WEBCOMICS: What's Cooking?

I should have had this blog up two days ago. I should have had a bog up last week. Sorry.

I began writing this week’s blog about TAXES. About how I am very happy to be filling out my taxes this year, because it means that I’ve had a job this past year worth taxing. I know a lot of you out there hate paying taxes, but after so many years of not having a job, I am excited about having taxes.

I can now tithe to God and give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s

Putting that aside, I now know why this blog was delayed. So I can tell you about something that arrived in the mail today…

It was a large package, which came in USMail.

Inside the package were three smaller identical packages.

Inside each of these packages was a copy of a book.

Inside the book was the first every published FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY comic page.

Yay! We’re published.

Ego moment over.

So what was the book that published FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY.

“It’s a cook book!”

(Sorry, couldn’t resist the Twilight Zone references).

Really, our webcomic has been published in a cookbook along with dozens of others.

The book is called:

WEBCOMICS: What’s Cooking?

Inside 60 webcomic creators bring you not only their visual stories, but also their own culinary arts with special recipes of their liking.

For us we created our very own “Spicy Guacamole Spread”

Yum!!

Okay, joking aside, there’s a reason why all these great webcomic artist and writers got together to produce this cookbook, and that’s to raise money for local food banks.

As someone who volunteers with FIES: Fullerton Emergency Service; I know how important every single dollar, every single penny is that comes into food banks and other related community organizations. So the money raised by our little four-color comic cookbook will be well used and will help many.

You can order your own copy of WEBCOMICS: What’s Cooking? here: http://tgtmedia.com/

Go buy a cookbook, read FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY, and enjoy our Spicy Guacamole Spread. I know you want to.

My Job Search is Jinxed.

Okay now you guys are forcing me to actually write something for this week’s blog. In the last hour the site has received 14 visitors, 27 in the last day. That’s more than I’ve had at once since I began this blog.

Do I really have anything to say that’s worth reading? I’m humbled.

Now, where was I?

I did promise you something about how my job search is going, so I should keep my promise.

Even mentioned in one tweet that I thought my search was jinxed. Don’t really in that. But sometimes it sure can feel that way.

Here are a few examples:

Once I “unofficially interned” with a producer at a 3D computer animation house. I helped him with a few scenes of the he was on while he helped me assemble a good portfolio of work to submit. I modeled props like guitars, trashcans, and buildings, and even lunar traveling tanks. I also did composite work that had a space fly along a street not too far from my house. I then submitted the work to the company itself. A few weeks later I got my tape back and a letter saying I wasn’t ready. Disappointed, true, but the bad part was that very same day while I was there everyone else received their pink slips and the company shut down.

It’s not my fault, I swear.

Another time while working through a temp agency, I got to work for several weeks in the consumer produces division of one of the major studios. After which I received a glowing letter of recommendation from the studio’s rep of the temp agency, they looked forward to working with me again. Not long after that the representative left the agency and I never got another job from the studio or any other company.

What did I do?

A third example was when I had a job interview at another one of the studios. It was to be in a department that handled advertising for the television network and its Internet presence. I met with two executives. The interview went really well, and everything looked like it was going to happen. They really liked me. Then a week later a hiring freeze came down on the entire company. Not only did I not get the job, they didn’t hire fill a position they desperately needed to.

Yes, I know everyone is suffering in this economy and there are a lot of people out of work. I have no right to complain, because I have a family who can take care of me. But the truth is, I’ve been struggling on this job search a lot longer then this ‘downturn’ has been happening. I’ve been searching for a job for a whole lot longer.

I knew the freelancer’s life was going to be hard. I wasn’t fooling myself. If I’m going to be a writer and artist there are going to be times when there isn’t work. So I’ve been looking for a “day job” which I can do when not drawing or writing. I’d prefer to find one of these jobs in the entertainment industry someplace, but I’ve been looking elsewhere too.

Guess what… it’s just as hard as finding that writing assignment.

They say it’s “who you know” that will get you a job. Well, I know quite a few people at several studios, production houses, and comic book companies. But that hasn’t made it any easier. Plus the fact everyone you talk to wants you to apply online makes it hard to be personal and sociable while trying to convince them to hire you.

So whether it’s jinxed or there just aren’t any jobs out there, it’s real frustrating to feel like I’m so close but the doors just won’t open.

Yet, I don’t give, and I can’t really complain because I know there are others who are in far worse shape than I. Did you know that 1 in 7 American’s are in poverty.

My mother is on the board of FULLERTON INTERFAITH EMERGENCY SERVICE that helps family in the North Orange County area. Watching these family line up for two bags of groceries reminds me that I’ve had things pretty good, and I’m quite blessed.
(I’ll go into FIES in more detail another time.)

So I keep moving on. Maybe the “day job” I’m suppose to have isn’t anywhere near the entertainment industry, but I’m not giving up.

No matter what keep going, keep doing. Even where we are at now, we’re all successful, and no jinx is going to stop us from succeeding.

Okay. Done. A day late, but done.
Thanks everyone for reading. I’d like to know your thoughts.

Best,
Kevin Paul Shaw Broden
Four Names of Creative Professionalism