Wow, it's been a long time

I haven't been commissioning much lately.  I've been a bit crunched at work, and it's left me a bit drained and not feeling like keeping track of commissions.

I found that last year, I commissioned so much for my birthday, that I just looked over my records and found that I'd not received two of them, and totally lost track!  I had to write the artists and ask about it.  One has already responded, apologizing... which is good ... but it's also something I should have tracked.  And there are still some artists who owe me from long ago, some I contacted last year and never sent me anything....  I try not to think about those as it's demoralizing, I'd rather spend my time on positive pursuits.  Besides,  I don't think there is much I can do to rectify the situation, either the artist(s) will send me the art, or no matter of haranguing now will do me any good...and I suspect a few of them will eventually come through, I'm just passed caring about it now.  If you happen to be an artist that owes me something, I can HONESTLY say I'm not mad/upset, some of you are waiting until the time is right (a few have sent me notes), some forgot, some dropped off the face of the earth.  It's all good, life is complicated and the commissions are a drop in the ocean .... so don't have guilt.  Instead, if you've spend any time feeling guilty, STOP.  Guilt will just get in the way of your art, and I commission so there is MORE ART.  If not doing my commission wastes your time so your are not even creating OTHER ART, I'm upset by that.  It's counter to everything I believe.  So, drop the guilt.  Instead, one day, when that random wind blows, just draw me something and send it to me. I love random.  Or not, and just create something else and share it.  Just make some art and share....).

I guess I got a bit burned out, and paying attention to it all was too much like work. I made it through with Patreon support.  Namely, I get a commission/month from DidiLuneStudio, so even when I'm not commissioning, I'm still getting commissions.  I simply adore Didi, so that makes things great.  It's always wonderful to see what she'll create for me.  ^_^  I have some fantastic things from her I need to share. Maybe I'll do that this weekend, likely I'll share on my birthday next week because I'll have the day off.

One of my other patreons is dandonfuga who is simply fantastic (and you all should be supporting her, or at least following her gallery here!).  What makes her an awesome patreon (aside from her fantastic art), is that she regularly asks what people would like to see.  So, that's loosely like getting a commission some of the time ... iT does help that I was her Patreon Supporter #2, and have talked about her art before.... that meant that she did a few She-Hulk images last year because I like She-Hulk (she went through my gallery and drew one because of that, the others I think people asked for...).    As I said, it makes it very personable, and makes me feel like I had commissions .  She even sent me a personalized Korra for my birthday last year, simply because I commented that "This feels like you made it just for me because you posted it on my birthday.".  It was a simple thing, she just added the text ballon, but it still makes me smile.  

I've been limping through the year.  I think i have one commission out (probably need to follow up on it). I was a always supposed to be working, or doing freelance, so when I was at my computer it always felt like I should be doing something else.  Thinking of that, I'm trying to get back to the "off" switch for work.  Mostly I walked away from the computer, read/watched TV/used iPad/went out with friends.   I tend to not write on my iPad, so it mean the writing part of commissioning just never had a place to happen.  I think I'm going to take a walk around the block when my "work day" is over to symbolically say "I am done".  (I work from home, so my computer is my "office".)

I've already sent one commission off this weekend, and I think I'll send off a few more.

If you are an artist, and I follow you, feel free to send me a note to nudge me to consider you for a commission.  If you have my email (i.e. I've commissioned you or communicated through email), feel free to use that.  (If you find an email in a journal/profile that's not going to work...)  You can also make suggestions too.

Also, if you are an artist at Cincy Comicon next week, and are taking commissions, send me a note!. I'll have a pile of money that I'll want to give to artists there.  You can jump into the queue and get some of it.  If you're going to be at Cincinnati Comic Expo on 9/24 or Akron Comicconin November, the same deal applies.  And yes, I'll even pre-order something and pick it up at the con.

Currently I'm trying to figure out what songs I'll add to my birthday playlist.  My birthday is 9/12, which has a problem of being the first day people woke up KNOWING 9-11 happened, and had to deal with it (I shudder to think what it's like to have a birthday ON 9-11).  My method of dealing was to say "no" to FEAR, and I started my playlist the next year to help remind me to say "No", and focus on positive things instead.  I then add 1-2 songs/year, and make sure I listen to the play list every year.

The songs are placed there for a reason: to remind me of something.   Either it's something that happened that year, something I want to try to remember each year, or some feeling I want to encourage.
Right now I suspect that this year I'll add:

Pure Imagination - Gene Wilder (from the Willy Wonka Soundtrack).
+ something from David Bowie.  Not sure which.  Pure Imagination reminds me to NOT get caught up in the mindless treadmill of work, and look past of that and encourage my creativity.  I don't think I wrote anything this year, let alone spent much time commissioning.

I've not figured out the Bowie song.   It's a crime that he's not (yet) made the birthday list, but mostly it's one song a year, and the initial years the competition was fierce.  I'd love it to be Changes, Under Pressure, or Heroes.  These are all positive songs, that fit into the idea of encouraging me to be better.   Under Pressure is quite fitting for the last year.   OTH, Life on Mars? has this tenor that fits this last year for me, it FEELS like the last year, and thus reminds me to be better.  It's one of my favorite songs, let alone one of my favorite Bowie songs.

I don't think I'll pick "I'm Afraid of Americans" though it fits this political year to a tee.  I just have a saying "Define yourself by what you love, not by what you hate."  So I'd rather a positive message than a really apt negative one.

Anyway, I'll try to post again on my birthday.  I might try to write something that day and post it that day, since it's been awhile.  (I have the next Ultima story written, i just need to pare it down and edit it.  But I think it's been written for a year.)