It surprises me when another year comes to an end. Did it go by quicker this time? Or is my perspective on life changed enough to make it seem that way?
For those who may not be "in the know", for the last year and a half I've been working my ass off, blazing trails and trying to kick doors down, translating my life long love of illustration and visual storytelling into something that pays the bills. Believe me when I say this, it is not easy. My perception of business has changed. As has the reality of making a "creative lifestyle" pay.
From where I stand, it's a metaphorical process of kicking a ball down the road. You work so hard to not see that ball deflate before your eyes. Yet it naturally does, as you take bits here and there to pay rent, pay bills, and just live life. Your search for clients and eventual projects that pay begins to blow that ball back up. Your only hope in the long run is to be eventually kicking something larger in front of you, so that you may find the time to actually work on your own endeavors one day. However, for now, I'm taking what comes to me. Content that anyone should stand up and take notice enough to want to pay me for the work that I do.
What I see ahead of me this year, only strengthens my resolve that this was the correct way to start living my life. It scares me as well though, because I never know when the lean times will come knocking. Where projects dry up, and life becomes a hum-drum of budgets and living within your means. Regardless, I've started a productive relationship with a small publisher in California, Baysmore Books, and I'm very excited to see my first (among many?) children's book slogging through the printing process and available soon for mass consumption. I'm also glad to know I'm doing something right, in that she has come back with more projects on the horizon. Adding bits and pieces to the ball so that I might get ready to kick it down the road again.
I'm also compiling a list of comic projects of my own that are on the back burner. Slow cooking, so to speak, and hopefully developing into something tangible you will all see soon. There is hope friends, I feel it, and the only thing I can do is play a long game, while being conscious of the short game that life, rent, bills, etc imposes on us all. I hope you all have a productive and inspiring New Year. Here's to being able to make your own ball a little bigger before you have to kick it down the road.
Cheers
-Daniel DePaolo-
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