"Vanity Press n' Crap"

If my schedule permits it, I'll be publishing a 300 or so pg artbook through print on demand publishing. If you want to purchase a copy once it's on sale, and you want to create demand for my publishing work in any way, be sure to let me know if you like my art and want a copy of my art book, and I'll make it available to the general public where people can buy it. But it helps to know if anyone actually wants to buy a book i publish before I go all out and invest time in marketing it. I'll probably make a free extra differently formated exclusive version available online, if anyone contacts me at my gmail account (JM, c/o spindack@gmail.com) to let me know someone actually wants to buy my art. No one bought any of my Art Flakes prints, so that bombed. Maybe this upcoming book'll be different. Kind of doubtful if no one contacts me about it though. Worth putting some effort into I suppose.

Sketchbook = Visual Journal Manifestation Time Chronicle Tome

A sketchbook isn't just an art practice document. It's also a visual journal of your visual thoughts chronicling your visual thought process on paper. Sketchbooking is one way of using a literary device (paper) to chronicle the manifestation of your artistic, design, and visual forms, thoughts, and pencil mileage on paper for future generations. Sketchbooks don't necessarily need a thematic narrative. The forms and lines on paper and the time and space that art travels through to be made manifest is narrative.

I always found free form expression with lines on paper just as literary as writing in a written journal all day, but I never thought to write an artistic statement to go with my creative accomplishments, Now that I bought a highly expensive (around $250) Neat scanner, which can scan artwork, if your willing to seek out some freeware that converts PDF documents. I scanned well over 300 pages in 4 to 5 hours with that sucker, condensing a weeks to months worth of work into less than 24 hours.

 so there you go...The first paragraph of this blog is my artistic statement on sketchbooks, or nonsketchbook compilations of ballpoint pen linework on printer paper stacks and the like. Either way, my artistic statement.

Random Fact of Chi

If I stand up in my room, and clap my hands together and continue putting pressure between the two palms, close my eyes, and breath deeply as though I were practicing meditation, I consistently give the back of my upper spine goosebumps. At one point I was able to create goosebumps on my upper spine 4 to 5 times in a row. It's like the room has electricity in the air or something. I never used to think goosebumps and hairs standing on end could be controlled. Looks like I was wrong.

Something, Something, The Sage is a River that Flows Beneath Valleys, You can be one too?

Ah yes, the RIVER passage. This is my philosophy about influence and being influential in the media and web in general actually.

Manga...or things like it...

Haven't written about manga and anime in a while. Still a fan, but even I can see that the simultaneous death of both Borders AND Tokyopop, and on top of that Floods and Earthquakes in much of Japan, have done a LOT of damage to the anime and manga industries. That's billions of dollars in losses. Which kind of leaves me asking, just where exactly IS the anime and manga community. Online feels a bit isolating in some ways. I will admit though, 2003 was a horrible year for me personally, but it was probably one of the best years in recent anime and manga history

I have been working on Parallax, until I realized no one really cares about what I draw all that much. What I review maybe, but not what I draw online. If you think differently you can always email me at my email address and convince me otherwise at spindack@gmail.com. No one ever really does that though, except one person who ended up filling in as a guest artist on my WCN JM Magazine. But other than a few supporters of that kind, most people just aren't interested in what I have to draw and probably write.

Update on work report

So, I've drawn and written a lot of pages that have accumulated over time, and by now I have a stack of pages of art and literature I created, that's around 2 feet thick, made entirely of 50% typed up writing and 50% sketchbook pages. I'm happy with my progress over the last 5-10 years. It's manifested in that 2 foot tall/thick stack of papers. Glad I'm finally upgrading to a faster scanner...

Let me explain a little something to you dear reader. Why I'm not famous...

You know, some people online actually consider me (of all people) to be a famous celebrity, just because there are rip offs of my look(s) (whatever look THAT is) in movies an on TV.

I'd be more inclined to buy into such a bullshit claim IF I actually was an actual celebrity.

But think about it. No, seriously, think about it. When people think your famous, they don't think you have to deal with hassles. Do I?

Am I happy? Can I find a girlfriend of ANY sort? Am I rich with three children and perfect health and hygeine? Do people respect me? Can I find a job? Do my neighbors and family not hate me with a passion?

I'll give you a small hint. I wouldn't answer "yes" to any of these questions. This speaks volumes about how delusional some people's perception of the reality of my life is.

I ain't famous.