Haven't been here for a while. Let me explain why:(Long Incoming Journal)

|Graduating From College|Conventions (AOIF/CTN)|Animation/Projects|Art Direction|Website|Graphic Novel|Vlog(?)|Moving Out|


|Graduating From College|

As of late I've been preparing myself mentally to graduate from college which is kind of a scary, but satisfactory as well. There's a lot of things I could say regarding the college i'm currently attending, but I'll leave that for another time. Networking is cool. I've been doing plenty of that during these 4/4 1/2 years. During these years my skills as an animator and artist overall have improved drastically since I first started. Of course I'm not calling myself a DaVinci or Van Gogh, but from where I started up til now makes me feel a little better about my art. I think that since I'm currently working on a senior film(which would be my coup de grâce), I started noticing how my previous years have been amped up for this final(not yet actually) moment. I've literally have been counting down the days til graduation and it's a little intimidating to think about. Nevertheless, I guess at that point I would be considered an alumni and that would be cool I guess.

|Conventions (AOIF/CTN)|

Last fall I submitted a film to this local film festival called Fresh of the Grill. It had got accepted and was shown on a big screen. I experienced a wide range of emotions. Most included Fear, Anxiety, and Curiosity. After it was shown, people clapped and actually loved it. I even overheard someone say that it was their favorite out of the ones shown. Ever since then I've been working hard on my current film titled Beware of the Deadwood Gang. I'm hoping to be finished with it by the middle of April. The goal is to submit it to the Ottowa International Film Festival. I get butterflies thinking about it, but it gives me the drive to push forward. (Shoutout to Django Unchained and American Tale: Fievel Goes West for being major inspirations.) Creative Talent Network (CTN) is shortly afterwards and I plan to attend both. It's a big step for me career wise and I would love the experience and opportunities. Hope I don't mess it up. xD

|Animation/Projects|

Aside from my senior film, I do have other ideas currently in my queue. I tend to come up with cool ideas from time to time and I juggle between which one would be my next project. As of right now (this is subject to change) I have two ideas in post production. Before I graduate from college, my goal is to have an animatic for both ideas completed. Is that a little overambitious? Maybe, but I like the challenge. Both ideas are multiple episode ideas and it's not fully developed as of yet. By the end of March/Early April I should have them all tied down and ready for storyboarding. I've already recorded audio for both ideas as well as do some animation tests. I've been using Flash, ToonBoom, and even TVPaint. I'm pretty pleased with it and when I'm ready, I'll share it with you guys. Of course I'm not strictly working on project after project (kinda) but I'll be working on smaller animations as well. I would say that it's honing my skills as an animator. Most of my animations will be posted to my vimeo account and i'll submit gifs from these ideas, including my senior film, on here with a link to my vimeo account. ( Link to my vimeo account --> https://vimeo.com/user43917563 )

|Art Direction|

This is something I'm going to be intently focused on. Character Animation is my initial focus, but I would also like to dabble into background studies, storyboarding, character and story concepts, as well as possible 3D modeling in ZBrush( this is a work in progress idea). In my roster I have seven distinct characters (two being my fursonas) that perfectly describe me as a person. Developing them more is a fun process so I'll be spending more time doing that. Direction wise, I'd like to work on what inspired me as a child and as an adult. Most of this will be reflected in my animations to come, but also it will be shown in how I approach certain drawings. When I would draw I never really knew why. I just did it because I was good at it and thats where I would like to be professional in. I've come to find out that if I draw with an actual reason to draw, then my creations and ideas come out better.

|Website|

In the near future, I would love to own a website with my own domain name. As an animator I feel that owning that will make it easier for people to see your work, bio, how to contact you, etc. Of course you have LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Artstation, and all of the other social media outlets, but I feel the most accomplished with a website. I guess my only issue is when will I have the time to actually work on developing it? It's on my to-do list as I have other bigger projects to tackle first.

|Graphic Novel|

This is something I'm really going to enjoy. I actually just finished the script for one I've been working on for about a year. So far i've gotten some pretty positive feedback, although I welcome all forms of feedback. During this year of brainstorming and writing this script I've struggled with not making it too personal, while leaving it in the realms of fiction. I've started on character concepts and environment ideas, but nothing solid as of yet. I'm just glad that I finished the damn thing. After graduation, I would imagine that I will also be pushing forward on designs, comic panels, etc. I would like to publish this and have people read it. Maybe I'll write a sequel if I'm up for the work. Pacing myself sound like a great idea, so I'll just wait and see what happens.

|Vlog(?)|

Here's something I've been wanted to do for a while. I think my schedule is currently allowing me to vlog for once. I was originally gonna start in January, but things happened which made me put the idea on hiatus. I would say come early May/ Late June I can start the vlog train back up. I've been watching tons of vlogs and the content that they produce and I have a few ideas on what I want to do for mine. Still a work in progress though. We'll see where this goes, but for right now I do have one episode recorded and ready for viewing. I'm just not gonna post it yet. Not the right time/place. Plus, I want some cool intro/outro music of my own so i'm currently working on that as well.

|Moving Out|

I could write a long dissertation on why I feel so strongly about this topic, but I'll give you a PG benign version. As I've discovered during my years of art college, I found out not being cooped up in the house or being in the state that I live in gives me fresher ideas. Now this isn't the same for everybody, but it works for me. For example, a year and a half ago, I did a cross country road trip from Tacoma, WA to Detroit, MI. It was a long trip mind you, but I came up with so many different ideas, concepts, and stories. Seeing fresh environments or being in new areas I've never been in really gets my creative juices flowing. It gets to the point where I brainstorm most of the time. I would also assume that's when i'm the most upbeat. After college, moving out might be the best thing for me seeing as how I become an extrovert with ideas flowing though every fiber of my being.

Tl;dr

This is where i've been as of recently. I've been keeping better care of myself even though I do slip up which is what I have to work on still. I have a wonderful support system whom I honestly wouldn't have gotten this far mentally without you guys. To all of the people I talk to on a regular basis, you guys rock. (For new people reading this, don't be afraid to start a conversation with me. I don't bite.) I'm pretty optimistic about my future and where my career will lead me. I just have to be patient and go with the flow. With coffee in hand of course.