This past month has been quite a whirlwind for me. Lots of ups, plenty of downs, and it's been tough for me to find time to come back on here and finally get things going again. For starters, I'm old. I turned 20 years old two weeks ago today, and needless to say I still can't believe I've made it where I am now. I've had a lot of support from everyone...whether it's in art, coaching, school, or just life in general. And that's pretty cool. So if you're reading this, pat yourself on the back...you did a good job. Keep it up.
I've been working with Ed Stein for a little over a month now, and I'm beginning to get the hang of comic strip drawing. So far, I've helped him make over 30 "Freshly Squeezed" strips for print in the Denver Post and a few other newspapers and websites. Ed and I have become great friends since he first invited me to his studio near the end of summer. We actually have more in common than I thought... Ed knows a good majority of my professors because he's a DU alum, so he knows exactly what my life is like at the moment, trying to balance a huge amount of art projects. He's such rad guy. It's always neat to get the chance to draw and talk baseball with him, but sometimes it's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I'm working with a very well-known artist. Even though we've only worked for a few weeks together, I've learned a lot from him. He says I think too much about what I'm doing... Two weeks ago, he gave me one of the hardest Sunday strips to add color to because it was a drawing of a messy room. I think he kind of did it on purpose...he knows I strive for perfection and I tend to worry about finding the perfect color combo before I can move on with finishing things. I remember every time I would pause for a minute, Ed would turn around from his desk and say "Don't think...just do it. Art shouldn't be about thinking. If it doesn't look right, we can fix it. Use your instinct...you know what you're doing. Trust that." I've gotta keep that in mind for the future... Anyway, the first strip that I got to work on is due to be published sometime this week or early next week...maybe even on Sunday. I'll keep everyone posted.
Speaking of art...notice anything different? Yep... I'm doing photography now. Black and white, film photography. It's a totally new realm for me. I'm literally clueless... but I'm getting the hang of it. I developed my first photo this morning, and even though the subject matter is pretty amateur, I'm pretty proud of myself. Photo is a lot harder than it looks...I'm used to being able to control how things are going to turn out with drawing...but photography is completely different. You've gotta find your own composition.
Anyway, things are finally back on track (no pun intended....well...alright, maybe). I'm trying to take more time for myself...I don't think I do that enough. Sometimes it's nice to slow down and just appreciate things. 'Til next time!
