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Musings, Reviews, Comic Cons
I'm posting this now instead of making it perfect, so... hang on, this is going to be rough. Hey and welcome to the big bloggery relaunchy thing! I have had enough keyboard freakouts and have arrived at the conclusion that I don't care anymore. Well, I can't stop caring, exactly, but I think I can quit worrying about whether what I write will be taken wrong because I phrase things weirdly, take a different angle, don't get the givens, etc. Like anyone is going to be that invested in my little no-name two-bit corner of the internet. Sorry-not-sorry -- writing “properly” is not my concern anymore. (Was that the sound of the entire English faculty at my alma mater gasping in horror? … Nah, couldn't have been.) Anyway, IRL, I try so hard to be nice and normal and not irreparably damage anybody's tender psyche that my tender psyche is feeling the stress. So here, I'll just go ahead and say stuff. That said, I will try to post things worth reading about. One of those things is Jeff Goins' new book, Real Artists Don't Starve. This book was not necessarily what I thought I wanted, and it certainly wasn't what I expected, but it's exactly what I needed to trade in my excuses for progress. I don't want this post to run too long, so instead of a full review today, I'll be posting a chapter-by-chapter series about it. Initial thoughts: Way to go on the controversial title, Jeff! Artists everywhere are freaking out because the nobility inherent in their poverty is being called out like a zit on the nose of the spokesmodel for acne cream. And that's just the title. The inside is packed with much-needed, well-researched, and highly entertaining mythbusting regarding art, artists, and what it takes to be successful. Digression: And by “successful” I mean “successful.” As in achieving what you set out to do. Please don't do that thing where you take out the word you don't want to consider and replace it with the word you actually have a problem with. The controversy I've seen here is when people take out “successful” and replace it with “rich.” One, those are not synonymous, and two, how is there really an actual problem with being rich? If “all you want to do is create art without worrying about money” then getting rich would do that, but you could also successfully meet that goal by living rent-free in your mom's basement. YMMV. What does this mean for us all? So, back to the book! I'm going through it and taking notes, chapter by chapter, and if you've bought it, I strongly advise you to do the same. I'll be posting my notes in this blog series, AND I have also gone ahead and bought a copy to give away to one of you lucky people! It should be here next week. Comment on this blog if you want your name in the hat to win that copy, and this is where I'll announce the winner so you'd better be back with some way for me to get your address or I'll have to pick someone else. You can also sign up for my newsletter to be sure you get that notification. I'll be posting daily through this series, and then going on as long as I have anything good to continue with, so, see you tomorrow! P.S. As I have quite a backlog of books that I've read, considered, and have thoughts to share about with you all, I have just now today become an Amazon Affiliate! This means that if you click on my link to buy a book, I eventually get paid a few cents for each book that led to a sale. Here's the official disclaimer Amazon tells me I have to post on my site: “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” So, we'll see how it goes.
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I'm back from MonsterCon, and I met some of the most awesome people! I'm so glad I got the chance to talk to you all and find out what's really on your minds. I brought the Cosplayer Care Kit, and a couple of cosplayers did find me and get some safety pins, but I was pretty far back in a dead-end aisle, so if you looked for me and couldn't find me, I'm sorry! If you were there, regardless of whether you found me or not, I hope you had a great time. I didn't get out much beyond my own booth, but the vendors near me had the most amazing stuff! Shout out to Cat's Eye with the Noodle Kittens books and collectible toys and memorabilia, the guy across from me with the wooden Keyblades, swords, shields, and customizable clocks, and the one right beside me I didn't see much because of the solid wall but who had the fantastic silver jewelry trees! And let's not forget Richard's Comics & Collectibles, where I picked up some comics for Gamer Guy. Giveaway!In any case, I survived, and I wanted to celebrate by giving away one of my original mini art Vixies (mounted to a magnet so it's easy to hang and hard to lose). So everyone who is subscribed to my newsletter is entered in the giveaway, unless you send me a note saying to take you out of the contest. People who are related to me are also disqualified. (Sorry, Mama!) If you aren't subscribed and you'd like to enter, subscribe by Friday and I'll make sure you get in. Also! A couple of people who wrote down their emails to subscribe and enter at MonsterCon this past weekend are not entered. Two emails bounced and one was illegible. So if you are reading this and you signed up but have not gotten an email from OtherRealm Studio yet, check your spam filter and if it isn't there either, sign up for the newsletter with the button in the middle of the home page. It's a double opt-in, so you'll get an email back with a link to confirm your subscription. Now, if you are reading this trying to figure out why you are subscribed when you did not subscribe, I swear it's an honest mistake and I don't spam people or buy lists of emails. Just hit the unsubscribe button at the bottom of your email and MailChimp will take care of it. Electric City Comicon (EC3)I'm gearing up for the inaugural Electric City ComiCon - aka EC3 - at the Anderson County Main Library August 8th, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. I'm so excited and I hope to see some of you there. I expect to do lots of facepainting - this con is to promote literacy and introduce newbies to fandom, so I expect more of a fair atmosphere. South Carolina isn't quite used to comic cons, but we're excited to try them out! ;) What we do know all about around here are fairs, and we put on a good fair for any reason at all. Upcoming - Do You Need a Degree to be an Artist?Next on the blog, I'm answering your questions and hearing your point of view. Tune in Saturday for my next post on what it really takes to be a successful pro artist.
Other questions? Comment below! Today's the day! I've offered four of my abstract fairy tale paintings to Kate Wolford of Enchanted Conversation to give away on her site - so go there and check out the contest! I love fairy tales, and I've been reading Enchanted Conversation awhile now. She always has interesting articles, cool news, beautiful art, and great contests about fairy tales, retellings, and upcoming projects and movies. I highly recommend her site. Here are two of the paintings you can win: For more details and instructions to enter, visit Enchanted Conversation!
If you'd rather not leave it up to chance, you can order these paintings in my shop here. See you in the OtherRealm! |
Paula RicheyArtist, writer, creator of stuff. I just want to build worlds for you to escape to. Archives
March 2020
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