Hi, everyone! I know I’ve been idle for quite a while—much longer than originally intended. Especially last year has been straining and I needed a break. Not just a weekend or two; towards the end of 2024 it was clear that I needed a change. I had this planned back in 2023 for 2024 but then I took my chances with Dokomi and surprisingly I got accepted, then Nipponcon, Connichi, PolarisCon and ComicCon followed. Already creatively and mentally exhausted I had the probably most successful year in my art career ever. I don’t regret anything about it but in the end, when I was struck down by flu for the entire December last year, I realised that things shouldn’t go on like this.
I have been putting on hold projects in favour of preparing for conventions. Projects that would demand my creativity and challenged my skills which I dearly wanted to do in order to progress my art style. But instead I decided to focus on creating pieces and products that could sell. Still trying to find a compromise with my ambitions to try out new things and that eventually led to a lot of stuff that wouldn’t sell.
Plus projects on the personal level. This year I’m spending so much more time with friends and family (and the new cat) that I don’t want to go back to the busy schedule from last year or the year before. In between events, you have to prepare products, create new art, promote new art, apply for new events, organise your stay, find helpers, etc. (bureaucracy not even included).
This is not what I envisioned when I started out back in 2019. To do things my way, in my own rhythm and rhyme. As much as I have done that, hopefully to some extent, it doesn’t sell anymore. And what frustrates me about that is not the lack of financial gain but the fact that it is about financial gain. I want to create for the sake of inspiration, creation, expression and simply the fun of it.
And that’s what I focus on from now on. A lot of that process will happened privately, some things I’ll probably share with you. But eventually, you’ll get to see the results. Untill then, I won’t apply for any more events until I have new stuff I want to share.
I’m preparing to set up an online shop at etsy to sell all the leftovers from conventions, hopefully before December. My commissions on ko-fi should still be open and if not, e-mail me.
Thanks for reading,
Hota