2018/ 2019

Hello Patrons!  

The last 12 months have been a lot of getting rid of things (sister, 2 cars, our beloved elderly dog, all the expensive gear bought for the 2017 studio business, a hundred ceramic masks I had sculpted and years of artwork in closets) and trying to live a simplified life with acoustic guitar, vinyl records, chess playin' with Maggie, and instant film transitioning from Fuji Instax cameras to Lomo Instax cameras and eventually Polaroid Originals and alternative process.

I found that everything that was lost or given away was better for us in the end- even the dog, who was really in bad shape mentally and physically for a long time.  I think about businesses that people run that have huge overhead expenses and only make enough to break even, or movies made for $250 million and have double that in advertising, to the point where they make $750 million and are considered flops.  If we as creators keep our overhead to nothing, and our lifestyles simple, then it's not hard to survive... 

I did a single freelance gig (band shoot) and ended up having 4 album covers licensed from my work, released an album of trip hop under the Primordial Creative name, taught photography at a high school, and finally was able to monetize my YouTube content after an idiot YouTuber messed up the rules for everyone by mocking a Japanese suicide forest.  

Speaking of Japan, one of those album covers was a multi-art deal with a Japanese band that seems to have a future to it- it certainly made a painful and irritating NYC trip worth the agony.

The kids got into karate and gymnastics and stopped believing in Santa.  As a family we had great trips to Hawaii, the Oregon coast of Astoria/ Seaside and New Mexico, all favorite places that supplied the majority of the great Maggie images of the year.  I don't think I shot enough to finish the book I wanted to do with her but I bet with another year or two under the belt we'll have a neat compilation of a long period of images that tell the story of our relationship.  

Most of my other shoots were in the start of the year and revolved around beaches, a few old army bases and other scenic outdoor locations- I guess reacting to doing mostly studio stuff in 2017.  

As far as the next year goes...

I've started doing comics, fully hand drawn/ inked, again in the spirit of not being glued to a computer all the time.  

When I am glued to a computer, it's in service of the Phil Ochs animated documentary and Copperplate web series which I've mentioned a few times around here.  

Travel for the first few months involves San Fran, Portland, Santa Fe, Omaha, LA, and Chicago.  One week in NYC/ DC in late July.  Lots of shoots planned already and probably more artsy fashion nude type shoots than I've done in a while.  

I'm going to try to raise money for a Japan trip in October.  Just decided that during the writing of this.

Thinking of things I haven't done ever or in a long time, I'm getting work together for gallery shows and seeking more publications, be they features or writing articles.  My first gallery show of 2019 literally opens the first Friday of the year, January 4th, and another great photographer is collaborating to put together a larger thing in LA or the surrounding area.

I guess I'll be doing a lot more freelance work, since today I just got a gig doing an animated music video for a local indie artist who wants a bunch of stuff from me.  As long as I don't have to dress up or punch a clock again...

I've never: 

• done my own podcast, 
• or a reality-type show about cameras, 
• or taken stock photography seriously as an income stream,
• or a full comic book, 
• or rented a Bird scooter, 
• or tried to do a piece of vector art a day, 
• or been to Nashville or New Orleans or Atlanta, 
• or made a straight documentary
• or been to Japan...

so those are all things on the big 2019 white board.  

I read a book cover to cover today by Christoph Neimann, an artist I admire a lot.  Christoph says "whatever I'm doing in 5 years, it has to be different from what I'm doing today."  I absolutely believe in that constant evolution, but recognize the strange looping of history that happens in our lives.  Teaching high school in 2008-2009 lead directly to being asked to teach again for 3 months; our second Hawaiian trip absolutely was reflection/ reaction to going in 2015, and I try my hand at comics and animated photographs every few years.  Is this the year?  You never know which of your plans will take off, which will flop, which will never happen, and what stuff from the past creeps back in to benefit or handicap your life.  

It also relates to the changes to this Patreon that have made it more streamlined and manageable, though it never seems to grow/ take off like my YouTube or Udemy teaching site has, it's still a nice place to be and certainly becoming one of the few places you can find any R-rated photography in an artistic sense.  I'll be trying out Patreon's new "Special Offers" at the start of February, and have some giveaways in the Spring!  

Here's hoping a Happy New Year to all you Patrons out there!