Reflecting on SFS Art Fest
And Looking Ahead While Coping with Stressful Life Changes
Hey there, scavs!
I hope the past month has treated you well. I’ve been busy figuring out the details of Wasteland Comics’ switch to After Worlds End Publishing, working on GLITCH #4, and starting the brainstorming / worldbuilding process for a new fantasy book (and possibly series) while planning a poetry chapbook.
But I’m getting ahead of myself…
Enjoying the Outdoors at SFS Art Fest!
The last Saturday of April was SFS Art Fest, a bustling art festival hosted by my very own hometown, Santa Fe Springs. This was my second year getting to participate as a vendor and it was just as fun this year and it was last year. The day started off rainy, but thankfully let up before the show started, which was very considerate of the weather. I wish I’d taken more photos, but I’m still trying to get better about documenting things to share on social media. Self-promotion is hard.
Anyway, I had all three issues of GLITCH on offer, as well as leftover stock of our Kickstarter limited edition variant covers for #2 and #3. (We’ve still got some left, so if you missed out on snagging them, your next opportunity will be at Whittier Comic Fest on June 22nd.) Plus, I had the full slate of GLITCH merch available: tote bags, art prints (including metal ones), stickers, enamel pins, pin-back buttons, and trading cards.
I always love exhibiting at conventions and festivals—even though I haven’t gotten to do so as often as I’d prefer—because interacting with fans and new readers is such a fulfilling experience and reminds me why I deal with all the stressful parts of self-publishing. If you know me personally, you know I’m generally my own worst critic, so seeing other people enjoy my work helps light my creative fire in a way nothing else really does.
Another huge part of what made the event so fun, though, was getting to be part of the Nerd Dome, hosted by my friends on the Keeping Up with the Nerds podcast. They organized the section I was in, which was full of lots of other awesome, nerdy creators; not only that, but they set aside time on stage to interview each of us. I’ll admit, this interview probably wasn’t my strongest, but I still had a lovely time and am very grateful to the Nerds for having me on the show and continuing to be super supportive folks. If you’re interested, you can check out a recording of my interview by clicking the image or button below.
Overall, SFS Art Fest was a really fun time and I hope to be able to return again next year. In the meantime, my upcoming scheduled events are:
Whittier Comic Fest, June 22 at The Rose Gardens Banquet Hall & Event Center
Los Angeles Comic Con, Sept 26-28 at the Los Angeles Convention Center
I’ve also put in a deposit for next year’s WonderCon, which is set for March 27-29. Hopefully I get to see some of you at any of these!
Looking Ahead…
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I’m keeping busy working on a bunch of things. I’m trying to get back into the swing of writing prose and poetry after spending a lot of time focusing almost exclusively on comics over the last couple of years, as well as getting After Worlds End Publishing on its feet. I’m also struggling to stay motivated and energized in general, though, since I was essentially laid off from my job and have been frantically job hunting for the last couple weeks because I’ve got bills to pay. (Hopefully one day I’m able to pay those with my writing, but that’s a long way’s away at the moment.)
Still, I’m trying to write more regularly to break up the stress of searching for jobs, which means I’ll hopefully be opening up paid subscriptions sometime in the next couple months. This monthly newsletter will remain completely free—the paid subscription (I’m planning for $5/month) would just be for those who’d want more frequent posts that share WIPs of my writing, finished poems and short stories, and deeper insights into my writing process. I’ll also share chapters for the fantasy novel I’m currently developing as I write them, so not only would you get early sneak peeks at that, you’d also be able to give feedback and let me know what you like and don’t like while I’m working on it.
If there’s anything else you’d be interested in as a paid subscriber, I’d love to hear what kinds of posts would earn your subscription!
Anyway, I think that’s about it for this month’s newsletter since it’s gotten pretty long… I should hopefully have a big announcement about GLITCH next month (or the following month at the latest)—I’m just waiting on a few things to be finalized before I talk about it.
Thanks for reading! ☀️