#soap boxing

Don't get me wrong. If used correctly to point out larger problems (i.e. misrepresentation or non-representation of minority, for example the sexist statement of some Escape from Tarkov dev people about women in war, and similar), it's potentially helpful, but even that often just turns into "who has the hottest takes with the least amount of characters?"

But I see this kind of hyper hostile one-upping rarely for these kinds of important conversations. I mostly see it accompanied with a screenshot of someone comparing Harvest Moon to Stardew Valley to make a larger point and it getting torn to shredds because Twitter User "I only fuck polar bears without consent" @ artsi_draws sees an easy joke which gives them meaningless applause from their faceless followers.

PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPS

I just had the wackiest and most awesome day. HOLY SNOOPS.

I got the surprise opportunity to help out a couple of my professors (ex-professors?) with a comics workshop for visiting high school students. And let me tell you: these kids Rocked. My. Socks. Off. (Seriously -- look at that picture -- do you see any socks? They’re off. Gone. Blown out to space. Whoosh.) I tell you, I think I learned more from these young artists than they actually did from me.

Not only was this a rare chance to practice my public speaking (oops) but it also blew me back to my high school days (a long time ago, in a school far far away...) -- and daaaaang, I feel kind of like an old fart already! (Not that I’m complaining! Social security, here I com-- oh, wait.) But these kids have serious “chops,” as my prof Miles says.

And talking with these youngsters reminded me just how broad comics is -- and art in general! It reminded me how you can make ideas, stories, comics, animations, sculptures, etc. from essentially anything... and it reminded me just how vitally important it is to follow one’s passions! (Aww, there’s the cheese.)

Watching these students and running around the room screeching about how awesome their work is, I remembered that one of the most important things in art is enthusiasm. If you like a thing, and you make the thing you like, there’s good odds that other people will like your thing too! I saw so much enthusiasm in that room, it touched my heart.

I have a tricky time putting things into words, but I wanted to say, if any of those students find this post (or anyone else who is a student or artist -- of any age!), KEEP GOING. DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. MAKE THOSE CRAZY SCULPTURES, THOSE MATH NOTE DOODLES, THOSE OIL PAINTINGS, THOSE GAY SLASHFICS, THOSE STAR WARS COSPLAYS, THOSE COMICS ABOUT FORKS AND SPOONS AND SQUIDGIRAFFES. Show them to your friends, your teachers, your family, folks online, random bystanders (whoever you’re comfy with). But most importantly, keep making! If you find a style, a medium, a theme, that feels “right” to you, that connects with you, roll with it! Keep on rolling and keep finding the things that speak to you and fulfill you as a person and a creator and you will become an UNSTOPPABLE SNOWBALL OF ART

... I feel like I’m losing my point here.

Long story short, art is awesome and so are the people who make it. You keep doing what you do, and you are bound to end up somewhere interesting. DISCLAIMER: I’m only 22 and I know relatively little about the Grand Scheme of Things and am generally a very melodramatic and over-caffeinated individual. BUT I am firmly of the belief that art is a thoroughly good idea and people should KEEP MAKING IT GOSHDARNIT. And art teachers / professors / instructors: you peeps rock.

...Well goodness me, gettin’ all emotional here. I’m gonna go hide in the library and think about life for a little while.

As a lot of you already know, it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month - and as I don’t think any of you know, I’ve been performing self exams monthly because I’m prone to phyllodes tumors. When I found my first tumor it was about half the size on an egg and I was beyond terrified - I thought I was going to die. They’re non cancerous, but I’ve already had two removed over the course of my life time. The scarring is mostly under the skin, though I’m very self conscious because I’m almost two cup sizes smaller on one side and just this weekend I found another one. It’s small and benign but I’m having it removed in December.