I am shameless when it comes to not updating this blog. Screw you all ! You pathetic fans who are hitting F5 every six seconds hoping I'll finally reveal more of what's been going on in my life - I don't have to tell you ANYTHING I don't want to.
Ok, that scared away the one reader this blog had. Now I can finally start telling the good stuff. *grins*
Truth is, as usual, I've been too busy etc. to update this. And too much has happened, so everytime I *did* have the time to update, I didn't because there was too damn much to tell.
Guess I'll have to give you guys a quick rundown of things, but then I'm going straight to bed. I'll explain why (besides it being midnight as I type this).
I've been to several events involving more of the national celebs in the comics industry. I finally figured out how the scene works in this country: you won't get any love unless they know you. And not just from words on a screen, no, if they've shared a beer with you or something. I've noticed that, although of course that helps with getting to know anyone pretty much, much more than in the other comics scenes on this planet, the Dutch one is kind of elitist. It doesn't mean to be, because these are all kind, sympathetic people - well, most of them - but there's simply already so many pro's here that new talent has to struggle hard to get any attention. Unless you're one of their friends.
That sounds mean but it's the truth. It's also why - as was very well noticed by Bandirah's friend on the Stripdagen Haarlem - several of the people on the scene have excessively brown tongues. But now the good news: they're getting to know me. Now, that would be good for me if I was selling anything. Or if I wanted a career as a comic artist. I don't. I don't publish books, I don't take on paid assignments, and I won't lose a night's sleep over wether people know me or not. All I want is to become the best comic artist I could become, and create great stories, comics, cartoons etc. that people can read and enjoy for free. That's all I want for myself. However, I'm obviously associated with Probeersel.com - being it's founder and 'main man' - so what's good for whatever career I might otherwise have aspired, is now good for our site.
Aha ! That's where the buck stops, isn't it ? Although Probeersel.com does keep auditions, we're not in the business of letting people in simply because they're friends. One of the core qualities we're trying to uphold is that members are allowed to join simply on the merits of their work, enthousiasm, talent. Right now our group happens to consist of really friendly people, most of which are getting along great with each other as well, but we wouldn't care if you were friendly or would buy us a drink in a bar. So if our community becomes famous enough, we'll be a way for fresh talent - discriminated only on quality, as mentioned above - to really showcase their stuff. I won't be surprised if someone like Bandirah or Sionnain lands a publishing deal later on thanks to the groundwork we're laying now.
So I've been to a few events, chatted up with comic artists, and tried to have as much fun as I could. The Stripdagen Haarlem yesterday were the prime example of that, because BESIDES meeting up with some Probeersel members, scouting the convention, going to an awesome performance by Gummbah, and talking with several artists and journalists I already got to know a lot earlier and value for a lot more than the mere fact that they're the 'in-crowd' (and some even aren't), and drinking myself into a stupor till five in the morning --- besides all that, I did also mingle with the 'in-crowd'. Albeit not too happily; I feel so god damn awkward shaking hands with 'people you should know', and especially when assembled in large groups and when they already know all the other people present. I don't like being the intruder. So it was actually very exhausting.
Most of the people from the Stripliefhebbers forum are 'in-crowd' but practically all of them are pleasant to be around. But to the point of my story, if I have one: I'm the kind of person who suffers great fatigue if I'm introduced to hundreds upon hundreds of faces and names on one day. My head swoons and at some point it switches off and I stop registering new information and try to get back to a situation where I'm in a small group or talking one-on-one with someone again. So yesterday was about one of the most exhausting days in my life so far. I'm not jumping at the opportunity to do that again sometime soon. Whoooof.
It was fun, though. All the events I went to recently were fun, and they're welcome changes from workworkworkworkworkworkworkwork. But exhausting, and the workworkworkworkworkworkworkwork meanwhile piles up anyway. So the Grim's backstash is chipped down to a bare minimum again, Worst Case Scenario is hobbling on only as inspired as I can bring myself to do it, and that's all I'm doing right now. No new projects for a bit anymore. I'm tiiiiiired.
Intermission - Other newsflashes: The cover I did for Stripster.nl is on their site this week. Sionnain is working hard on If I Fell so odds are we'll see some of that very soon (I already have seen a few previews and it looks great, can't wait until the finished result !). At my PAYING job, action has finally been taken to arrange for all the IT Academy stuff to finally be out of my life - that's right folks, I'm going to get a FULL paycheck for the kind of work I do there.. a FAIR treatment, which is all I asked for, anyway. The cats are doing well, Viktor too. Moneywise this has also been a very nice month so far. I used most of it to stock up things that most months don't allow financial room for, and wasted some of the rest - and still have spending room left, so that's all good.
The only other thing I can think of that's worth mentioning is that I've taken up smoking again. Conscious choice, I was sick and tired of waiting for something to happen. I noticed I smoke a whole lot less, now, though - today, for instance, I've smoked a whopping TWO cigarettes - one when we left the hotel this morning (Vik and I booked a room in Haarlem when the party we were at was way too amusing to leave for home from) and one, I dunno, sometime earlier this evening. I just smoke when I feel like it now, instead of the routine breaks. Also, once you've quit and then restart, the first cigarette you smoke again is supposed to be so damn great. I didn't find it to be that exactly - it was just a cigarette.
Smokers really need to get over themselves. All the damn urban myths they tell non-smokers...
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