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I'm Now On BlueSky!
The first quarter of the year has been one crazy ride that I definitely did not ask for. With that said, I'm technically still on the birb app but no longer going to give it more attention. Instead, I've decided to shift my focus to BlueSky. I still haven't posted much on there but if you too, are tired of doom scrolling thru advertisements and rage, join me on BlueSky where the water is warm and the content is refreshing.
My Latest Post:
Rejecting Your Mentor and Finding your art style
A bit of story time in hopes that it can serve some inspiration to artists who may have faced a struggle with someone they’ve looked up to or maybe had a disagreement with a mentor.
Last year, I was let go from a tattoo mentorship unexpectedly under reasons that, may have been valid, but to me, were unjust. I’ve never been a perfect person but never have I thought that my personal struggles and disability would be used against me let alone from a mentor whom I’ve trusted and looked up to. Even today, the effects of that event still sit at the back of my mind and for a few months, I even let the opinions of someone else impact my creative process.
I think I am lucky to have had experience with rejection in all forms. I’ve learned that when you hit a certain age, the list of rejecters only grows but so does your wisdom. I’ve dealt with rejection from family members, friends and partners. Some are definitely worse than others but with every time I experience that rejection, the more I am able to stand in my own confidence. This gives myself an opportunity to problem solve in a way that others may not have envisioned or to reflect on my own shortcomings.
It never feels good when you’re faced with your own insecurities but nowadays, I’ve begun to see the results in letting go of validation from people whom I’ve looked up to. This doesn’t mean that I won’t continue educating myself and I wouldn't recommend doing this with most things. But when it comes to art, it’s nice being in a place in my life where I can take in information and pick and choose the parts that I resonate with or apply to me.
Because I was in that apprenticeship for just over a year, it’s painful sometimes looking back on the art I’ve produced during that time. But as I move forward and keep creating, I’m hoping I can finally start focusing on my own style and my own expression without the hindrance of what someone else thinks.
Link to Cara: https://cara.app/runawaygoldfish
Stocking up for Sakura Con - New Stickers, sticker sheets, keychains and lanyard designs!
As I forecast expectations this year, it's been hard trying to gauge what it's going to be like especially with this being my first time and the economic climate being pretty dicey. But I'm feeling optimistic considering how busy it was when I went to ECCC. But in anticipation of higher volume sales I’ve created two additional water bottle lanyard designs with keychains to compliment them inspired by Avatar, Arcane, Pokémon, PLUS some some original designs, 3"x3" stickers and a SpongeBob sticker sheet. I’m currently in the process of taking product photos but unfortunately my schedule and the weather haven't quite lined up yet. But if you’re feeling enthusiastic and love the thrill of mystery, you can call dibs on my keychains and lanyards. As for my stickers, I’ll be debuting them at Sakura Con.
Pre-order a keychain today!
Pre-order one of my new water bottle lanyard designs!
Is This The End For the Cukoo Clock App?
In my last video, I was visiting Pasadena, CA for LightBox Expo and because I was only 15 minutes away, I felt like I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see Universal Studios in California for Halloween Horror Nights. Since then there was a lot of drama revolving TikTok and I’m still not quite sure what the state of TikTok is exactly. It has made me both skeptical and disinterested in using it in the same way the birb app has.
Proverbially, I feel like I’ve done a great job building my algorithm “brick by brick” and have yet to see any noticeable differences. I love how in many ways I've been able to use social media platform to stay informed and educated on particular subjects and luckily I'm still able to see the content and creators I want to see (so far).
Truth be told I do feel a bit suspicious and a bit paranoid. But I think it's been in my benefit to not have posted much let alone art related things on there. Anything that did get remotely viral had nothing that had to do with my art either. From time to time, it’s nice sharing beautiful things I see in life outside of art with all of you and will continue to post my adventures but it will most likely be sporadic so if you’re still on TikTok feel free to give me a follow!
FIND ME ON TIKTOK!
Here's my latest post:
First Time Attending An Industry Focused Convention
If you haven't seen it already, I took a trip to Pasadena, CA in October for my first art industry convention and recorded it so I can share my experience with you in the case you may also want to attend as a first timer. To stay up to date on my latest videos, feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel. Enjoy!
So close to completion yet, so far!
I'm not sure if you've noticed that outside of designing things like lanyards and stickers, I haven't been making a lot of my own creative work. That's because I've been proudly working hard with Austin of Gfy95 on expanding the Gee universe on another project (and we're making great progress!). It's been a labor of love and I'm so excited to share this with you all! If you haven't seen it yet, please take a peep of this short animation based on one of the two children's books we finished a few years ago. Enjoy!
my project with @Gfy95 is still in session
so Be sure to follow his Instagram to stay up to date!
Twitch and Taking a Step Back
My relationship with Twitch continues to be complicated and feels like a double edged sword. The thing I love about Twitch is that I get an opportunity to connect with folks while doing art and maybe introducing myself to a potentially new audience. But as much as I love chatting with folks who do show up, my social battery to entertain is limited and can be pretty exhausting. On the other hand, sometimes it ends with me talking to myself.
I’ve considered no longer doing art on Twitch and maybe sticking to playing games. The past few times, I try to plan far ahead so I can at least mentally prepare myself but there have been multiple occasions where that didn’t pan out very well. I've even entertained the idea of changing how I approach the platform and maybe playing something specific like cozy aquatic games but it has all been pretty wishy washy.
For those who have been tuning in or have tuned in the past, thank you so much! But currently, I don’t have a solid schedule for my next livestream at the moment. If you want to stay up to date, feel free to leave me a follow on Twitch if you haven't done so already. That way you can get notifications the next time I go live.
Follow me on Twitch! Twitch.tv/goldfishglub
"Rising Tides" Sketchbook
Made “green” and good for the environment:
- Using the finest paper (67lb Bristol/147 gsm) from the Sustainable Forest Initiative
- Spiral binding made from recycled material
- Front cover reinforced for durability with a rigid back cover Each notebook is made in the USA and supports accessibility to better art education and it's educators.
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