Yearly Update: The Project Survived 2022!

Well...just barely. By all accounts, 2022 was a soul-crushing year: the Japanese yen (which I am paid in) hit a 50-year low against the dollar (which I pay out in), so everything including art, equipment, and life in general got a whole lot more expensive. Sacrifices were made, debt gotten into, etc., but thankfully I was able to get more freelance work and managed to keep the art coming out at a slow, but steady pace.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

ART

I've been blessed to find artists who I like working with and whose rich and creative styles will help bring the course's story to life. When creating a fictional world, so much effort goes into trying to make it all seem real enough to call to people's imaginations and entice them to connect and participate. The challenge is to flesh the world out just enough to feel familiar, yet evoke mystery. Cohesion is an important step, the artists all have different styles, and the challenge of bringing it all together is something that I think about often. Part of me loves the idea of celebrating different styles--celebrating art!--as a not-so-subtle reminder that there are many ways of looking at the world. If the way you've been looking grows stale, then why not try looking in a fresh, new way?

SOCIAL MEDIA WENT FROM ZERO TO DRIP

I've always been of the humble opinion that social media is black sore on humanity's lumpy hide; a shallow hall of mirrors, a breeding ground for misinformation, and almost always a bad use of one's time when considering mental health. But, one day, while frowning sourly over the site's traffic metrics, I realized this opinion was precisely the reason why this project has so few followers. So SLAP SLAP SLAPPA that Subscribe button or join FB if you'd like more than yearly updates about the project (damn...typing this feels cringey--state of the world I guess).

In all honesty though, trying to get a social media following for a depression course has been a tough nut to crack. It's not a sexy topic like, say, a new computer or board game that people can one day play. Those tend to attract money by the sackful. Still though, among the people I've spoken with, everyone seems to have a story of someone they know who has fought with depression either currently or in the past. Or, in some cases, has lost the fight. How to get people to care when there are thousands of worthy causes in the world? That's the Great Question which keeps me puzzling until my puzzler is sore. Hopefully, one day, I will figure it out. In the meantime though, I think the more people the course reaches, the easier funding will be. On that note, if you are one of those kindly people who are willing to DONATE to a good cause, we take money through paypal and cash app (Cashtag: $Wethedepressed).

WE HAVE A NEW ART SHOP

All credit goes to a scammer for this one. If you ever bookend a social media post with a hashtag that includes the words "fundraising," then a dedicated army of generous Samaritans are sure to find you and then will do everything that is in their power to swindle every last red cent you have. I wish a special kind of ill upon these types; preying upon people who are trying to help others seems so morally bankrupt it makes me balk when trying to come to terms with it, but one of these enterprising humanitarians did actually try to "buy" art, which I didn't have at the time. It prompted me to open a store. Please take a gander and help yourself. (Not you, old thief!)

PROGRESS ON SET(S)

"Out of the Woods" has required me to get better at ( read: stop sucking at) a host of life skills, DIY crafting being near the top of that list. I've never been good with my hands. I'm still not. However, it pleases me to announce that two sets have been fully wall-papered in "Gentleman Blue" and "Dark Grey" and are well on their way to being complete.

In other lucky news, I was also able to catch a rare Black Friday deal and got some new lights that will see a lot of practice as we prep for shooting episodes late this coming year.

2023 | FORECAST

THE GOOD

Art is continuing to pump out. I've been able to put together a character rig and lay the ground work for animation. Plus A.I. art has been a huge help in terms of cost (time/money). If I can raise enough money this year I'm hoping to change to a camera system that would be much easier to operate solo, this means a new gimbal, A.I. follow-focus, v-mount batteries and some monitors which adds up to the tune of around $5000--believe it or not that's pretty cheap in terms of film gear.

THE BAD

My main income source has been threatened. A few days leading up to Christmas my boss told me he might not be able to keep me after May. This plunged my future and with it the future of "Out of the Woods" into uncertainty. While I have every intention of finishing the project, I do need to keep paying rent and taking care of my expenses also. As of typing this the ratio of self-funding to donations is over 99% to 1%. I'm hoping that some time in the next year, I can come up with a way to improve that ratio and encourage more people to help this counseling course get made.

THE UGLY

Well, nothing is really ugly (especially not you). I was just going with a theme there. Tell ya what, let's say "The Good, The Bad, and The Beautiful" because that's what hope is. Life throws out all kinds of nonsense and we can fall into the dour habit of forecasting that life will remain hard, cruel or pick whatever adjective you like. But I wish you a beautiful 2023. For your spirit, mental health and for your life. Whatever projects you're working on I hope they work out. I know I will keep fighting for mine to succeed. Until then, make this year the change you always wished for, and for those who are suffering with depression, a special message: don't wait for this project to be made, contact a therapist and get help as soon as you can. And remember, be kind to yourself. Change doesn't happen overnight. Great things are made by degrees. Your pal, Bartleby