Burst Reach #20
everything happens so much
Hey, hi, hello. Here are some things that are happening:
I just launched a sale in my shop: EVERYTHING, including these paintings and others, is 20% off for the holidays!
If you want a commission, I’ve got you:
Today is the two year anniversary of the day we sold the storage buildings I managed, the day I set out to try to make a living off of my art. And well, it’s been rough, especially this month where I haven’t had any shows or anything. I’ve signed up for multiple freelance services, along with LinkedIn and Indeed, but I’m not having any luck with them. Commission work and sales will help get me through the rest of the year without draining what’s left of my savings.
(I also do nudes, if that interests you!)
Next weekend will be my final show of the year, the Tri-Cities Comicon. Advance tickets are available! I’ll be debuting some new stickers there, along with Godzilla Minus One prints.
Speaking of Godzilla: I also did a new Minus One painting that’ll be debuting next weekend at the Fanfare group art show opening at HollerHouse. I stuck that painting in the oven, smeared dirt on it, and took a knife to the frame I put it in, so it’s pretty wild and distressed looking.
Okay that’s it for the important business related stuff. Next up is the emotionally crushing thing that happened this month: Nodzilla, King of the Chinchillas, left us at the age of thirteen on November 6th. He wasn’t eating or doing much for the previous week, and I ended up taking him to an emergency vet two hours away. He declined pretty hard the next day, and we made the decision to euthanize that night, racing back down to say goodbye and then returning home the next day to bury him in the backyard.
I’m still pretty devastated from it. I loved that grumpy old man so much. Here’s a memorial painting I made and hung high up in the living room for him to look down on us like the judgmental jerk he was:
Emergency vet care ain’t cheap, even with it ultimately being such a short stay, but we ended up raising money to pay for it all thanks to a bunch of incredibly generous friends, and I’m trying to get to work on coming up with art to give to each of them as my way of saying thanks.
Okay, let’s talk about some other, nicer things.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters debuted on Apple TV+, with three episodes up so far, and it’s stellar. If you’re wanting monster action, it’s admittedly pretty light on that right now, but the characters are incredible, the nonlinear storytelling and family drama is killer, and it’s just very well made. Highly recommended if you like the Monsterverse’s take on Godzilla, Kong, and other kaiju.
Aesop Rock, my favorite rapper, released a new album called Integrated Tech Solutions. It’s not my favorite, I’m not sure I’d consider it one of his best, but it’s still solid gold. I mean, there’s a song about meeting Mr. T as a child, there’s some musing on Vincent Van Gogh’s life and career, and an ode to pigeons. On the opposite end of the spectrum, my Appalachian doom caterwauling hero Andy the Doorbum released a new album too: Of Tears, No Amount Can Quench Mouths Maimed by Drought. Perfect feel bad music for going to get lost in the woods while grieving, if you’re into that.
Super Mario Wonder on the Switch is a delight. I traded a bunch of games in to pick it up, and my wife and I have been playing through it together when we have time. It’s colorful and kooky and joyfully weird, constantly throwing new mechanics and challenges at you in hilarious ways.
Oh, and I’m going to be in a cool, uniquely mature production of the Nutcracker in January at Night Owl Circus Arts, directed by my dance instructor! I get to be weird and creepy and mostly naked, so it’s going to be fun, haha. I’ll let you know more about that in the future!
Okay, that’s all. Take care, happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate, don’t let the chaos overwhelm you.