Early work and the journey to becoming a professional illustrator!

This one is going to be a trip down memory lane. Why am I so happy now? I’m an illustrator. It’s my primary source of income […not photography], turning out the best art of my life as a part of the Hive account@eos.detroit team. I’m most known for my photography, but for my entire life, what I’ve really wanted to do is draw comics. In 2015, Apple released the iPad Pro; the device I dreamed up in my head with full confidence that Apple would do it right. I bought it on day one and began a Patreon account to take my shot as a full time freelance illustrator.

It didn’t work out that way. My Patreon efforts died on the vine and I eventually capitulated, pivoting it to my dark pinup photography. It’s grown exponentially since then, and even with the new iPad Pro, I struggled to monetize. Also, there is the cold hard truth that I just wasn’t very good. Not saying that to be self deprecating, but if you want someone to support you on a platform like Patreon, you better have something special to offer. I didn’t. I was still finding my voice even though I thought about drawing comics day in and day out.

Earlier tonight, I was skimming through my albums on my iPad Pro, looking for some sketches I did recently for Hive account@eos.detroit and Topps. I went a little too far and stumbled across these illustration pieces from 2012 - 2015. All comic projects I was working on at the time. The waterbear cover really made me happy as that was the project I was chasing when I met Hive account@swarddraws at an annual comic convention in Minneapolis almost a decade ago. We’re both working on huge properties for Topps. It was a very full circle moment.

Many of these have never been seen on the Hive blockchain. I have a bad habit of finishing something, stuffing it in the drawer and moving on. I think it’s a result of working as a freelancer for almost 20 years. Its job to job, project to project, never getting hung up one thing for too long. Tonight, I did take the time for some nostalgia and to truly appreciate how far I’ve come from where I was just a few years ago. I’m actively taking time to appreciate this journey. Thanks for going back with me tonight.