Spring has come around again, although it hasn't really felt like it, in more ways than one.
I feel like this month's been somewhat of a low for me. Maybe it's because of the daylight savings or the late snowfall, but either way that time change always seems to do a number on the mood.
I've been feeling disillusioned with posting my art on DeviantArt lately, and while this isn't the first time it's happened, it somehow feels worse than in the past. It's moreso the wider DA community that's frustrating me, every time I open my inbox the vast majority of it is favebomb after favebomb after favebomb, or some comment that compares one of my characters to a more famous character, as if the perosn who posted that is just trying to antagonise me. There are far too many people on DA who only care about fanart or jumping on the bandwagon of what's popular, and/or want people to do free requests for them all the time, to the point of harrassment. I have no time for people like that, and I say that as someone who was like that at times in my earlier days on DA, which I deeply regret, as it probably drove a few people away. And maybe I'm sounding selfish here, but sometimes I feel like I take the time to check out people's artworks and leave feedback, and 9 times out of 10 it doesn't get reciprocated. I'm not saying people have to leave feedback, it's their choice, and I get that people are busy and/or just don't know what to say sometimes. I just like to hear what people think about my artworks, and sometimes I just feel they only acknowledge my existence when I check out their artworks and/or use it as an opportunity to big themselves up - I don't have time for those people either. At the end of the day, I believe you should make time for your fans, and I personally always try to.
All of this is part of the reason I migrated my comics to Tapastic. I admit, the revenue side of that was the other main motivator because ultimately I want to use my artwork to make a living, and I'm sure anyone who's in my position can understand that, especially if you're married and trying to pay the bills.
Like I said last month though, I still have no intention of ever leaving DA, even though I feel that my patience has been severely tested lately. I know there are people who do enjoy my artworks, and I don't want to take that away from them. You are the people who motivate me to stay on DA and keep on making my art, and I can't put into words how much I do appreciate that.
I wish I could say it gets better, and it sort of did but didn't. I had my very first job interview this month, for a warehouse/office job nearby. I felt like I said most of the right things at the interview, but unfortunately I didn't get the job, and I'm still disappointed about it - it would have been ideal hours in an ideal location and a not too terrible commute either. If anything, it was some much-needed interview practice, and the company did say they would keep my details on file, so hopefully in the future I might get another chance with them. I can't help but wonder what could've been though.
I also joined a temp agency this month, in the hope of being able to do some temp jobs in the meantime - however the agency I signed up with have so far turned out to be less than great at what they do, I contacted them every day for 2 weeks and they didn't answer once, so I've decided to try a couple of different agencies instead - I'll let you know how that goes.
I know there are some who will say that I'm crying over spilt milk, that there are far worse problems in this world than some thirtysomething British ex-pat in America complaining about his artwork and not being able to get a job. Those people are probably right. I should be thankful that I have a roof over my head, that I'm married to my soulmate, I have an artisitic ability at all, and that I have the love and support of my family. And these grievances, like most, will pass.
March hasn't been completely gloomy however - I've been continuing working on the first Fyfe & Sparkplug comic, and I've got 10 pages inked so far, at the time of writing this. Also, as mentioned above, I've been hosting my comics on Tapastic for a month now, and they're getting a lot of hits, so I just want to thank everyone who has taken the time to visit my Tapastic page and check out the comics, I really do appreciate it.
That side job at Nicole's work that I started last month has a been a bit of a learning curve. I've set up the meetings 3 times now, and it's certainly kept me on my toes. I've been told I'm doing a good job with it so far, save for some minor hiccups here and there. That's how any job goes though, it takes time to master it.
I'm also glad that the lighter, and hopefully soon, warmer days and nights are back again. It's things like that and being able to spend quality time with Nicole that make things worthwhile.
Hope I can bring you a happer blog for April - until then, I'll leave you with this group shot of my "Surf Club" comic cast, to remind you of warmer days to come.
