I don't know if anyone has been following me long enough to remember when I was actually active on this site, or if those people too have kind of moved on. But I don't like to leave people in wonder. I've always found it interesting when artists I followed on here started to get less active and then eventually leave they would usually cite "life has gotten too busy", I always wondered how so? Were they simply maturing? Finding themselves and their path in life? Were financial troubles and real world problems becoming too much to bare? Well I won't leave you guys in the dark, I'm going to tell ya. (Warning for upcoming past 2 year life story)
I've been living on my own for 2+ years now, initially when I moved out it was very sudden and very quick, and very very poorly planned. Part of the reason was family troubles I will not get into, and part of the reason was I came out to my parents, and they weren't completely okay with that. But I was 18, so there was no law keeping me there. I was not nearly making enough for rent when I moved (only just getting my job the month OF my move), and I lived with four other people in a two bedroom. I was pay check to pay check, trying to make ends meet, while also learning what I needed to live on my own, or at least with roommates. I also still went to school that summer (at community) and have continued at University since. I have held up to four part time jobs at one time, and varying numbers since then, now I'm in a much better position financially, in a media job related to the arts and animation, I even recently got a raise! After I asked of course.
In between all that, there was the usual struggle of growing up and finding myself, not just because I came out and wondered how that would effect my life. I knew it would, the one thing my mom said when I told her was "it's a hard life" and it's proven a truer statement with each passing day.
But there was also the struggle of what I want to do professionally, as my career. Do I go into animation? Big time studio? Or small company? What about games? Or do I do special effects for movies? Would I be happy being a graphic designer and working on my own projects as well? It's a lot to think about.
While at school I have interned as a graphic artist, and realized I don't want to make a career of that. I have worked on small student films and even a big production, and realized if I did that I would prefer indie and small time. I am talking with Phoenix animators right now to try and see if that's a good fit, and I've been getting more and more into games and game design lately. So still no verdict, but it's progress in that self discovery.
And it's not like that's all that's out there for me, I have big dreams of traveling far, experiencing the world, helping causes I believe in. I volunteer and even have professionally donated my time and talents to different efforts, it feels great.
And right now, I'm in the process of packing, as both my roommates are moving back home to save money, with that not really an option for me, I have made the decision to live truly on my own, I move out this weekend. Many of my belongings are in boxes as I type, it's scary and nerve-racking to not have those shoulders to lean on, especially when they were there for me those years ago when it was so hard. But it's also exhilarating and I'm confident in myself to rise up to the challenge.
There's so much more I could put here, I mean how can anyone really sum up one person, or their own experience? But that's where I'm at now. I have doodles half finished and a comic page nearly done that's just been sitting on my desktop as I go about my schoolwork, my paying job, and navigating set up of my utilities for the new place, that's not even taking into account the spontaneous adventures or times I throw responsibility out the window as I try not to forget what's really important.
So I'm still around, I'll still be uploading little silly doodles. There's just so much more that goes on away from this screen.
Hope you're all having your own adventures!
If anyone ever want's to talk, feel free to message me, I do keep tabs on this account.