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Sooooo… I lost my job Thursday. It wasn’t performance related. Just the harsh reality of business and working for others. In the short term, I’m a bit worried. I’ve never actually been let go from any job I’ve ever had. I’ve always been the one doing the leaving! So that’s weird. Also, except for a week here or there, I’ve been pretty much working since i was 14. My mom raised three kids on her own, so she didn’t really have the means to support us. I started working at a Dairy Queen that didn’t care so much about child labor laws (and for which I’m eternally grateful) and then worked through K-mart most of high school and through college. I paid my own way through school. And after school I went to work. I started over once or twice, working my way back up to management. It’s a cycle. Long term, I’m sure I’ll find something or the other. Mostly I just need money coming in and I’ll be fine. Help pay the mortgage. Pay the car payment. That sort of stuff. As for next steps… I am thinking a lot about that.
I enjoyed being an Art Director in a lot of ways. But, it got me further from doing the creative hands-on stuff. And I missed that a lot. I still did my own creative projects, like Eon Quest—but more and more I wished I was doing what I loved for a living. Like everyone does, right? Well, my friend Luke came over last night and showed me his iPad Pro and I fell in love. I have a Cintiq 12wx that has been sitting unused for over a year. Partly because I don’t have a desk any more. I use my laptop on the go. So the thing was kind of bulky and wire-laden. But this was free of all that. And fun to use.
So I got one today. Yay for payment plans. But, I think part of what I’m going to do in this time away from work (while looking for another job) is do a comic book project that’s been in my head for a LONG time. I’m crazy rusty drawing-wise, but if I let that stop me I’ll never do anything. So, I fired up the iPad Pro, and as part of trying to get to know the program I was using (Procreate… I’m trying others) I made this….
It’s the lead (actually, possibly the only) character in the book I’ll be working on. I actually want to go for a looser, more organic style for the actual book. But this was a nice exercise for the design. I have had this in my head for a long time. And, actually, the chair started out very different in my head. I may try to give it another go and get it closer to the one in my head so it looks less Metron-ish. because in my head it wasn’t at all.
So, anyway, hopefully this is where it begins. 🙂
