BLOG: Creating Art While the World is Getting Dumber

Good morning my friends! I slept a long time yesterday. 2110 hours to 0630 hours today. I guess I needed it. I got my middle son here this week with me while my youngest and his mom hit another vacation. Always nice to have someone else’s voice in the house besides my own. I need to not be alone on days like this because I cannot escape the wicked world enough. As congress gets ready to gut funding for Public and Educational Broadcasting, Department of Education, Hub Loans that help low income housing and they’ve already gutted much needed health services and help for poor Americans. I really don’t see the benefit. But this is what the idiots voted for. No one cares about anything until it DIRECTLY effects them. Kindness. Empathy. These things we just severely lack anymore.

I try hard not to despair about things but on days like this, its hard. Every day it has been a new fresh hell. I cannot think of anything good in the world going on right now, beyond things in the arts. So I try to stay focused on that, creating my own art and just disconnecting from what I can to stay sane. I dropped Facebook and Instagram. Even though those places had things I’ve enjoyed over the years, it just doesn’t seem as fun anymore. Plus they brought with it lots of negative things I am trying to cut out of my vision and care. In other words, I’m trying hard to grow up a bit. To find comfort on my own and in my own head.

I wonder, if this is me just giving up on the world and in a way saying there is nothing I can do, so I just disconnect, unplug and just go live my life. I’m honestly tired of sitting and waiting at the evolutionary ladder for humans to catch up. If I were to focus on these things instead of the good around me, I would continue to go crazy. Why be mad at what they are doing when there are Star Trek novels I have not read yet? I do what I can do.

One thing that provides hope right now is the message in the new Superman movie.

I saw it Thursday of last week. Admittedly, I am a big Superman fan. It was the 90s Superman comics that got me into even making comics! I love the Christopher Reeve flicks, the Henry Cavill ones are decent… hell I even love the George Reeves Superman Vrs. The Mole Men movie! I really liked this new one, although I will say that I have preferences for the older movies. This one didn’t seem as grandiose as ones before. The sense of awe from a human perspective seemed to have been missing, instead of just taking of living in a comic book world as read. It took some adjusting to. In the end, its a very entertaining flick and will set up the new DC movie universe quite well. The overall message is one that we all need right now: Your choices make you who you are and being kind is punk rock.

It certainly inspires me as I continue to work on my own Superhero comics… (erotica based, natch) in STARSLAM. I got four more pages ready to color and I am headed toward the climax of the first book. Everything is coming together and sets up everything for book two. There’s so much action, barely any smut parts in it. That may disappoint some, but I’m doing the story I want to do. Hopefully people will come along for the ride.

There wouldn’t be STARSLAM without me falling in love with Superman as a kid. I am striving to show that even in her stories, smut or not, that it does give a message of hope too. I hope to prove that to the readers as this new story unfolds.

In PLEASANT LIFE world, I’ve had really great progress on book eight. I penciled seven pages yesterday. Seven. Woot! So the page art for that book is almost done. I wrapped up lettering on Issue 6, uploaded the digital file for people to buy and then assembled the graphic novel version! The first PLEASANT LIFE graphic novel will be issues 1-6, now completed. Book two will be 7-12. You’ll still get to read it all here in weekly installments, but if you want physical copies, the Kickstarter for those books will be next year. But, if you don’t want to wait and want to read issue six now, its available as a digital download on my online store right here: https://www.drivethrucomics.com/en/product/530015/pleasant-life-6-ongoing-series

I am half considering doing a Kickstarter for book one right now. Would you like to see it? Let me know and I can get it going! I’ll think on it and see what way I want to go.

As long as I am plugging, did you know that I got an online store for shirts and merch? The designs are all on sale right now for the next few hours. Check them out here: http://tee.pub/lic/T8ZqZKXMRYk

Sometimes I feel rather silly doing comics and art in a world that has far more important and immediate things to be focused on. But I have done all I can. I got educated, voted and still keep my ear to the news. But my job mostly is to be a welcome distraction to these things, certainly not to capitalize on it. But making and getting things helps me keep the lights on for me to do it and I appreciate it, believe me. I’m taking the feelings and making art out of it. And I got comments on current political climates that will see its way into my stuff like in STARSLAM. (No spoilers) Even in a smut book I can toss a little moral philosophy the reader’s way. heh.

We do what we can. If you need to disconnect and unplug, take no shame in that. If you want to distract by reading or creating things, equally no judgement. The world doesn’t care about us. Might as well dance. Rock your favorite outfit. Eat your favorite things. Travel to where you can. Open the door for strangers. Spread kindness. How we can beat this thing is a grassroots campaign of being better than they are or better than how we are treated. We lose battles, but we win the war. Stay focused. Hold fast. I got you. And I could sure use your help right back. We’re in this together.

DON’T LET THEM BREAK YOU!

It’s enough that you subscribed or read this today. I appreciate it beyond words. I’ve been at this a long time. And I hope to continue to do it for a long time after this. Art (in whatever form it manifests in) is the best thing to come out of us humans. Art makes change. Art creates possibilities. Art educates us. Art conquers all. Art is undefeated. Art will always be. I’m glad to be a small part of it. It has been a worthy life to live. My soul has forever been touched by the things I’ve created and the experiences with people who have seen or read my work. I intend to keep it going for as long as I am here on this timeline with you. I’m small potatoes, but I can still make a hell of a pot o’ mashed taters! (Or baked or friend… however you like it)

I love you all. Thanks for reading. We’ll survive all of this. Onward!

-Much love, T