2024 - Recap

Another year, Another yearly Recap! I hope everyone had a good time over the Holidays. Let's see what's changed (hopefully for the better) this time around!

1 - Art and Collabs!:

I definitely made a more active effort in joining collabs than in the previous years.

• The delicious Sandwich Collab hosted by @SkilledFella - Thread
• A spooky Ghost Collab hosted by @Creeperforce24 - Thread
• An equally delicious Dragon Raid Collab hosted by @OnceHere - Thread
• and keeping it cool with the Summertime in Wintertime Collab hosted by @RepriseAgain - Thread

• The Adult Swim Collab hosted by @TechnoCookie- Thread, with my submission of BLACK DYNAMITE
• Naruto 25th Anniversary Collab hosted by @MBY98 - Thread, with what has to be my absolute favorite moment in the Naruto series as my submission
• Pokemon Gijinka Collab hosted by @KittyhawkMontrose - Thread seeing everyone's Gijinkas was really inspiring, I just wish I had more time to do more than one!

• And with another year that means another Secret Santa!!

• This year I also participated in Artfight for the very first time on Team Seafoam! Hopefully I can do a lot more next time around!

• I updated my OC design and I finally made my Apoidea Villains! Really gotta do something with these guys, at least make a doc or something I swear.

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Animations:

• I made my first James Randal animation this year! Took a lot longer than I expected due to some family stuff I had to take care of, but it's finished, I'm fairly happy with it, and I hope that it becomes a good lesson to learn from and I can keep making better cartoons for next year!

• Managed to make a submission to the Sketch Collab this year too! Always a blast to see everyone's work, and a big thank you to midgetsausage for putting this together!

hosted by @midgetsausage

• IT'S OUT AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT AND KOLUMBO WON'T BREAK MY KNEECAPS! A Charlie Brown Christmas Reanimated was a great collab to be a part of. My only wish is that I should've been a lot more efficient on my end. Everyone did a phenomenal job and I really am glad to have had a hand in this. Again massive thank you to Kolumbo for organizing the whole thing!

hosted by the CHRISTMAS MAN HIMSELF @KOLUMBO

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Games

• We got the Kart Kollab, Newgrounds Bug Collab, and the Subspace Emissary Collab! I tried to do things a bit differently than what I was used to (like using Aseprite for the Bug Collab) but I'm super grateful to be a part of each of these!

hosted by @53xy83457 - Thread

hosted by @Frosty

hosted by @DALAP - Thread

• Also this year I participated in Pirate Software's 14th Gamejam with my group's game: Think of the Shareholders! It was my first time doing art for a game and I learned a whole lot on this project. If I do continue to do art for some games in the future, I hope that it'll meet and beat expectations!

I also help out over on @FountainsPenProductions! I've done some promo art for them and helped with some animations too, go check them out!

Whew! 10+ Collabs sure is a lot! I want to thank all of the Organizers for each of the collabs for doing an amazing job! Here's hoping for even more collabs for next year!

2 - 2024's Goals Completed:

• Art Improvement: I'd like to think that this year my art has improved, just not in any drastic way. Looking at my art for this year, I've just about matched the amount of output I did for last year which is alright to say the least. Obviously I would've much preferred to have done a lot more, but with some personal stuff going on and poor time management that goal wasn't reached in the way I would have preferred. Still a win technically, and all I can do is strive to improve, bit by bit. Check.

• Other Creative Pursuits: Check. Like I mentioned previously, I joined a gamejam and worked on the art for a small game. I also redid the art to another game from the same programmer, but it's only on itch at the moment. I really do want to make a game on my own but for now this goal is reached and but hopefully next year I can cross it off the list for real.

• Original Art and Stories: I've done a few original pieces of art, but nothing that I would really pin down as original original. Failed to meet this goal for now, but I think I'm in a much better position to properly tackle this going into 2025.

• Streaming on Twitch: According to the Twitch Recap, I've streamed 25 hours this year. Honestly a lot of this year and last year kinda blurred together for me so I'll take it. What I need to do is make a proper streaming schedule to follow and a list of projects that I'm comfortable to stream on the art side of things. I have a weird thing of not wanting to show work/WIPs in fear of ruining surprises or that it being a surprise is better than the work itself. But working on the Charlie Brown Reanimated has taught me anything it's to not worry about that at all. (If you're working on something ESPECIALLY A GROUP/COLLAB PROJECT just share the damn thing, get feedback, and WORK WITH THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE SAME BOAT AS YOU!). There's no NDA (atm) for these things, so it's nothing to worry about. Check?

• Newgrounds Events: I managed to join something around 10 collabs this year and hopefully will have the time to do the same for next year! Check!

• Professional work: Looking for work has sucked through and through. Atm I have some temporary work, but once it's over, I'm not really to sure where to go from there. I trying my best to figure something out, but I do feel a sense of unease and uncertainty when it comes to finding and securing work. I suppose everyone feels the same way, but I hope that we all can find some secure work and keep making what we want to make.

Total: 4/6, acceptable. Gonna make a game plan for the new year so I can truly blow these out of the water

3 - 2025 PLANNING:

• Mission Objective: Survive: Mostly a joke but I do mean surviving mentally and physically. I hope the new year is kind to everyone and that we can put our best foot forward and be better than we were yesterday!

• More Art and other creative projects: Increasing my art and I mean this in the most generous way possible. Not in a way where I function as a sweatshop, but becoming more consistent with my uploads here - be it art, animation, or games.

• Some sense of time management: I did make a little spreadsheet to track projects, dates, completion, etc. Hopefully I can utilize that and work in a way that doesn't burn me out.

• ORIGINAL STORIES FOR SURE: THIS TIME FOR SURE, THIS I SWEAR. I think I fall into the trap of being uneasy with my ideas. "Oh it's not ready to show yet". I oughta bite the bullet and just make the stories I have, there's hardly ever a reason that would prevent me from going back and taking another crack at it. The story just needs to exist and be out there first, any revisions can happen after the fact.

• Socialize: I feel as though I don't socialize too much among the community, which is probably true. I tried to make an active effort earlier in the year but fear that I kind of receded back into my more introverted space towards the end of the year. I hope to break out of that shell and be a bit more social and present with you guys.

• Self-Study: Both in art and in life, while trying to plan ahead for the future I was looking into some tests and certifications that I may go for. Hoping to improve either my art skills or professional development in whatever form that might take.

• Twitch Streaming: Making a consistent schedule is tough, I like to procrastinate and I manage my time inefficiently. Hopefully I have the free time to just slot out 2-3 hours for a few days to just draw and hangout.

• Newgrounds Events/Collab: More Newgrounds Collabs, really want to keep this streak going and work with the amazing people here!

• Work?: Not too sure on the future of this one, hopefully I can find some secure form of work that still gives me the time and freedom to make something creative on the side.

Also as of writing this I hit 217 fans!

Thank you guys so much for literally everything! It means a lot to me that you guys like the kind of work that I put out, and I hope I can keep surprising/impressing/showing you art that I really want to make!

Wishing you all a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

See y'all in 2025!