Year In Review: 2014

(Before the post, here's one last holiday gift for you: I made my August-December sketchbooks available as a pay-what-you-want digital download!  Check it out here!)

Hello!  2014 is over and this is my annual year-in-review post (see also: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009).

**I had a LOT of 2014 photos that I wanted to share one last time....they're dispersed throughout the post.  Sometimes they're relevant to the text around them aaaaand sometimes they're really not.**

Accomplishments / Highlights:
-Travel!  I made the most of my allotted time in Europe, and stretched my dollars as far as they could go getting to London, Amsterdam, Amiens, Angouleme, Lyon, Annecy, Strasbourg, Granada, Madrid, and Barcelona.  I went on multiple trips with my boyfriend and multiple trips with my friend Mary who lives in London and who I don't get to see very often.  I got to travel with my family and take a side trip with just my brothers.  I ate all the things, smelled all the flowers, walked all the neighborhoods, and visited all of the museums.  I think I'll be savoring the memories I made in Europe for years to come.

-I was also able to visit New York and LA, spend time with friends there, and visit a couple of awesome animation studios.

-New friends!  I met incredible people all over the world, visited comic studios and stayed with lovely people.  I learned to ask for help and be more vulnerable/open.

-Got to spend time with a really special person in Paris ♥

-Finished my first ever 24 Hour Comic at the Maison des Auteurs event in Angouleme!  That was a crazy, unforgettable experience. I've tried the challenge twice before in the States, and was asleep by 2am each time, so I was very pleased to finally complete the challenge thanks to the good energy and good company at the Angouleme event. ^_^

-Exhibited at my first 2 French conventions!  Bulles de Neiges and Rendez-vous de la Bande Dessinee d'Amiens. So great! I love the French convention system.

-Attended my first Annecy Film Festival (pleeeeease don't let it be the last, because wow)

-Got way better at French!  Passed the B2 level DELF exam.
-Organized some meet-ups in New York & Brooklyn for anyone who followed my work online and wanted to chat/eat/draw in person, and those were SO GREAT!  I got to meet rad people and put faces to screen names.  I definitely want to do this in the future when I travel.

-Experimented more with animation (new samples: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), bought an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription & Lynda.com subscription so I could get better at After Effects/Premiere/Flash.
-Submitted a short animation to LoopdeLoop.  By the way, it was accepted!!  It'll screen with lots of other submissions in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, LA, and Paris in January.  If you're near any of those cities, I hope you'll check it out!  I know it's only 11 seconds, but it's my first animation to screen anywhere, and I'm excited. :D

-I had my first freelance animation job helping out the Aerial Animation team for America's Got Talent!
-I also received some fantastic news just a week ago (on my birthday, if you believe it), inviting me to storyboard an episode for an animated series for the first time!  It's even a show that I'm a fan of, and my boarding partner is someone I like and respect immensely...! *_* Very excited and determined to do my best work.

-Reviewed 14 movies for Spoilers
-Filled half a dozen sketchbooks while traveling, and published them digitally with MonkeyBrain Comics

-Rode on a segway in Munich.
-Swam in Lake Annecy in my underwear.
-Cried at Alhambra (it's so beautiful!) *_*

-Visited the Charles Dickens museum in one of his former homes in London
-Got really comfortable drawing digitally and coloring, thanks to Home Is Where The Internet Is! (38 pages this year)

-Had a reader offer to translate my work for the first time.
-Signed up for a healthcare plan.  ...Not exciting, but, you know, an adult moment.  Also, I'm as old as my mother was when I was born. (0___o)

-Started playing the ukulele! There's a ukulele open mic in Paris that I went to a couple of times and performed at once (ahh!). Playing ukulele in Paris was a great ice-breaker and super fun.

Shortcomings: 
-Predictably, I came back from Europe with a lot less money than I left with.  This puts a constraint on near-future choices, and pressures me to take commercial work (delaying comics and personal projects).
-I have been living with my parents since coming back from Europe.  They are truly wonderful parents and I'm lucky to have the option to stay with them, but this is not where I want to be at age 27. @_@

-It was another year without a new creator-owned book. :-/ I mean, A Boy & A Girl came out last December, and I LOVE that project, but I didn't work on a new creator-owned graphic novel in 2014.
-I applied to a lot of animation and gaming positions in the second half of 2014, and had veeeeery little success.  They're competitive industries, but my portfolio, education, and experience are also just not up to snuff yet.  I gotta level up and gain some EXP if those kinds of positions are important to me.

-I fell off the exercise wagon pretty badly this fall and winter.  I also got super hermit-y in my quest to save money, apply to jobs, learn new software, and make new portfolio samples.  It's a constant struggle to find the right life balance, but I know I have to do better.  Physical health and having a social life are both important.

2015 Goals: 
-Draw the first 5 issues of Over the Surface!!  This will be my first creator-owned series I'm both writing and illustrating, and I want to do my best-best work. :D
-Do an amazing job on my first project with ______
-Do an amazing job with my storyboarding assignment for _______
-Exercise regularly, stretch every day
-Stay on top of your French!  Listen to French-language podcasts on the bus.  Read out of French novels every night before bed and write down new words.  Do all of the homework between classes.

-Stay in touch with far-away friends.  Answer emails and messages more quickly.
-Reapply for the Maison des Auteurs
-Move out of my parents' house :,D
-Publish a print collection of my Europe sketches
-Work with a French publisher for the first time, even if it's just a translation/reprint project or guest art for someone else's book

-Finish the first Nettles story with Terry Blas and Ben Dewey in time to print a minicomic for Emerald City and TCAF!
-Get comfortable working in Flash and Illustrator, and get better at using After Effects.  Become more competitive for animation/game design jobs.  Work on animated shorts & game jams if at all possible.
-Compile an animation demo reel! :D

What did we learn? 
-I'm capable of living with a boyfriend :) Moving in together doesn't have to be a big dramatic episode like you see on sitcoms.  Cohabitation can be really nice!

-I'm capable of living out of a backpack, and travel is way more fun the lighter I pack.  Even at home, the 10 Item Wardrobe is my jam. (Related: if you read Home Is Where The Internet Is, you would probably enjoy this Poorcraft comic about traveling smart/cheap!)

-There's a lot I don't know about my own country, and huge swaths of it I've never seen.  I met French people who knew more about the American South than me, and it made me feel like I was neglecting something important.

-There are some major cultural differences between French and American conversation!  Debate feels way more competitively playful in France (versus genuinely divisive in America...).  It's an art form and I have NOT practiced it enough.
-Having developed, thoughtful opinions and an arsenal of convincing rhetoric (plus knowing my politesse) can make a big difference in everyday interactions going my way or not.
-It's polite to come to a party with something to say, and be up-to-date on current events so I can propose and join conversations.  I shouldn't leave it up to other people to entertain me!

-Skype.  Skype will save us all.  Also, sending/receiving postcards and letters is super satisfying and worth the time.
-A full year is too long to be away from family.  My mom visited twice while I was gone, but I missed my dad and brothers like crazy.

-I do OK in dangerous situations!  Thank you, martial arts education.  My instincts know how to be vocal/loud and fight back in a pinch! (Yes, there's a story attached to this. I hope to get around to turning it into a comic for Home Is Where The Internet Is)
-Airports can actually be fun when I go early with a sketchbook and decide to get better at my  gesture drawings :)

-Visiting friends is infinitely better than staying in hotels. I like seeing how people live, spending time with friends I don't see too often, and getting a taste of real life in their city. (Not to mention the difference in cost!)
-I have a LOT of hosting to pay forward in my next housing situation.
-Travel is expensive.  If I want travel to be a part of my life, I have to budget stringently for it and make career choices accordingly.
-I love natural history museums.

 

 

Final thoughts / miscellany: 
Fraaaaaance :,(

Don't forget what you are

Hello!  2013 is over and this is my annual year-in-review blog post.  (See also: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009)

Accomplishments:

-I had a 3-issue run on It Girl & The Atomics, my first superhero gig!

-I got to illustrate a story for the Thrilling Adventure Hour’s anthology (and I worked with Archaia for the first time).

-I had a nice exhibition at Sequential Art Gallery and a few pieces in Orbital Comics' "Portland Comics Heaven" show in London

-I started two blogs: a dedicated movie review comics blog, and this travel blog

-I made a 32-page art book to collect my work.  Periscope Studio organized a whole fleet of them, which was successfully funded on Kickstarter!

-I created online content for Bitch Magazine!

-I illustrated Sarah Mirk’s book, Sex From Scratch

-I made 11 new movie review comics

-I live-drew a set for Peter Serafinowicz as a part of Picture This! at the Bridgetown Comedy Fest

-I got some really great freelance work this spring that allowed me to save money and take the risk to move overseas

-I went to a professional for my taxes for the first time.  I’m finally on a big girl’s quarterly estimates system

-I contributed a good amount to my retirement fund, which was hard at the time but makes me feel secure when I look into the future

-A Boy & A Girl hit shelves to a great response!  I was really touched to be on several best-of-2013 lists and get write-ups on USA Today and i09.

-I continued life drawing and sketching as much as possible, and people seem to love it.  It's helping me improve my anatomy, gestures, and character diversity

-I continued running.  I made friends in France through running together, and I ran my first race in December (the Course de l’Escalade in Geneva!)

-I hosted more events at my house, including a Jurassic Park party, movie nights, and a welcome back party for Molly

-I house sat, car watched, moved a friend, and sat with a friend through a crisis day.  I’m afraid I can err on the side of aloof and unavailable as a friend, and I want to make sure I’m doing these kinds of things

-I learned how to drive manual!

-I learned how to Skype and used it to stay in contact with home

-I learned how to live out of a backpack, couch surf, and use Blablacar (a.k.a. travel like the poor student I am).  It’s really fun!

-I allowed myself to relax more, take workday breaks with friends in cafes, visit friends for dinner, go to Powell’s and read, or just take the day off now and then.  I organized two group vacations to Sunriver, which was more relaxation than most cartoonists allow themselves in a decade.  I didn’t have any of the overworking/stress injuries I struggled with in 2012.

-I moved to France?!  I also visited Italy and Switzerland for the first time and went back to London

-I went to my first French convention (Saint-Malo) with an “auteur” badge!

-I lived in the present, versus constantly planning for / worrying about the future.

-I feel like I am taking full advantage of my time on this earth and going after the things that excite me again.  It’s scary and wonderful.  Risks!  Failure!  Growth!  It’s true that the magic happens outside of your comfort zone.  I feel a lot like a teenager, acutely feeling the full range of emotions.  It’s great.  And terrifying.

Shortcomings:

-I was turned down for a LOT of things I applied to in 2013 (primarily jobs).  I applied to the TAPIF Pprogram and it was a bitter disappointment that I didn’t get in (I may or may not have cried through an entire day at Periscope???).  Shout-out to my friend Pat for helping me with this and putting an inspirational adventure-seeking book in my hands.  He helped me remember that there are a lot of options out there, and to get creative when you want to do something a little crazy like live in a foreign country.  Doors didn’t open for me this year, but I found some windows.

-Things didn’t work out with my host family.  I stayed for 3 months and I’m glad I did it, but I think terminating my au pair contract was the right choice for both of us.  We made the most of an imperfect situation, but it still stung not to see things through to the end.

-I didn’t actually draw a ton of comics this year.  I sketched a lot, I did my It Girl and Thrilling Adventure Hour pages, worked a lot of commercial projects, and did some personal projects, but it was another year without a new creator-owned graphic novel, and that doesn’t feel great.

-Socially, I still get really annoyed by a select few people and I just cannot seem to tolerate them.  I want to be able to get along with anyone, or at least fake it through the times I HAVE to spend with these people, but I’m still not there yet.  The people I admire in comics are the ones you would describe as "nice", who get along with everyone and are really thoughtful and kind.  I want to be one of them.

2013 Highlights:

-SDCC!  I saw TheThrilling Adventure Hour live twice, got to hang out with Ben Acker, and saw my brother Nick experiencing the show for the first time.  Good times.

-The comics Sunriver trips.  We went down into the Bend Lava Caves, hot tubbed, watched movies, practiced lassoing, petted ponies, rode bikes, spotted deer, made jell-o shots, played Jenga.  All the good things.

-Moving to FRANCE!  Everything about it, but especially my trip with my mom and Les Baux, Cassis, Florence/The Uffizi, Musee D’Orsay, and l’Orangerie

-London!  Oh my god I love British people.  We had fun.

Goals:

-Travel!  I mean, I’m doing it, but I don’t want to go home without seeing Barcelona and Madrid at the very least.  I also hope to visit my friend Barbara on her north Italian vineyard, see Brussels and Berlin, and get back to London.

-Participate in some French comic festivals!

-Get back to a stable situation where I can really work (a room of my own, scanner, wifi, income, free time) by the end of the year

-Focus on my own stories

-Build/find artistic community

-Make movie review comics once or twice per month

-Stay open to new friendships and connections.  Make the most of being in a foreign country.  Say "yes" and see where it takes you (In The Waiting Room, anyone?).

What I learned (about myself):

-I crave artistic community.  Periscope, KCS, the Blue House, the Bloomsbury Group, my monthly accountability meetings with Erika and Dylan last year, sketch groups...these kinds of things are really important to me.  I want to surround myself with people who inspire and motivate me.

-There aren't shortcuts to anywhere worth going.  Building a comics career is a long, hard journey, but it's one I undertake willingly.  I can get there if it's important to me.

-I want to work on my own stories.  I love working with other people and I learn from every collaboration, but in my heart I know I need to develop my own voice.

-I’m not super into the idea of marrying or having kids.  Letting myself admit that feels good.

-Happiness is a haircut you can air-dry and shoes you can walk 5 miles in.  I'm loving being lower-maintenance and owning fewer things.

-I've put so much time and energy into my freelance career, it is now officially better than most of the options I have for day jobs.  This is both exciting and terrifying, since "taking a day job" is no longer that nice back-up plan I feel I could fall back on.

-I love traveling and using foreign languages!!  I'm so so so glad I came to France.  I think I'll be a life-long language learner, and I hope I can afford to travel internationally every year or find a good time to live abroad in a more permanent way.

Final thoughts / miscellany:

Maybe the best thing I read this year was I Was A ManicPixie Dream Girl by Laurie Penny.  Please read and consider the whole thing (not that I agree with all of it, but I do agree with most of it, and a lot of her ideas were new to me).

I also recently watched An Education, which explored similar themes against the backdrop of 1960s England (and Carey Mulligan's perfect perfect face).  Sooooo good.  God I love me some Olivia Williams, too. ♥ Required viewing.

Happy New Year!  I'm staying with Nicolas Hitori De and I have access to a scanner again, so I'll post new comics soon. :) Be good!!