So this journal meme for the dA anniversary is pretty cool.
I may have forgotten in recent years, but I have a lot to owe dA. My 10 year anniversary on the site is coming up this next March, which is a LONG commitment even if I haven't been active through it all. Lots of memories, friends and fans have been made here. I've done a lot of learning, too!
It all started with Teen Titans. The original name "Spirit-the-Titan" was literally my Teen Titan OC! And even though the TT phase didn't last forever, I was determined to stick it out with the username. Moving accounts and expecting fans to follow was just too much of a hassle!
Next was the infamous Ed Edd n Eddy phase. Stylizing the boys to my own preference was a lot of fun, and I STILL receive comments about continuing that comic (it's never gonna happen, guys). Alongside this phase was Zurks and OCs, which also gained a lot of fans! I loved doing art trades and gift art, just to see the happy reactions of others. I really had my own style at this point, and if anime never entered the picture, I would probably be a wacky cartoonist!
Ah, but cue the unavoidable anime phase. FullMetal Alchemist was my life and my love. and my style became very detailed and very anime. (I was going to say realistic, but it really wasn't lol) It was about this time the world was introduced to Michi and Chad and our other friends, and our crazy humor. I dabbled in short comics, I got my first tablet, taught myself digital art and my baby comic The Escort was born!
Let's zoom through some small anime phases and OCs, and get to the big one: Death Note. There was a lot of serious fanart for this, until I brought Michi into it... And then we did what we do best. We corrupted the shit out of that.
The Corruption Crew was just kind of an accidental thing. Michi and I would get together and watch a show, make a joke about a thing that happens in it and just build on it from there until it becomes this big stupid thing and then the show is just ruined forever. But in the best way. XD They were featured in comics for a while, where we would confront our fandoms (FMA and DN both had a "Rabid Fangirl Saga" comic series that was basically the beginnings of Corruption Crew Talk Show). The day we decided to record our talk show is the day we made history. XD
Anyway, we thoroughly ruined Death Note and left a lot of open ended projects (Stupid Note, "Really Dead" animated comic strip/song, and various comic ideas that never happened). Corruption Crew Talk Show was becoming a big thing, and we also stumbled upon South Park. At the beginning of this phase I tried to abandon my anime style in a desperate attempt to take on a more Disney look. I don't think I ever completely shook off my anime style, because I still have people tell me my stuff looks like anime. XDX
I was inspired by many talented artists during the South Park phase, and eventually became very good friends with them (which is a HUGE THING for a babby artist!). I'm still in touch with a few of them, but some have fallen completely off the grid and I am so sad about this. I started playing with markers and paints, and got my super awesome set of Copics for Christmas of 2007. The response to CCTS was getting huge, so we started making more episodes and putting out more stupid things that never came to be ("Cabin Man: The Musical", various memes...). We had awesome intentions with the show, and damnit that video episode was going to blow you all away.
It's a horrible shame that filming the video episode took up so much of our time, we weren't able to continue the recordings at the same time. This, at least, could have kept it alive. But we were all starting college and getting jobs, so finding time to do any Corruption Crew things was impossible.
Summer/Fall of 2008 was my peak. I was strong in the South Park fandom, CCTS was doing well, and I had more fans than I think I even realized at the time. MAN-Selves became a big thing too, which brought me closer to even more talented artists. I hosted some awesome contests that summer! Not to mention my art was at a point that I was very happy with.
And then it all stopped.
I had a small falling out with my friends, and I started dating the guy I ended up marrying and moving across the country for. There was a lot of hiatus for about two years, until I was settled in Florida. I got back into the swing of art, returned to the South Park fandom and got really into Pokemon. I also finally sat down and started drawing pages for The Escort. My art was going so well, and I had a lot of plans for attending cons and having my comic printed.
And then, once again, everything crashed.
I came back to Cali and left everything behind, turning my entire world upside down. It was a very dark time and I really don't want to reflect on it, but there was almost no art for the last few years. Anything I did put out had a lot of emotion poured into it, or none at all. I lost all the awesome progress I had made with my style, I lost contact with a lot of important people, and I lost faith in myself.
I have had no desire to draw for the last three years. Any inspiration has been fleeting, and was working so much that I didn't have time for it. Until about six months ago, something awoke inside me and became restless. I was spending most of my time on tumblr and seeing all the talented artists with beautiful styles lit a flame that hasn't been out since. I suddenly NEEDED to do art again.
However, my focus has been more on graphic design lately, and building a portfolio to get myself a job in the field. Illustration and fanart needs to remain my beloved hobby. So, I quit my job a month ago and have been doing freelance.
This whole time I've been worried about exposure. How can I gain a following to generate commissions and revenue? Where all should I display my artwork to guarantee maximum exposure? I've had the mindset that dA was dead, and anyone who is anyone is on tumblr. I've been so wrong to disregard this place! I've had wonderful fans and friends and supporters on here for years, and you all seem to find your way back to me when I make my presence here known. So, I like to think that my story here will continue and hopefully anyone I have let down by leaving will find a way to forgive me. Maybe by displaying my awesome art again? Who knows! I'm just glad to be back home. <3
(holy shit this is long, congrats on making it this far? XD; )