holy Water and bless your home, your car, your neighborhood. Bless others, bless yourself. You can even ask a priest to bless your home.

Ask your Catholic priest about enrollment for a Scapular in person. There are a handful of different ones. The most common is the Brown Scapular.

Join the Association of Marian Helpers for free no matter if your male or female. You will receive the same graces as Marian Fathers throughout the whole world!!

Volunteer at your church or even somewhere local like a soup kitchen.

Stand up for the unborn by joining in pro life organizations like 40 Days For Life and Live Action.

Start your own street ministry by distributing things about the faith.

Find books about the Catholic faith, especially the Catechism, and the lives of different saints.

Read The Lives of the Saints by Fr. Alban Butler

Read The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth by Brian Singer-Towns

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Join a ministry at a Catholic Church near you. There is a lot of choose from. You can even ask the priest about making a new one! We really need help all around with people who can teach the Catechism too! No matter how big or small your role, it is precious to God.

Attend Eucharistic Adoration in person for one hour. (There are videos online too.)

Recognize that Jesus is truly present in body, blood, soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist and wine by what is known in the Catholic faith by the word Transubstantiation. Your view on Mass will forever change your life.

Go to Confession at least once a year.

Go to Mass every Sunday. Try daily Mass if you would like.

Invite a friend or family member to Mass.

Watch videos of preachers like Bishop Robert Barron and Venerable Fulton J Sheen.

Watch The Chosen. The app is free! Season 3 is coming soon.

Make a pilgrimage to a holy place.

Make a small spot in your home a place for prayer.

Pray for the souls of Purgatory every day.

Have meals as a family and say grace before eating your meal together. Build up bonds of love and peace.

Watch The Passion of the Christ

Watch Mary of Nazareth

Go on a retreat in person (or online)!

Follow the Ten Commandments

I like art so I enjoy looking at artwork in various mediums to help my mind learn and meditate upon the faith.

You could make a social media account where you can collect Catholic things as you learn more and more. It doesn’t have to be big and fancy. You can even go anonymously (like me on here lol).

Visit a shrine near you. Stop by sometime and say a pray.

Find a spiritual director. It can be anyone of the faith, even your priest. They can be such an asset in your discernment.

Get a library card. Your local libraries may have some Catholic material on hand!

Donate to the poor, the needy. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Even the smallest donation makes a difference.

Practice First Friday devotion or First Saturday Devotion.

Observe the Holy Days of Obligation by going to Mass if possible.

Do the stations of the cross at your church or one nearby.

Try fasting for a day. Offer it up as prayer to God, especially for the conversion of sinners and intentions you hold in your heart. It can fasting from food, from hot water in the shower, from listening to your music on the way to school or work, etc. Please don’t fast from food if you have any type of eating disorder or any other certain medical conditions especially if you take medication… please consult your doctor beforehand.

Attend classes at a college or done by your church. Some are free! It may help you discern your vocation and the path for your life. You may discover your calling. Know that it’s ok to change your mind in the process.

I hope this helps! May God bless you.

I swear your commentary on posts is hilarious af 🤣☠️ These video and photo edits are so cool too. Is there a reason why you don’t post more to Twitter (not that you have to, just an observation)? Thanks for everything

Hey 👋🏾💜 Thank you for the kind words. Y’all need to stop gassing me up. My dad jokes/ corniness will know no end lol.

With my Twitter page, sometimes I question whether or not people think I’m stealing work from this Tumblr page bc both my pfp and handles are not the same 🥲 I made my twt before I made this side blog so the handle and pic was a quick “slap together” choice. The phrase “be f*cking for real” is too funny to me so I just ran with it. And then my brain was completely uncreative and was like “namor-shuri” will do rofl. Hopefully people understand by now that I’m the same person, but alas.

To answer your question, I think it’s broken up into two parts. One chunk of it is that I rant A LOT so this platform makes it easier for me to do so while also being creative with color fonts and all that jazz. I also just love the freedom of layouts and stuff like that. From a creative perspective, of course it doesn’t help that Tumblr messes with quality but what I lose in quality, I gain in possibilities [I swear I don’t work for Tumblr and this is not me promoting them rofl].

The other half of the pie is the stark difference of engagement on Twitter vs Tumblr, in my personal experience thus far. Like I said, I made my Twitter first back in late December of last year. It was kind of a random decision but once I realized I was super into the Namor x Shuri ship, I wanted to engage with the fandom more directly and pour into it. Since then, I’ve been able to have a lot of fun with making different artworks, edits, videos, playlists, you name it! Ya girl has been BUSY to say the least lol And what’s been dope is that this fandom has been a fun outlet outside of my professional artwork and stuff like that. All that being said, what slowly became apparent to me was that I wasn’t feeling as included or apart of the fandom as I initially hoped I would. I would try and engage with people or joke here and there and most of what I would get back was crickets, whether it would be on my own posts or my commentary on others. And to be fair, I know it takes time for people to get to know you and build community but it just felt slightly strange. Especially when I would see new pages pop up and everyone would immediately flock to engage with them. I say this to say that absolutely NO ONE owes you anything in life so to be upset that someone isn’t your friend [whether it’s in person or online] is a human experience but you have to understand that not everyone is going to jell with you. There are billions [billions? *does quick google search] of people on this planet. Someone is bound to hate you, while another will worship the floor you walk on. Someone’s going to think you’re okay, while you being your raw and authentic self makes another person’s day. It’s nothing personal. It’s simply a numbers game. So inherently I understood that but it still hurt the 3 year old in me that was just trying to make friends at the playground, you know? lmao But I think what set it off was when I would look up and then see my edits used for people’s banners, fan art, post ideas, etc without asking me or giving me any credit knowing that they also aren’t following me or even engaging with me in any way. It still wasn’t cool but I think what would have made the whole thing feel a little different is if I was more “in the group” but because I’ve been on the outskirts the majority of the time, it just made it sting that much more.

Then I started to get slightly paranoid and wondered if I was missing something. Did I do something wrong? Did I say something that was off? I felt like a message was being sent and that confused the hell out of me [and lowkey still does]. BUT SOB STORY ASIDE lol I brushed my shoulder off, switched gears and thought “f*ck it, let me make my own side blog and do my thing on there” and that worked for me! I got traction after that, people were responding to my stuff and throwing in their own ideas/commentary/analysis etc. I felt like I could engage with people more, even with the limitations Tumblr puts on side blogs. And just the whole vibe overall started to feel really f*cking good. The funny thing too is that I’ve noticed that a lot of Twitter is on here and vice versa so it’s the same folks but for some reason I think this platform has opened up more possibilities for engagement in my experience. Twitter lends to a wider audience than Tumblr unfortunately but I’ve accepted my humble abode on here.

This rant is getting super long so I’ll end with this; I have nothing against the Nashuri fam on Twitter. Just because I’m not necessarily apart of the “crew” doesn’t mean that I don’t find everyone hilarious or amazing in any way. If you think I’m funny anon, you need to read what these girls say because it is SUPERB *chefs kiss* The talent from artworks to fics to think pieces and everything in between is incredible and oozes from that community. But for me, I think I just haven’t found my footing or people over there and as much as it’s been a bummer, I’m still going to be on there to support the dope stuff that comes out of it. I also want to say that just because this has been my experience doesn’t mean it will be yours. I fully encourage you to branch out on different platforms and try and engage with as many people as possible [fandom or not]. I think I just got my finger burned once and immediately gave up rofl. One of the biggest blessings that have come out of the Nashuri fandom in general is it’s vast bipoc community. As a black woman myself, I haven’t experienced this level of inclusivity when it comes to race, gender, language, culture, ages etc in other fandoms. It’s beautiful and I will always be thankful for that.

I also want to drive home that everyone needs to find what works for them. You owe yourself that. If you feel like your aren’t getting what you desire out of Instagram, move to Twitter and see what happens. If Twitter isn’t cutting it, move to Discord. Move to Tumblr, you name it! I think that move for me made a HUGE difference and honestly made me feel better about being in this fandom in the first place. And also this just goes for life in general but just because you might not feel included somewhere doesn’t mean you or the place is a problem. You might just need some scenery change.

Ps: If you are in the fandom and are on Twitter, definitely hit me up and add me! I would love to be mutuals. I’ve seen some familiar accounts from Twitter add me on here and vice versa and it’s been really cool. I appreciate the blogs that engage with me on there and all that jazz. I’ve never had a Twitter before so I’m lowkey new to that world still but grandma’s getting the hang of it slowly but surely.

Thank you 💘

Launch Announcement

When I laid out my goals for 2023 in January this year, I mentioned how I had ambitions to make a feature film called Empty Pages. It would be an anthropomorphized version of Laika and the Sputnik 2 mission, showing her fate as the first animal to ever go into orbit with tragic results. I picture it being an animated adult drama, influenced by movies like When the Wind Blows, Apollo 13, Titanic, and the Plague Dogs. I’ve been quietly planning and preparing it for well over a year at this point. I had to research historical details, learn how to make a screenplay, constantly revise the writing, design the characters, get feedback from friends, etc. With today being the anniversary of the real Sputnik 2 launch, it’s only fitting that things go public now.

The first phase of work is just about done. A new draft of the screenplay is in progress, and I’m feeling confident that it’ll be a good foundation to build upon. So the next phase of work, which I’m calling Project Star Dog, will have four main parts to it:

1.) Storyboarding the entire script from front to back, and editing the stills together into a full-length demo reel for the movie.

2.) Hiring a cast of freelance voice actors to dub over the storyboards and create guide tracks for all the main characters’ dialogue.

3.) Composing a full soundtrack for the storyboards, potentially with professional music software if I can afford it.

4.) Adding basic sound design, foley, and audio mixing to the storyboard reel as the finishing touches.

On top of all this, there’s also character model sheets to make, environments and props to design, concept art to draw, and trying to get the word out. The voice actors will be by far the costliest part, and so far I’ve been saving up my own money to afford them when the time is right. I’ve set up new social media accounts to help promote the project and share updates on it as I go. If my current plans work out, I hope to have this storyboard reel finished by the end of 2024. I’ll most likely post it to YouTube once it’s ready. What will happen then? At this stage it’s too early to tell, and I’ll be honest and say I’m not sure where it could go from there. But until then, getting a full storyboard reel is the priority, so that’s what I’m putting everything I have into.

Although I picture most of this being a solo project for now, I’m more than open to collaborating with other artists and creators to help speed things up. If you think you have something to offer the project, send an email or DM me at any of the links listed below. I don’t have a ton of money to spare, but I’m willing to work out payment agreements for anything that could help artistically. Even just following one of the accounts or sharing things around would be an enormous help for getting this campaign as far as it can go.

Online indie animation is currently in a renaissance. Things Helluva Boss, Lackadaisy, Murder Drones, Digital Circus, etc. are paving the way for a new era of the medium. Combine that with the long-overdue victories won by the WGA strikes this year, and the future feels brighter than ever for the scene. I want to try throwing my hat in the ring with a story I hope will connect with people, and emotionally resonate with them. The process of getting there will be hard and time consuming, but at this point, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Business email: [email protected]

LINKS:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ProjectStarDog

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProjectStarDog

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMsdX2ysfKxEwCCIcYHOyvQ

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/project_star_dog

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/projectstardog.bsky.social

Newgrounds: https://projectstardog.newgrounds.com

Hey i really love your builds and stuff and i had to ask, How do you stay motivated to build? I’ve hit a real block recently and none of my stuff looks right or i can’t even start a build, any advice?

Hi dear!! Love your name btw, and thanks for such a deep question! I'm so sorry you've hit the builder's block- honestly that happens to me from time to time as well! As a creator it can be really frustrating to hit a wall with builds and not know where to go. These tips are generally what I do and sometimes they help, sometimes I just gotta ride the block until it's over.

Keep a list of projects you want to complete. You can do this for survival OR creative. I find keeping lists really helps me to stay motivated though I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I've got an entire iPad's worth of notes for my worlds. Before my iPad I used Notion and handwritten notes to keep track of everything I wanted to do! If you wanna see my lists / inspo organization feel free to let me know and I'll post~

Build something from a reference. Instead of trying to imagine it if you normally do that, open up a cool Sims house, art concept, video game screenshot, photograph, etc., and just try to build the shapes you see there into a cohesive thing~!

Try a brand new style! Sometimes to keep ideas fresh and flowing, I need to take off my texture packs and get back to basics- and building in a gothic or medieval style with different blocks than I normally use generally really helps me get the creative ideas flowing! If you're not really sure how to build that style, go find (and follow!!) a tutorial or browse online (YouTube, Instagram, MinecraftBuilds subreddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc.,) for some inspo!! Even if it's something you won't ever build again, sometimes just building the way someone else does can spark so many ideas!

Play something else for a while. This can be super helpful if you are stuck. Sometimes I get stuck because I've Minecrafted too much, and I need to take a day or sometimes even a week away from the game and play something else. But usually I end up seeing some kind of inspo from another game and come racing back to build it 😂 The days where I opened the game, got nothing done, closed it and was frustrated with myself though were harmful to my overall mindset so now I will just see how I feel when I turn my PC on. Feel like building/playing? No-> Alright, let's do something else. Everything else can wait. Videos can be released a day later. Streams can be cancelled. I need to do /something else/.

Switch up the game! There are many times I get burned out from building in survival so switching to creative where I can feel more free has definitely helped! But the opposite is also true, sometimes forcing yourself to gather the resources and really envision the build as you're doing it helps me!

Don't force yourself if you're not feeling it. I burned out hard on Minecraft building a few times trying to keep up with daily build challenges or posting insta reels/tiktoks. Wait until you're feeling how you used to or motivated before you actually jump into the game again. The longest this "recovery" period has taken me is about 2 months, in summer of 2021 before I started streaming.

Honestly the biggest one that helps me is #1, I keep track of everything I want to do and I save lots of different inspo. pictures to give myself ideas while I build. Now, I don't block for block copy stuff-but sometimes seeing a roof shape I've never tried before or a block palette that looks cool can be enough to help me. Overall, I've found that keeping track of what builds and projects I'm working on and ✔ checking things off as they're done has really helped me be more intentional with my game(s) and my time, and the less time I spend frustrated or feeling lost, the more overall I've not been hitting the block as much.

Wishing you the most luck!

tagged by @butchybats (thank you <3333) to list the things i’m currently interested in!

last song: everything moves (bronze radio return), specifically this sol map. not going to lie a lot of the music i know of was introduced to me via amvs/maps. (the jayfeather man on the moon (zella day) amv and the yellowfang poor george (james supercave) ones are also favourites of mine).

last show/currently watching: amc iwtv as well! very excited for the episode tomorrow, i can’t wait to see what happens. so far i feel that everyone involved has been doing a wonderful job and giving the characters genuine depth, and i feel like the differences necessarily from canon have been handled incredibly well. also i love claudia and i think it’s hilarious that lestat and claudia’s actors both got acrylics specifically made for them.

currently reading: empress of salt and fortune (nghi vo) which i am loving and would highly recommend—both of the books in the series have reminded me that i don’t need to write a full novel for it to “count” so hopefully some time i’ll finish up the short story i was motivated to start by these books—, and tgcf/heaven official’s blessing (mxtx) volume two, which i have only gotten through three pages of so far but i am excited to read the rest of (it’s much easier for me to read than mdzs i think in part because it’s less popular online—i often have trouble reading things that have a large following because they’re slightly intimidating, though i would like to read it at some point), which hopefully in a year or so i’ll be able to read in the original since i’ve restarted chinese classes to improve my reading and writing as i only ever made it to fourth grade on that front.

current obsession: if we go by longest lasting, languages and sewing are my biggest passions, and i’m thinking about contacting the local lacemaking guild to try and pick that up. in the more recent, ofmd, iwtv 2022, which actually pulled me out of stasis on the art front, and perfumes/colognes, of which i need to order some more as i only have a bottle of bog standard 4771 kölnischwasser, which, while lovely and classic and my go to, isn’t exactly terribly interesting, and i’d like to build up a larger collection.

tagging: @owengrose @yankovic @trademarked-disaster @sparkxii @le-z @missanthropicprinciple @knowlesian and anyone else who would like to play!

The Advanced Selfie University Information A Comprehensive Video Course Revealing the Secrets to Mastering the Art of the Self Portrait LEARN MY SECRETS OF TAKING STUNNING SELF-PORTRAITS, THAT HAVE PROPELLED ME TO INSTAGRAM FAME! They say a picture tells a thousand words – so what do your photos say about you? One of the hardest things about standing out online these days is having incredible images of yourself. Whether you’re trying to build an online audience, impress potential employers, build up your self-confidence, or just create a kick-ass Instagram feed, you might not know where to start – or how to level up your photos. But what if you could take absolutely mind-blowing self-portraits of yourself that look like they were taken by an entire professional team? Well, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for years, and it’s been my secret to attracting millions of people a year to my content. When it comes to my own images, time and time again people comment on how they look like an edgy high fashion shoot. They’re FLOORED when they find out I shoot everything myself. No help, no production team—all completely solo. Every photo you see on this page was taken by me and me alone. And in the Advanced Selfie University, I’ll be teaching you my exact methods step-by-step, so you can do the same. With no stress, and no fuss. HERE'S HOW THE ADVANCED SELFIE WILL CHANGE YOUR WORLD Yes, I’ll admit it – levelling up the skill of taking photos of yourself may be a little vain. But here are a few things to think about, in case you’ve never considered some of the benefits: We all love looking good on camera. It raises our self-esteem, and enables us to tackle the world head-on with confidence and charisma. When you feel more confident, you’ll perform better in all areas of your life – and that’s a fact. Confidence will raise your abilities in business, increase your social skills, improve your romantic life, and strengthen your connection with family and friends. Having incredible photos of yourself will make you more desirable in all areas of life. On Tinder, to potential clients or employers, to your social circle, and to basically everyone else you come into contact with online. High-quality photos make you appear more professional, which will add value to you in business situations, and in any situations when trying to sell yourself. Regardless of who you are, better photos will it’ll improve your personal brand – even more so if you’re anyone like an artist, musician, or model, who relies on looking good on social media. Love taking travel or holiday photos? We all do. Wouldn’t you rather have a ton of phenomenal pictures from your travels with family, friends, or loved ones, that reflect the memories you created during these times? You’ll end up with a lifetime of beautiful photos, instead of a camera roll full of mediocre ones. How do you want to look back on your life in photos with your family, or future (or current) children or grandchildren? You’ll be able to more easily grow an engaged audience on social media. It’s a simple fact of the online world that people want to follow those who have beautiful feeds, and the Advanced Selfie University will help you level up your Instagram game, no matter who you are. Through taking the advanced selfie, you’ll learn how to better present yourself to the world in almost every way imaginable. From using your body shape to your advantage with the right clothing, knowing what hairstyles work better on you, and how to refine your posture so that you look confident in every situation, your newfound presence will positively impact you in ways you can’t imagine. Who is this course for? Considering becoming a student of the Advanced Selfie University? Here just a tiny sample of the kinds of people who have upgraded their photography game by enrolling: Online entrepreneurs wanting to boost their digital presence Business people or professionals who need to always put their best foot forward on the Internet

Travel photographers who want to capture themselves in the best light no matter where in the world they are Aspiring influencers, or anyone who wants to grow a powerful following online Musicians, actors, models, or anyone who relies on their image to make a living Photographers who want to better understand the art of posing Anyone who doesn’t want to spend thousands of dollars paying a professional photographer People who are uncomfortable in front of the camera, and want to learn to capture themselves on camera like a pro Any human being who wants to boost their confidence like never before! What You’ll Learn In This Course? WELCOME! CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME! (4:58) PREPARATION What Gear You Need (2:23) What To Wear (4:25) The One Thing That Will Make Or Break Your Advanced Selfies (6:20) CAMERA BASICS Camera Basics (1:19) Manual Settings for your DSLR Camera (2:36) Artistic Camera Settings for Unique Advanced Selfie Ideas (2:52) The WOW Factor (1:28) How To Set Up The Camera (3:14) Advanced Selfie: Example One (4:08) Take A Test Shot Before You Begin (1:27) Advanced Selfie: Example Two (2:33) HOW TO POSE How To Pose (1:06) How To Pose Your Face (5:34) Sitting Down Poses (3:28) Standing Poses (1:26) Lying Down Poses (0:41) Group Poses (2:40) What To Do With Your Hands (0:49) Advanced Selfie Example: Creating Context in your Photographs (1:21) PERSONAL BRANDING How To Figure Out What Types Of Photos Work For You (6:15) How to Look More Confident in Your Advanced Selfies (5:12) Overcoming The Fear of Posing & Posting (2:43) LIGHTING & FOCUS Best Lighting For Advanced Selfies (1:28) How To Set Focus For Your Advanced Selfies (1:48) EASY ADVANCED SELFIES Easy Advanced Selfies For Anyone (3:59) Best Locations For Advanced Selfies (0:30) Very Simple Advanced Selfie Example: Normal Family Moment Captured (0:31) Simple Self Portraits: Why Choosing The Right Colours For You MATTERS (5:34) MOBILE PHONE ADVANCED SELFIES Optimal Mobile Phone Set Up For Jaw-Dropping Mobile Photography (5:42) How To Shoot Better Advanced Selfies With Your Phone (9:28) How To Edit Your Mobile Phone Advanced Selfies on Your Phone (4:55) INTERVAL TIMER PHOTOGRAPHY How To Take Advanced Selfies on a DSLR Without A Remote Trigger (1:44) Drone Advanced Selfie (Very Advanced) DRONE ADVANCED SELFIES: Level Up Your Instagram With These Easy Aerial Self-Portrait Ideas EDITING YOUR ADVANCED SELFIES Make Your Photographs Look Like Art (2:21) How to Use Photoshop to Polish Your Advanced Selfies Beginner Retouching: Simple Self Portrait Editing (Example 1) (16:19) Advanced Selfie Example: Wooden Bathroom (1:00) EDITING TASK: Recreate my Editing Public Street Advanced Selfie Example PLUS Retouching Example (5:10) CONGRATULATIONS! You Are Equipped With Everything You Need! (3:14) About Author Hi, my name is Sorelle Amore. I’m a photographer, videographer, YouTuber, and creator. Over the last two years, I’ve built an online empire on social media, in a large part due to knowing how to take beautiful portraits of myself. I call this style of self-photography the “Advanced Selfie”; a term I coined to describe my special process of taking studio-like images of myself, using nothing more than a camera, a few cheap tools, and some simple photography hacks. Learning the art of taking beautiful images in this way has lead to some pretty incredible things – a life of travel working for global brands like Samsung, Armani, and Porsche, a self-sustaining online business that’s provided endless freedom, as well as a consistently growing and engaged audience on social media that I give thanks for each and every day. And all of it, because I learned how to capture myself confidently on camera in a visually stunning way, with absolutely no outside help. Remember, none of the photos you see here were taken by anyone but me. I created the Advanced Selfie University

so I could teach people like you how to seriously boost their confidence, online image, and opportunities, with an exact formula laid out in this intensive 42 part video course. By the time you've completed the course, you’ll know the precise steps I took to capture shots like the ones below. And better yet, you’ll be able to do the same. More courses from the same author: Sorelle Amore

Places of the Mind Production

15/10/2023

Since I had never used Blender before for anything, let alone sculpting, I decided my main focus for this week would be to learn as many tools and techniques for sculpting in blender as I could, while also learning basic head anatomy for female characters. I’ve found that in my previous work I have consistently sculpted male characters, possible because creating harsher and bolder features has been easier for my own work in the past trying to sculpt in Maya, so I wanted to push myself and learn to create more feminine features for this character since it uses different techniques.

To learn these tools and techniques I followed a YouTube tutorial for guidance. I followed a video by @JustTisArts4635 that covered both the basics of Blender while also showing the process of sculpting a head and neck from scratch. I would usually use a base mesh for this but since it’s such a small model I decided it would be beneficial to learn full head and facial sculpting.

"The only head sculpting tutorial you will ever need ! Blender ( From beginner to pro ! )"  (Just Tis Arts, 2020)

My initial sculpting process.

Following the general ideas from the YouTube video I was able to build up some feminine facial features starting from just a cube. This was a very long process for me because I hadn’t used Blender before, so it took much longer than it had when previously sculpting using Maya, however I did find that from a technical point of view the outcome of my piece was a lot more successful since Blender has better tools for character sculpting in my opinion.

Initial finalised sculpt

After getting to this point in the sculpting process, I realised that from different view points I wasn’t getting the same outcome for the face shape. At this point I decided that I needed to make the face much wider at the sides and specifically the bottom of the face because it didn’t look accurate or realistic while it was long and thin like this.

Further sculpting process.

While working on extending these areas, I also looked at adding more facial features and incorporating some features from my original idea to present for feedback. I think as far as adding eyebrows and other small details goes, I do need more practice and advice on how to create more accuracy and help with the anatomy overall. I struggled with the eye area, especially the bottom eyelid, as it started creating bumps and creases where I didn’t want them, so this was something I needed to come back to with more practice.

I was also able to use different tools while creating the geometric shapes on the side of the face to create harsher shapes and lines. As a whole I was happy to leave this model here before feedback to give a representation of what I had been able to learn this week, but it is a project I want to continue with because I found it both enjoyable and interesting to learn.

Bibliography

Just Tis Arts, 2020. The only head sculpting tutorial you will ever need ! Blender ( From beginner to pro ! ). [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dw8FwCi5aY&t=187s&ab_channel=JustTisArts [Accessed 13 October 2023].

02/24/2023 Click here for Spotify or Apple Music. This is my 32nd official release. Consistent with the theme of the track, this is significant because on average, it takes 32 songs to “break” an artist. “Blow Me Up” is an introspective and energetic track about hoping to get a break in my music career, as I will explain.

The beat is from Destinybeats.com. The cover art came from Gigzlogo from Fiverr. I recorded the vocals and it was professionally mixed and mastered by KeyAnobeat.com. Martin Dalesio from fiverr did the guitar solo. I told him what I wanted and gave him a freestyled guitar example with my vocals and this is what he came up with. I personally love it and think it turned out incredible. 

How I talk about how much I spend on this track is real. I roughly spend $165 per track by the time I pay for the beat, production, cover art, and punishment on average. Some tracks are cheaper, some are more expensive. For example, for this track I paid about $20 for the beat, $45 for production, $30 on cover art, and $5 for punishment, so $100 total. But “Michigan love “ which comes out next Friday was $25 for the beat, $60 for production, $40 for a feature, $30 for cover art, $5 for punishment, and $10 miscellaneous, so it was $170.

I’ve been trying to save money by cutting costs by spending about $75 per track so I can release 4 tracks a month because $300 is basically my budget per month. It’s to the point I can’t really afford basic necessities or things like vacationing because I’m investing what little money I have in music.

This is what I do for promotion. I spend $5 on Fiverr to promote each song on Spotify. That gets the track some traction and gives it a chance of being discovered. I’ve also recently started spending money on paid audiomack promotion. I basically did it to get 25 followers so I could sign up for their partner program. I plan on spending between $5 and $30 a month promoting. The reason is I’ll see some of that money back in revenue, all while being able to propel my music. I have had more traffic to my website and Apple Music ever since I started paid promotion on audiomack.

In any real terms, that’s nothing. Basically, I don’t spend money on promotion, especially compared to what production costs me. So if you wanna help, share, or recommend me to a blog or radio. I’m hoping releasing every week and promoting like this will cause an eruption 🌋. Blow me up!

This is the start of releasing every week until at least June. I really want to make it but I’m sure what will end up happening is I’ll prove releasing a track a week does not build momentum. I do a word-of-the-day rhyme everyday and Friday announcement and Sunday update online and I haven't grown in months. I’m basically going to prove you either need to do paid ads or make your videos so polished they attract engagement, both of which cost money I don’t have.

I got online with my music to try and grow a fan base so that when I would do shows I could get my followers to show up. But the opposite is more likely, where I do shows that leads to fofollowersn my social media. I’ve been waiting to run this like a business, hire people, promote, and do shows until I move. I got into graduate school and I’ll find out in March where I’ll be and if I have funding. I’ve been waiting on graduate school and to move and start to grow my movement. Until then, I’ll be investing in my catalog hoping my hard work will get me seen, but I doubt it.

You can stream or download the track wherever music is sold. Thank you for your support. Be sure to follow because new music is released every week!

Lyrics:

I’m barely getting by But I got my eyes on the prize That’s right,  every new week I set this money on fire Burn it, burn it up for me This music is just what I need Indefinitely investing see This recipe my destiny Don’t have a fan base Never had a major co-sign I’m an academic indie artist That creates his own ill rhymes Can’t afford to promote I spend my money on production So if you think this music’s dope  Let’s make an eruption

This is just how I rap dawg I invested in a catalog In a couple years they’ll be like how did he lap ya’ll Don’t got money to eat Because I spend it on beats Cover art and production My tummy is rumbling I’m hungry for another one But can’t afford the marketing So I hope one day to find the funds To pay for more than standard leasing Like Mac Miller when Before the story begins Don’t have the money to spend To buy Patron for your friends

Cuz I’m barely getting by But I got my eyes on the prize That’s right, every new week I set this money on fire Burn it, burn it up for me This music is just what I need Indefinitely investing see This recipe my destiny Don’t have a fan base Never had a major co-sign I’m an academic indie artist That creates his own ill rhymes Can’t afford to promote I spend my money on production So if you think this music’s dope  Let’s make an eruption Blow me up

I live on disability And can’t afford the finer things Or really all my wants at needs  Like vacationing and toiletries I spend 50 on the best lease    50 on production 50 on the artwork And 15 for publishment I’m ballin on a budget I walk the talk then run it they looking, yeah I’m Stuntin They think this pays, but it  Doesn’t  I do this for the love of it  Build my catalog and publish it Hope this pays off, and be patient Stay humble but audacious But right now 

I’m barely getting by But I got my eyes on the prize That’s right,  every new week I set this money on fire Burn it, burn it up for me This music is just what I need Indefinitely investing see This recipe my destiny Don’t have a fan base Never had a major co-sign I’m an academic indie artist That creates his own ill rhymes Can’t afford to promote I spend my money on production So if you think this music’s dope  Let’s make an eruption

This article is for those, who are struggling every now and then for mastering anything or learning skills, be that something related to sport, music, art or even academics. These are few of the learning skills examples, however, any professional person might find the forthcoming tips quite silly and redundant, but I’m hopeful that my guidelines might bring some lights for the bright amateurs, who are hopelessly roaming around to find the sparkle and potential in them. So, let’s start the art! And you can find the same article in my Blogger website here.

1. Breaking down your goals with target: Running a marathon or even 10 km at stretch on the first day, for anyone can be challenging, but if the same person is told to run 1 km per hour or day with periodical rests and complete the rest of the 9km in the similar fashion, same thing will become much easier for him/her and achievable in shorter time overall. Remember that, it’s very important to have an efficient mindset like this, instead of losing confidence in the beginning to complete a goal. I followed this strict rule, before dancing for the first time, in one of my friend's wedding ceremony. I will tell you more about the technique of learning dance moves at home in one of my next articles.

Right now, I try to cover and upload a song each Thursday every week, so that my passion keeps alive and the songs remain somewhere organized. Generally, on Saturday, I think of the songs I want to play. On Sunday I explore YouTube videos to find the easiest & somewhat ear-soothing versions and shortlist one or two. On Monday I try to master any 1 minute part of guitarplay, that I wish to learn, probably within 1-2 hours at night. On Tuesday, I listen to the song thoroughly so that I can also sing in the same way. Finally and mostly on Wednesday, I try to play guitar and sing simultaneously and if everything seems alright, I film it on the same day so that I can upload on Thursday. So, my 1 minute YouTube short, is actually a result of 6 consecutive nights of thinking and practicing part by part!

2. Dedication and consistency: These 2 things are simply among the most important factors here to learn anything. You must spare some of your time, energy, passion in the form of dedication for mastering anything. After that, just have some consistent, regular practice of those things which will also build your discipline in that particular field as a wise man said: "Practice makes a man perfect!" Learning life skills in school and learning life skills through sports can be termed as inter-related if given proper opportunity to them.

I have achieved few of the very well known degrees and certificates from school, college, universities, online, offline, companies, done sketching, extra and co-curricular activities, sports like cricket and football, excelled in those and I think I did most of these out of curiosity, transformed those into my passions and just kept on practicing on a regular basis. Another thing which is very important to my life is working out and since 2017, I have been executing the practice consistently each week. I’ve been following the similar pattern for learning language online too since the pandemic, during 2020.

3. Maintaining Confidence: Now that your have worked on your targets and consistency, the only thing that might stop you from reaching your goals could be the lack of confidence. A lot of top-professionals have excelled in their field on & off, but didn't lose their temper and confidence as they knew how heavily it would affect their performance. One way of doing it is just enjoy whatever you do and don't think of others, take breaks where necessary and move on again. You will be soon well on your way of succeeding! The reason why it is also called, Form is temporary but class is permanent.

Learning life skills for adults can be of different types but those can be learnt at early age too. I remember learning debating and public speaking just by following the same rule. I used to be nervous initially, looking at the audience and expressing my thoughts but soon I worked on it, turned my weakness into strength and got back stronger to win many more awards later! One secret: I follow the same pattern while playing FIFA 23 with my friends!🤫 I don't win a lot though, but I surely do enjoy how I play and I do get the appreciations for my gameplay.

That's all for today folks on learning skills and some learning skills examples! Learning life skills can be done through sports, music or any other medium and applicable for adults in companies or even in school. I will try to write down more about the factors and skills separately in my next few articles. And you can find the same article in my Blogger website here. Till then, have a look at my YouTube video on learning and let me know if you find these useful!

#learningskills #learningskillsexamples #learninglifeskillsforadults #learninglifeskillsinschool #learninglifeskillsthroughsports #learningdancemovesathome #learningmusictheory #learningsketchupfree

HAPPY LEARNING!

My NFT Art journey - A retrospective of 2021 and the Digital Art boom

As the NFT market hits a turning point with the forces of demand and supply shifting and readjusting the Digital Economy, we are entering a new phase of the Art NFTs era. We have come a long way in the past two years, as NFTs came through the art world like a wrecking ball, disrupting antiquated market traditions and making way for new possibilities for creators and collectors of digital art. Suffice to say, 2021 was quite the year for me having officially adopted NFT Art Making as a part of my arts practice.  

With new projects and ventures on the horizon, I wanted to take a moment and walk down the memory lane of 2021 as I take a retrospective view of how my NFT Journey started to where I am now.  

My journey began from a simple conversation with an acquaintance at my studio, who casually explained this new technology that could possibly be transformational for the world of Digital Art. After years of defending digital art as an “actual” art form, it has always been a challenge for artists like myself to have our digital work valued on the same scale as traditional art. With my somewhat rudimentary intro to NFTs, I was intrigued by its possibilities and dove headfirst into understanding how it worked, its application to digital art and the concept of Art as NFT.  

Having always been fascinated by the topic of Decentralised Finance (DeFi), I wanted to be an early adopter of this amazing technological development into how I presented my art to the world. I started by accepting payment in cryptocurrencies and eventually launched my own NFT tokenized art series, Beauty in DeFi in early 2021, as I saw how beneficial NFTs are for creators and collectors because of the transparent transactional process of the blockchain platforms and how a Digital Public Ledger safeguards the authenticity of the artwork being sold.  

The incredibly positive response that Beauty in DeFi received was a definite career highlight. This collection was not only an invaluable learning experience in utilizing the NFT technology and creating digital assets, but it also helped me establish connections in the NFT circle and introduced me to an entirely new online audience. As I started to get recognition for being a female NFT pioneer in the region with Beauty in DeFi, I felt incredibly humbled and realized the responsibility that I had in ushering in other female Arab artists to enter the NFT space with their own creations and now, the real race for me is how fast we can get more artists and collectors adopt this technology.  

Once I started to create more NFT artworks midway through 2021, my perspective on how I created and sold my art has shifted considerably. I invested in building myself a team of competent individuals that help support my NFT art business and my studio in terms of admin, sales and marketing, while I try to solely focus on creating the art. With this team dynamic, I now find myself wearing multiple hats that of an artist, entrepreneur and a team leader.

You know, after embarking on this ambitious NFT venture, I often get asked if I now prefer my digital art over my traditional paintings. I can’t help but smile because essentially as an artist, you just feel privileged to be able to support yourself by doing something that you are passionate about. As someone who was always defending the validity and prestige of digital art for years, I am glad to see the soaring demand of digital art which has now led me to be spending more time creating digital art than ever before. The irony is that since now I am spending all this time on my computer, I am drawn back to my easel and acrylics and if you follow me on my Insta, you know I’ve got something under wraps.  

Looking back to 2021, it was just a year ago and most people had no idea what the blockchain was and explaining it to them was such a challenge. This was all so new and the information on how to navigate the NFT Art World was quite limited.  As time has passed, numerous NFT Art Marketplaces have been created and we have made incredible strides in the NFT Space with new developments being rapidly made on how to further adopt this tech. I have had the immense joy of creating digital art that was meaningful to me and contributed to the NFT art movement, which is the future of the art world. Even now with Digital Art Boom and the buzz for NFTs slightly getting muted, there is still a lot about this technology that needs to be harnessed and a long way to go before its immense potential is completely realized and understood by the masses.  

For now, we just have to be patient and wait for the rest of the world to inevitably catch up with us…

Shop my artwork collection HERE.

Check my digital artwork collection HERE.