Nuthin Good Ever Happens at 4 a.m.

Inspired.Motivated.Grateful.Humbled. Excited for the future. These are some of the words that describe how I feel after Oakland Creates. It’s been five years since the first Oakland Creates in 2015. I can’t believe how fast five years has gone by.

I started Oakland Creates because I couldn’t find an art show in Oakland to be a part of or a venue to engage with to show my work.  In fall of 2015 I approached various venues I felt super uncomfortable and honestly unwelcome. The Oakland Art Murmur was not the same as Oakland First Friday’s are now, meaning there wasn’t a mix of all types of people showing their art. Back then  I was looking to showcase my own work on my own terms. Instead of a solo show or 2 or 3 person show I decided to curate a mini comics and zine fest with Black and Brown folks I knew and who’s work I admired and felt would make a good mix of art styles. The most important factor in who I would invite to table would be who the artist is as a person and not just their art, comics or zines. I never want anyone to feel unwelcome or be treated poorly so that means organizing with true care about the people involved.  All that being said, Oakland still has limited venue space and availability. The Eastbay Community Space has been amazing these past two years.

This year I was blessed by the community with donations and volunteers. Big shout out to everyone who gave and came through to help set up and watch the door, run the workshops and break down and clean up.  A huge thank you and big ups to the Eastbay Community Space for making an extra effort to accommodate us, from helping with table rental and storage to the very responsive correspondence and communication. Thank you so much to all the artists and makers for tabling. I appreciate you.

Oakland Creates is about community and providing a resource for Black and Brown artists, underrepresented artists to share and sell their comics, zines and art. Thank you to everyone who came and supported with your positive energy and the awesome power of time plus finances. Without the community coming out to spend money and share space Oakland Creates could not happen. The exchange is more than economics but a clear communication of your desire to be connected and help artists  lead our society in ways that aren’t always obvious or tangible but create everlasting change. 

It is amazing to build with artists in the SF Bay Area. Lets go into 2020 with positive intention and mindful of the ways in which we affect those around us. Visual art, music and the written or spoken word can move people in ways politics, governmental agencies or fear can not. 

December is always a different kind of busy month for me, full of emotional ups and downs. One thing I hold in the back of my mind is that another year has passed and the year is coming to a close as well as how little I enjoy Christmas. I won’t go into why I dislike Christmas but I will talk about being busy, so busy a lot of days blur and blend into each other.

Since I make both tie dye and art/comics you can imagine that my schedule is packed with holiday Faire’s, boutiques and comic cons or Zinefest’s. This year was no exception. Right after Thanksgiving I’ve had shows every weekend. EBABZ is a mid sized Zinefest at holds a nostalgic place in my heart because it’s one of the very first ones I was accepted into back in 2012 when I began making my comic nuthin good ever happens at 4 am.

This year was bittersweet as I had a wonderful time and enjoyed talking to people and reconnecting with other creatives and meeting new folks there was an element in both the attendee space and artist space of new Oakland for lack of a better word colonizer mentality. I noticed it last year too as Oakland becomes more gentrified the amount of awkwardness with people who clearly do not like Black or Brown people becomes more pronounced and there’s an edge to some conversations.

I write about racial bias, Black history and Black beauty. I am okay with questions or discussions around inclusion or politics because that’s the purpose of communication to share and grow or talk about varying experiences but the reactions to not only my presence but my work in some cases was blatantly negative and racially hostile. This isn’t a reflection of the fest but the changes to Oakland’s demographics. The fest is always well run and the organizers are amazing. Thank you to them for providing space and giving so much of themselves. Again I had a great time and miss it being held in Berkeley city college. I probably really just miss old Oakland too.

There must be more spaces for all different types of creative people where everyone feels equally heard and seen.

Most Holiday faires,boutiques and markets that cater to Black folks seem to have a very specific demographic that are served. Typically we are talking about 24-60 year old women who are Christian, highly educated and mid career supervisors and managers doing really well for themselves. Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a knock on them or a bad thing but where do the younger Black alternative, non-Christian, queer or non-binary youth shop?

Who may or may not be on a budget? Still highly educated but less concerned about the mainstream trappings of success and want something original and that speaks directly to them instead of showing off a high end brand name or consuming products to fit in and be like everyone else. I was happy to see so many younger vendors, entrepreneurs creating a space for Black folks to shop locally and find one of kind items. Not only a blend of dynamic artistry but mindfulness around how products were made, by hand and with the  Black and Brown Oakland community in mind.

While the market was open to everyone and over 45 different vendors sold during this two day event I truly felt represented,seen and heard in the care the organizers took to build a space for all types of Black women. I appreciated the concern for each other by them providing food,encouragement,deliberate attention to health and wellness both physical and mental. Thank you to the Fresh to Def team and other volunteers for giving us the time to speak to each,stretch,eat,set the intention for our experiences and to gather in unity and positivity. A big shout out to all the sponsors and Oakland Impact Hub as well.

Vendors were asked to meet at a pre-event orientation to go over logistics and see who would be participating in the market and break bread with them and get to know each other as well as introduce the organizer staff. This meeting set the tone and moving into day one of the market it really felt less competitive as other shows I’ve set up at and more like a support system. It did not go unnoticed that the energy in the space was very gracious and expectations were high. Expectations not just to sell out of our goods but that folks would treat each other well and the good vibes would translate into more of a foundation for future markets. The feeling in the air was one of anticipation for endless possibilities. And you know what? I haven’t felt that way during a festival,convention or holiday market in a long time. No fear. I guess that was what was missing. The insidious claustrophobic unsettling pallor of what if this doesn’t go right. what if this fails. what if I lose money. what if ..what if..none of that happened and I am so happy and thankful the organizers had the foresight to prep us for positive outcomes and focus on what we do have instead of what may be missing. Super job and incredibly inspiring.

I enjoyed sharing my table with an awesome lady Tatille of Moonlight Wild honey. It makes a huge difference whether or not you have a good neighbor. Shout out to all the amazing folks that stopped by my table and supported. I sold out of several prints and had cool conversations with some of the most sweet people.

You know how you don’t realize you’re missing something until  you get it? That was the exact feeling I had during and after my experience at Short Run Comix Arts festival Seattle. First I didn’t realize how badly I needed the 19 hour plus train ride to just sit and be,relax and take in the beautiful scenery of Northern California, Oregon forest and Washington state countryside. I just didn’t imagine that I would enjoy letting someone else get me to my destination. If you know me then you’d realize I don’t like flying and I drive to comics shows and I get nervous letting others take the wheel but I digress.

The train ride to Seattle was cool and all but I truly wasn’t ready for how lovely Seattle is and how colorful the trees and water and public art on buildings and huge statues brought an pop culture but refined urbane energy to the city. I arrived a day early to rest and check out the tourist areas. It was funny how the brief mist and fog of Friday morning gave the streets an oddly cheerful autumn almost Holiday vibe. I got a chance to check out the Public Market well known for Pikes fish where they throw the fish out to ya and walk around to the sea port side of the market to relax in the sun. I am always nervous before events so this was a great chance get my mind off of the next day.

I created a mini comic in the hotel and found a Staples to have a few copies made, turned out that I didn’t have enough room on my table to display it so I’ll probably give a few away at upcoming shows. It’s just a one page folded mini about a Unicorn that likes pizza. LOL. As a said I’m always super anxious about comics/zine events so got up early Saturday and of course it was raining. Hello Seattle. I’m not sure if the Lyft driver was new to the city or I just didn’t put in the correct destination but we got lost. He unceremoniously dropped me off about 3-4 blocks from the venue on the other side of the Seattle center. Did I mention it was raining? on me and my rolling bag full of paper comics? and there was a mega hill of grass and random buildings between me and the venue? So after getting another Lyft and after asking 2-3 people on the street and then a guard/valet for the Seattle center we found the Fisher Pavilion. Thank God I gave myself an hour to find the place, well because turns out a 8 minute Lyft ride would turn into a 40 minute adventure.

  After entering the Fisher Pavilion and entering a big hall set up with rows and rows of tables, I  don’t know what I was expecting but I received such a warm and welcoming greeting from “Otts” and  I immediately felt a sense of calm wash over me and gained an awesome burst of excitement. I remember thinking, “it’s gonna be okay” Thank you Otts because I’m not sure you realized how helpful and calming your positive energy was at that moment. So Thank you.

Set up was fairly quick and my table mate was very sweet James the Stanton who has amazing art and comics. Check him out here, https://gnartoons.com/

It is always nice to run into friends as well like Eunsoo Jeong, https://eunsoo.art/ and Golden,https://www.instagram.com/d.s.press/?hl=en  oh man I definitely loved seeing them and getting great big hugs. I can’t wait to catch up with them again in Oakland at Oakland creates, https://www.facebook.com/events/984791398527204/

I’m sending positive vibes to Kelsey too, https://www.instagram.com/agathafrye/?hl=en  I hope everything worked out and maybe next year I’ll table at Olympia zinefest if ya’ll will still have me.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed chatting with everyone who came by my table. I didn’t take attendee photos like I have in the past and to be honest I was so busy trying to help everyone and explain my comic and drawings that I felt like it would take away from the experience of just being in the moment and appreciating all the generous folks who spent time and energy with me. This was my first time in Seattle and my first time tabling at Short Run after several years of applying. I am so grateful. Thanks Seattle you all were amazing and I’m still smiling.

Short Run is very well organized too and I loved the name badges with my name on it and the ability to have lunch pre-ordered and available was top notch. The organizers were all so helpful and checked on me throughout the event which was very cool. Thank you so much. I didn’t get to shop although I did get to walk around a bit after quickly taking powder room breaks but man every time I returned to my table folks were waiting for me.

I look forward to tabling again in the future. I’m missing you Seattle. yep that’s me waving from California.

Oakland is a wonderful and weird place to make and sell art. There are so many venues and interested buyers but not that many artists of color feel comfortable or safe in ALL art venues. Lets be honest, Oakland is undergoing an major shift and previously  culturally the backbone has always been Black, Black and current and setting the trends and fun and positive and uniquely ghetto fabulous. Fast forward to today and the gentrifiers are making lanes in Oakland, quite literally and figuratively. The roads are being halved for bike lanes and new construction is tearing up the sidewalks and roadways all to make room for folks that do not look like me and aren’t interested or invested in Black culture or Black people remaining in the Oakland, Eastbay/Emeryville area. That being said, Afro Comic con happens in Emeryville and Oakland yearly and in an area where pop ups and small indie art venues are the norm it’s like a gathering of long lost cousins every year as unless it’s an event exclusively marketed to and run by Black people these same folks aren’t in and out and about in the Oakland art scene. First Friday’s street festival being the exception. But why aren’t there Black festivals in our Black venues?

Like church every Sunday Oakland’s art scene is segregated along color lines and socioeconomic/class lines. It’s a seamless transition from vending in more mixed spaces to a Black comic con yet the  relief and easy calm I felt should not be taken for granted or lost on it’s participants or guests. Lets make more spaces for Black and Brown people. Lets uplift each other and take up as much space as needed to celebrate each other.

All while the Public works committee meets about bike lanes and the Oakland city council hears from the Black business and arts district about how the new construction is impacting African Americans access to the businesses in the district kids and young adults go from table to table at  SAE Expressions college and to panels and a film festival all affirming their Blackness and great capacity for imagination and ingenuity.

I tabled at the first Afro Comic Con 3 years ago and the event has gotten larger and truly has outgrown the space. The organizers are creating an event on a small budget and with the help of numerous volunteers. Big ups and super big Thank you to the organizers and volunteers although hectic and with a few bumps in the road they did an amazing job and everyone had smiles on their faces and lots of beautiful Black art in their hands. This event also includes some superb cosplay and activities just for younger kids like gaming and comic book making.

Shout out to the awesome cosplayers that stopped by my table.Because it’s held at a college I really love the workshops around creating literature and independent publishing and developing skills not only to draw comics but to write engaging content and how to navigate self publishing plus the politics of being a creative person of color. I truly love the chats and in depth conversations about all the ways to express ourselves through art,writing and film.

Thank you to all the folks who came by my table and brought their kids on day two for the community kids day. Lets get them started early. The arts are some of the best therapy and medicine. It’s great to see the youth film festival and the Afro comic con leaders encouraging young minds to think critically! I had a blast and always meet the coolest and most sweet attendees.

Feeling super grateful and inspired. Please come through in December for an event I am organizing in Oakland if you are an SF Bay Area resident. Here is the event page, https://www.facebook.com/events/984791398527204/

Grateful. Inspired. Rejuvenated. Excited. These are all words that express how I feel after tabling at Long Beach Zinefest this past weekend. This was my second time tabling there and I really enjoyed myself again. Last year I was happily surprised at how mellow and laid back Long Beach is and this year I was looking forward to the wonderful vibe of the city as well as the sweet welcoming energy of the folks running the zinefest and tabling too. Everyone just seemed so happy to be there and I found myself smiling the whole weekend. I’ve said it before but the sense that zinefests are like family reunions or homecomings are the most cool yet intense feeling as an artist too have because like most other creatives I create mostly in my own head and only share with folks via a visual format. To work alone or with a collective on art work with makes us emotionally vunerable and let it all hang out there can be intimidating at times and not always well received or welcomed.

The zine making,art, comix and creative community does not have to be so accepting and supportive but many zinefest organizers go out of their way to make sure zine making spaces are  safe and open to a myriad of persons. The effort and intentional building of safe spaces does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Thank you and a huge shout out to the Long Beach zinefest organizers and volunteers who made this happen and were diligent about checking in with tablers throughout the fest. Another wonderful aspect of the fest is meeting new people and  chatting about zines and art events etc. I met some amazing artists and kind hearted folks and just cool people in general.

Shout out to the San Diego state university zine club that sat next to me as they probably go tired or hearing my comix and zine spiel over and over again.

It’s funny at the last minute (a few days before the fest) I decided to reverse tie dye some tee shirts and make a new zine (zombie survival guide) and I’m so happy I did.

It was cool to see the positive reaction to both the Zombie survival guide which I ended up folding and glueing together  in my hotel room and the reverse tie dye tee shirts that I dyed and screen printed and ironed just before I drove down to Long Beach.I hope to write up a brief screen printing and reverse tie dye review soon about the products I used by Speedball.

The Long Beach zinefest is becoming one of my favorite fests and perhaps next time I can take a few extra days off of work and hang out and really get to know the area better.Again thank you Long Beach organizers and attendees it was amazing.

Oakland creates is such a fun event and I want to make it bigger and better. I just started a gofundme page so that I can secure a venue and a featured artist. Last year was a blast, help me do it again! https://www.gofundme.com/f/1qt12deqs0&rcid=r01-156763856347-9a2ffcb29f904a95&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_w

The first time I tabled at SF Zinefest was 2012. I didn’t know anyone and I just had one comic book. I remember being so happy for the opportunity to share my work with folks who might actually like horror and gore or weird drawings. I never really thought beyond the art itself though. i  felt lucky just to get into the fest. I didn’t think about guests or other zine-makers actually asking me questions or talking to me about the process of making art or how I balance life and art etc. etc.

Seven years later and 5 more issues of the comic book and several zines later I’m s amazed and aw struck anytime a person wants to learn more about my work or myself.I still don’t handle compliments well and find it hard to believe someone else gets a kick out of the original characters that I’ve created. I’m super grateful to have found this community. SF Zinefest isn’t perfect but it’s one of the most welcoming,gracious and giving art communities I’ve been involved with both as an vendor/tabler and as an organizer. This year the vibe was super laid back, I saw so many artists helping each other and guests. The positive attitude and camaraderie was special and two days later I’m still feeling the glow.

I also want to say a few Thank yous, first off I don’t think I’ve ever worked with anyone so committed as Anand the Director of SF Zinfest. Mad props for the sacrifice and dedication. Thank you for all your hard work. Plus Mike.Your patience calms me down lol...Of course big ups to everyone else on the organizing team Lauren, Neil and Michaela including past organizers like Lindsay,Solitaire and Rani..Thank you. Thank you and shout out to our featured guest Lawrence Lindell.Plus Thank you to all the volunteers.

I talked to so many cool guests and I’m always appreciative of the love and respect folks have towards creative people and just how great it is to experience people taking the time to come to an event and support with not only money but kind words and their free time. SF Zinefest is also like a family reunion as there are so many zine and comic book makers I only get to see once a year. I don’t think I’ve hugged so many people in a long time. So many smiles and laughs this year.

Hopefully it won’t be a full year before I see folks as SF Zinfest continues to host zine clubs and workshops throughout the year.

Make sure to follow SF Zinefest on Instagram or Facebook and please please check out our Patreon page and most recently the go fund me page. You can find all the info on the facebook group page here,https://www.facebook.com/sfzinefest/

and as always I’ve shared some photos here but all of my and some of the other organizer photos can be found on my flickr page. https://www.flickr.com/photos/storm1sky/albums/72157710678948661

I can’t remember the last time I was so giddy after an art event or zinefest. The energy at LA Zinefest was so positive and uplifting that I’m still smiling. I talked with so many rad people and shared a vibe of such joy! So many happy Brown and Black people in one space sharing the work that they love and so many happy people appreciative of what we made. I felt so nervous before this zinefest that I almost cancelled. It’s a weird thing that happens before almost every show. Usually when I’m so anxious the show is amazing and oddly that is what happened again this trip. Funny weird self doubt just have to push it aside every time and speak over the fear and repeat positive affirmations. I’m so glad I went and from the beginning the first folks that stopped by my table were so cool and funny we talked like we knew each other already.

Thank you David and Kenya. You put me at ease. I really like the new venue for the fest as well. This year LA Zinefest was held at Helm’s Bakery in the parking garage in two large rooms. Shout out to the organizers the table layout and access to bathrooms and parking was easy and clearly marked with signs. Great job LA zinefest volunteers as well for checking on me throughout the day to make sure everything was going well. Also this fest was full of people who had previously bought from me and came back to buy new stuff. I am so humbled and grateful for return customers.

These types of interactions is why I continue to make art and create zines and put my heart into my work. I love that I’ve touched someone enough that they remember me and want new comics or zines. I also had a really good experience with my table mates Sophie and Iris. So sweet and smart and talented. I can’t help but smile and laugh when I think about this past weekend. Just amazing L.A. So many feels. Thank you LA Zinefest! This fest was just what I needed.

I took alot of photos and wish I had time to walk around and buy stuff.

Thinking about the power of intention instead of impact, how sometimes mindfulness only reaches as far as our own comfort zone. Here for being open and willing to listen even when the conversation is difficult. Learning to incorporate hard topics into my work. I made a zine about Microaggressions and racial bias. This zine was made with the intention to make you think about racial bias and how micro-aggressions manifest themselves in everyday life. This zine was made to help me think about what “good intentions” really look like? And to process some of the comments, attitudes and experiences I’ve encountered over the years. This zine was made to help start a dialogue about racial bias and some of the “well meaning” but anti-Black assumptions many folks harbor. This zine was not made to make you angry or feel guilty but to hopefully get you to pick up a book or two or ten written by Black or Brown folks who are really good at talking about race and social justice. More info and work here, https://www.facebook.com/nuthingoodat4/