Back in 2019, like definitely a year of mayhem, filmmaking, animation, Pokemon Go CRAZINESS. I had produced a number of TV shows that aired on local TV. Here's BLOG POST. Definately a nutty year. My Live Streaming was hacked, my iPhone was hacked, my Computer was hacked AND VERY BADLY.
But, I manged to complete my Film "Succor Forlorn"which I blogged about my process on in my "Lively OC Blog" a number of times in 2019. Not long after completing THAT FILM which was fraught with delays, hackings, setbacks, cyber bullying, and ALL the "new friends" I PRESUMED I had on a certain streaming platform, as well as my IRL Friends whom PROMISED to show up (WITH A LARGE AMOUNT OF ADVANCE NOTICE) to watch my world premiere stream LIVE BROADCAST of the film ALL BAILED ON ME. I EVEN REMINDED THEM. So, basically, I have a Live Stream of basically NO ONE.
I worked SO HARD on this film, and I ALMOST TOTALLY LOST IT FOREVER due to vicious hackers. They DESTROYED all of my hard drives. The drives were so slowed down, that any data recovery was mostly impossible. So on November 1st, 2019 it was TOTALLY RUINED. I was TRYING DESPERATELY to outrun the hackings, whom would also DDOS my Livestreams, and my MODEM. So, not long after that, a Pandemic ensued... so I was effectively WITHOUT a COMPUTER, and MY DATA (most of which was lost), UNTIL AUGUST of 2020! Frickin CRAZY!
I recalled all the great interest, when I 1st posted my Concept Art on Twitter for the film, and getting a HUGE response, but since the setbacks kept occurring, I guess it just died down the enthusiasm.
I remembered working on the film and DREAMING, while FULLY INTENDING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN as any Filmmaker like myself ought, that I would put the film in a few Film festivals.
Back in 2019, my thought/idea/dream was to put the film into a few small festivals, like SciFi, Cult, Indie, Experimental, and Artsy Festivals. I'd been to a few Film Festivals in my life, so I knew what it was like in general, as well as Animation Festivals. Honestly, I just thought I'd do like 2-3 little niche festivals with the "weirdo" type stuff. I figured my films was just "odd" & unique enough for those, and had ZERO ambition for anything else. I figured, I could stick it into my Resume, just like everything else. Also, the film was intended as a sort of Demo Reel as well. To showcase ALL of my skills & talents. Produced ENTIRELY BY ME. Something I could be proud of.
In 2020-2021, I'd also submitted my photography to a few international competitions, which I was also invited to FERVENTLY, and I had to PAY for admission, BUT NOTHING EVER CAME OF IT. I honestly DO NOT EVEN REMEMBER WHICH ONES I DID, nor HOW MANY. After a while, I just didn't want to spend the money on those. I literally would get these invites, and they would build up the pressure form individuals on a specific platform, but I never won the To Prize, but my Followers would grow sometimes by the min.
So, my attitude towards Film festivals was sort of like that. Like something to do. Something to try, like a ba-jillion other things I've tried. Since my friends didn't seem all that impressed or interested in my film, I also didn't think much of it as time passed, and I worked on other projects.
But, in 2020 I desperately wanted to put my film in Festivals, then COVID happened, so at 1st I had no money, then when I did, they were all postponed, canceled, or they changed the rules. What do I mean? Well, somewhere in there, they changed the rules & restrictions to ONLY FILMS COMPLETED DURRING the PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN of 2020-2021! WTF???
I worked SO HARD on THAT FILM. But, NO! NOT GOOD ENOUGH! That's UNHEARD OF! Usually, most Film Festivals accept films completed 1-3 years before the date of the Film Festival. But, they just erased 2019 as tho it NEVER HAPPENED!
So, 2020 turned into 2021, and each time I found a Film Festival that MIGHT accept my film, I read the rules, and they were like: ONLY FILMS completed in 2020-2021! WTF???
So, when 2022 hit, I just presumed: Oh well! I guess its OVER! Like, I GOT SICK working on that film.
I had to delay working on it FOR OTHER PERSONS' PROJECTS because THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO VFX Composites, or how to use Low Level lighting, or A PRIME LENS, or whisked a way on film shooting locations WHILE I'M IN SEVERE BACK PAIN, N DID NOT WANT TO BE THERE in ANOTHER STATE, while people are playing ego trip head games on me. I also GOT PAID NOTHING TO HELP THEM. NONE OF THEM. And I had a TV station play "musical chairs" with our time slots, and have the gall to get ANGRY AT US, while gaslighting us BECAUSE THEY CHANGED THE TIME SLOTS, NOT US. It was like LIFE had just SCREWED me that year. No matter HOW NICE I was. NONE OF THAT MATTERED. I even GOT BANNED 3 times (2019) in Pokemon Go by HATERS, plus while playing PVP on the highway! I also had a CREEPY frickin stalker problem when I went outside. (ANOTHER LONG STORY.) Bad enough there's a deadly frickin plague on the loose!
But, in March this year (2022) I saw this email in my inbox, and it was suggesting I check out a certain Film Festival (I'd already peeked at maybe 5-6 in the winter already) which was a SciFi Festival. It caught my eye. And, it bugged me. I'll bet they have a STOOPID rule about NO films before 2020, or 2021, or something like that... right? Or some ridiculous COVID restriction EVEN THO its all done online.
Right???
Nope!
So, I read through the rules, the categories.... and NO STUPID rules like that at all!
Then, I decided to just do it!
They just required the Film, A Trailer, A Movie Poster, A Director's Bio, Synopsis, some stills from the film, some links, and A Headshot of the Director (me). That's it???
OK! So, I started that! Spent the WHOLE NIGHT setting that up, went to bed long after 4AM, then when I woke up, I cut my Trailer in Adobe Premiere, Rendered it out, Did my Movie Poster, and submitted everything.
Then I thought about a few other ones. But which ones?
I searched through the Film Festivals, found 2 more I liked, and I Tweeted it out that I was submitting my films to some Festivals this year.
I figured THAT WOULD BE IT, I had ZERO ambitions of winning ANYTHING. Just hoping my Film would be CHOSEN and approved. That was it.
But, then I GOT SCOUTED!
Some Film Connoisseurs started chatting with me, asking me about my film. Next thing I knew, they were inviting me to submit my film to specific festivals, and advising me what to do. Next thing I knew, THE BUZZ WAS ON! And I kept getting more & more invitations!
They were SO NICE!
Then, at the end of April I started WINNING EACH FESTIVAL that had started their events!
Then, I had to do marketing, PR, and I got on THE HOT LIST at least 3 times already!
My Film WON at the Hollywood Blvd Film Festival! WHAT???
Next thing I knew, even tho I'd ONLY intended to do the small niche weirdo festivals, THE BIGGER ONES WERE NOTICING ME!
I GOT a PERSONAL INVITATION to CANNES AWARDS FESTIVAL! I almost HAD A HEART ATTACK! I was hyper Ventilating, and almost blacked out! I NEVER thought I was ever even GOOD ENOUGH for CANNES!
Anyways, my film will also be screened in Art Hub cities in Italy like Florence, Milan, Malta, Rome, also Paris, London, Vienna, Casablanca, NYC, and lots more. I'm booked up in more than 60+ Festivals now until 2023. I've signed 2 Contract deals.
My Film will be streaming soon on the Paus app from England INTERNATIONALLY!
I had to do my IMDb Profile stuff, for myself AND my Film which requires data entry style programming, and its tedious AF! There's a flashback from the 90s! Remember back in the day when IMDb was just a movie buff site for nerds? I DO.
My INBOX is NUTS! Just NUTS! HOW does ANYONE handle this much attention???
CRAZY!
I need to probably get an Agent, Manager, Talent Attorney, and I might have to join a Guild, like The Writers' Guild. I'm trying to figure out WHAT TO DO WITH ALL OF THIS MOVING FORWARD.
So, I GUESS this is kind of my life right now! EVERY DAY something new happens! My email INBOX is just NUTS!
I can't get ANYTHING DONE lately! And, I started up my Twitch streaming again.
So, I STILL have dreams to fulfill, or at least make a TRY for it!
It's STILL so strange to me! Like, in my head, it's like IMPOSTER SYNDROME. I've been SO SHIT ON, TRASHED, ABUSED, SCREWED OVER, MISTREATED, and undermined for my ENTIRE ADULT LIFE, that I'm just thinking: Am I actually GOOD? Like, is it ACTUALLY GOOD???
Are people just being NICE or KINDLY TO ME??? Are the just HUMORING ME?
Then I look at my INBOX, and I'm STILL SHOCKED! Like: WOW!
SO MANY PEOPLE LOVE MY FILM! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN???
Like, I WON BEST SHORT EXPERIMENTAL Film at Hollywood Blvd!
And, THEY INVITED ME AT THE CANNES AWARDS FILM FESTIVAL! CANNES!!! FRICKIN CANNES!!!! OMFG!!!
I've been feeling my OC's (Original Character) a lot lately in the past 2-3 months. She's actually a dragon, but her humanoid form looks like this, and her eyes can change colors.
I usually depict Djehkäujaa in mid 1990s European Raver clothing, or in a variety of clothing typical of Mongolian tribes, usually with pants. However, I've recently found myself drawn to depicting her in a blend of tribal inspired clothing from the Asian Steppes, including everything from Russian to Mongolian, to Kazakh, but also Turkmen, Turkoman, Sakha, Yakutia, Siberian, and several others. These cultures always fill me with a strong, strange feeling of Déjà vu, but even further beyond that. So, I've meditated on it a lot since I was 18. In fact, that's exactly around the time when I came up with Djehkäujaa when I was a teenager.
I've also bee drawing a lot of inspiration various old novels lately, and Clip Studio Paint.
My newest work which features Djehkäujaa is inspired by the cover artwork by "Brom" on the novel "The Unicorn" from "Legend of The Five Rings".
I feel pretty happy with my growth & progress in implementing "design layout" which is so much better than 5 years ago, let alone 10. I'm glad I decided to stop being so narrow-minded about it, and I feel I've improved a lot.
I actually hadn't intended to start this one yet, even tho I prepped for it since December. I used a mixture of different Software for this project including: Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, FlamePainter, and Rebelle 3.
You can find FlamePainter & Rebelle at Escape Motions' website.
I also HIGHLY recommend Clip Studio Paint! If you own a WACOM tablet or CINTIQ but you don't have Clip Studio Paint yet, if you login to the WACOM site in your account, they often give out a free 1 year license code that you can redeem. I personally bought a permanent during a Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal in 2020.Some thing with Escape Motion, I bought software bundles from them during those Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals.
Clip Studio Paint is not 100% perfect, and even with an expensive video card (like I have) it will frequently crash. However, the up-sides of this software keep me hooked! It's 1 of my FAVORITE software to actually hand paint with on my CINTIQ. I like the feeling of it.
If you like experimentation art, I also recommend Rebelle by Escape Motions, but I also recommend Krita, WHICH IS FREE. I like Krita for fine details and its also intuitive with your strokes on a tablet, even if the drivers are an outdated tablet with pressure sensitive functions don't work anymore.
This piece was a reworked version of a Clip Studio Paint "Asset" which you can get HERE.
Believe it, or not, the fur on the final versions in these uses brushes from FlamePainter, and Clip Studio Paint. I customized the settings to colors I wanted, painted them on layers, then exported them to Photoshop where I did my clean-up editing.
Also, if you haven't noticed, I have an obsession with Chinese Chengyun which is hard to explain in English and takes forever, ironically. It's sort of like a language arts/poetry style, sometimes its translated as an "idiom" which I disagree with as a translation. Chengyun is just 1 of this style of poetic language arts, and is probably THE MOST clever of all language arts in all of humanity, potentially even older than "ancient" but in fact prehistoric... maybe. The human beings whom came up with this were incredibly clever. There were even people whom could talk like this.
It's like jive in some ways, but metaphors often within metaphors. In just a few words you can communicate things that are massive ideas. Not that Ancient Greek or Latin couldn't do this, but the Chinese way of doing this uses the writing system, and it involves a complex usage of more parts of the human brain that Western languages lack, or is totally void. So, it's very difficult for me. But, I enjoy messing with it.
It's called Wen Yan, Gu Wen, or Wen Yan Wen. It's nearly impossible to effectively even translate what this is in English. The closest one could get to it is a lengthy explanation or lecture. From my perspective, I view it as a kind of advanced Poetry language Art. Making art with words, ideas, concepts, and feelings, but it relies heavily on structure, and numbers, or numerology. In a Chengyun, there's only 4 words, but this same style could also be applied to other numbers, including a persons name, or names. There are, however, other languages in the far East that have a functional understanding & appreciation of this even tho' they don't speak Chinese, but incorporate it into their own. But, its just something in the West that we will have no concept of.
So, I often enjoy messing with these ideas myself. It's meant to be light-hearted on my end, since I'm an outsider.... like a small monkey that broke into a garage, messing with tools, trying to build something.
If you notice a group of 4 Chinese characters in my work, those are Chengyun, or faux Chengyun (meaning I made them up based on either the structure, or I messed with a word play of a real one.) Chinese has a unique kind of grammar, so I can mess with it within a a certain margin even tho it's not my native tongue. I also can't help but incorporate so much Chinese substance into my work because my life is heavily Chinese even tho I am not Chinese. Even in my interests in Philosophy frequently return me to Chinese "thought" or "philosophers", especially Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching).
Djehkäujaa, in her humanoid form is generally meat to be depicted in PURPLE, which is a major plot point in her story, and back story. Djehkäujaa is very UNLIKE my other OC, Lively.
I don't know why Djehkäujaa has shown up so frequently in my drawings in the past few months, but she has.
The LoFi Videos:
The Short Versions:
The Full Length Versions:
I do have another composition I will also be doing a VFX/Motion Graphics Edit/LoFi/Relaxation peice as well:
I'm hoping, eventually, to record some of my own Jaw Harp music. But, I'm still learning. I got this one from Siberia in Russia:
The problem with doing most of ur work dependent on a Windows PC machine is the frequent amount of constant setbacks including updates which can often set me back a whole day or overheat the RAM or video card, or cause things to suddenly STOP WORKING.There's also the CONSTANT onslaught of hackings. I get hacked so often, that it sucks the life out of me and can cause me to have severe health issues if it triggers stress hormones. It isn't fun at all, and now that I'm almost 40 it can trigger days or weeks on insomnia and/or fatigue. This can also be further exasperated by living in New England which has the worst weather swings day-to-day. I often question my own sanity as a result of these hackings. Like: Am I imaging this stuff? Why won't my streams broadcast? Why do my neighbors have faster internet than I do?
Also, I'm the kind of person that would RATHER stick to 1 thing at a time, and see it through to the end. Not start several things and never finish anything... but, when you keep having certain setbacks that you can't explain or control, you often need to start something else and come back to it whenever it's starting to work or function again.
Like: Why didn't After Effects' camera/motion tracking not work all summer, but it worked fine in February? Why didn't my Florida travel video project stop working in April Last year, but it works fine now? Why does all the other projects and videos I have work fine when I load them into After Effects but NOT my Portfolio Demo video clip even if I format it in a more compressed n lower resolution version?
It also ALWAYS seems to be THE thing I'm most passionate or excited to work on, and this can also happen with OBS. Why is it that some projects I can't even streams, but something I don't even care about does? It also doesn't matter if its a camera set-up or a software window capture or a screen capture. I can often be setback for hours just for 1 thing, then when those things are finally done, either the computer is overheated, the internet goes out, the power goes off, or I need to wait until the following day... and let's just HOPE that Java, Windows, or Adobe DOES NOT DO AN UPDATE otherwise NO STREAMING WHATSOEVER. My internet is also VERY SLOW.
Here is my Filmmaker/Animator/Artist DEMO:
I was SO proud of myself for finally getting to work on this... I put so much effort and work into it, but I'm SO FUNDAMENTALLY DISAPPOINTED because this in ONLY the Final cut BEFORE the Effects Edit.
Unfortunately After Effects just WILL not let me do any effects on it. I've tried EVERYTHING I could possibly think of to try and get AE to even import it, let alone play it, or let me use an effect on it. I tried in vain to trouble shoot it for over 2 weeks, and it wore me out. If I had an Apple, I'm sure it could work... but for whatever reason, it just vetos this video clip in ANY format, and won't even allow me to import the Premiere file either. SO, I gave up, like I gave up with my Florida project. Which ironically will work now, but I stopped caring at this point. But, I will probably come back to it eventually. However, i'm sure that by the time AE might reside to allow my to edit it. I'll already have a new cut/edit anyways...
Some Sad Bits:
I often have a 60-120 second delay when I watch other people streaming, and I got timed-out from a stream because the streamer repeatedly insisted on me telling them why I didn't like a certain new film, then temp-banned/timed-out me, and I didn't even find out until a min & half AFTER she told me to stop discussing it, and that I was being "uncool". Then, everyone in the chat was calling me names after the streamer even said to change the subject. I didn't even know until after the fact. And, these were people I actually liked and respected, so I don't know how to feel about it.
Another friend of mine whom I had known a long time and was very fond of despite their obvious issues out of nowhere banned me from chatting on her stream. I had no idea why. She also never answered my messages, left my Discord, then last month out of the blue unfriended me. I have no idea why. It bothered me for months. All I know is that 1 of my friends unintentionally picked a fight, or rather that person did, over an issue, on FB and since that person had a few mental issues which we all knew about, for whatever reason my other friend didn't let it go since she has a habit of often taking a contrary stance any number of topics as a part of her personality. So, that friend unfriended, then blocked HER... but this was WEEKS before she banned me. So, the friend whom had the FB fight with her felt totally awful & remorseful about the FB fight, n told me NOT to mention it to that person, and NOT to defend her, and that what she did, even tho' she wasn't wrong on the counter point argument was wrong to fight with her knowing that this person had been abused her whole life, and had these issues of amygdala hijacking binary thinking and high sensitivity. She said she felt so bad about it and cried about it for a long time. So, did this person punish me for what our other friend did?
What is REALLY sad about it, is we both knew this person was highly sensitive, and moody, and also often contradicted herself. ON her stream she often would insult & berate her audience whom also seemed to enjoy being called "a piece of shit". I realize it sounds bad when I point out that this person did some things in stream that were nasty, but I still understood a number of the reasons why this person behaved in these ways, and YES I still LOVED THIS PERSON ANYWAY.
So, when people say things like: "well it was a toxic relations ship", "she did you a favor", or "you don;t need a person like that in your life anyway" I don't agree, and NOT out of bias. If someone is your FRIEND you love them EVEN THO' they have dark spots, ugly spots, or bad behaviors, BECAUSE THAT IS REAL LOVE/FRIENDSHIP. I KNEW she has these behaviors, and YES she often called me a "cunt" but also often ranted about misogyny and stubbornly WOULD NOT see how she was being misogynistic & disrespectful by calling ME, her friend, that. Overall, tho' I would profess that my relationship with her was a really good one. It was clear to me that she did these things as method of psychologically "internalizing" the abuses that were done to her, then "taking her power back" in a way and using it on others. Yes, it was misguided. Yes it was hypocritical. But YES she was also redeemable. She's a complicated person with pitfalls, flaws, idiosyncrasies, and can verge into conceded or arrogant behaviors, then go from highs & lows due to chemical imbalances in her brain. She wasn't all bad. She was actually a very big hearted person, and very compassionate, which was why cared about her a lot. And, it wasn't fake, like other people.
I don't believe that she didn't care about me. Often times when I was sad, she often privately chatted with me, and I very much appreciated that she cared about me.
So, when she just banned me like this, out of the blue, it hurt a lot.
I've NEVER been nasty to her, nor rude.
So, it hurt very much that she just threw me away like a piece of trash.
The fact that I cared about her, and maintained a relationship of friendship with her was also a source of ridicule for/from those whom didn't understand her.
Telling me I was better off without her, or "if you play with fire, you're going to get burnt" is actually VERY insensitive, and just makes me feel worse. You thinking I haven't contemplated that? Honestly, I'm the type of person that would rather work things out, or talk things out. But, she never said a word to me. Not one. And, I'm NOT BUYING IT that she got conceded, full of herself, overconfident, snobby, or that somehow she was jealous of me. Jealous of WHAT? I'm nobody. Honestly, if I could talk it out with her right now, I would.... but, that door seemed to be shut forever now, and I STILL have no idea why... I've been through it in my mind over and over, and I'm nonplussed, bewildered, flabbergasted, gobsmacked, dumbfounded.
Perhaps, its unrealistic to expect fully sane and healthy behaviors from a person with some verifiable mental problems (yet, we need to be mindful of these things), but this person DOES know right from wrong, and CAN make sound minded judgements. But, emotion CAN cloud the mind, and impair judgement... that is the only closest rational point I can come to. I still don't hate her, and still care about her. But, if someone doesn't love you, you can;t make them feel something they don't, even if its a friend.
I DON'T want to bash, nor bad-mouth, any of these persons. I don't have any malice nor ill will towards any of them. They were all needless, impulsive, misunderstandings. But, it is upsetting to me.
I won't be naming anyone, nor throwing anyone under the bus either... I also don't hate these persons.
Some Unhealthy Bits:
Other than that, I also am having very bad problems with fatigue. It is REALLY BAD, that sometimes I can't get out of bed, or often need to lie down throughout the day. I'm considering giving up coffee for a while to see if it is the cause. I'd recently found out about certain substances found within plant products that can block nutrients such as minerals & vitamins. I've also been suffereing from these symptoms for a few years now, and COFFEE is known to do this, as are some greens and vegetables. I have very bad skin problems, my hair is thinning, and there's a slight white coating on my tongue. So, I worry that maybe I have an infected organ. I do actually go outside frequently to play Pokemon Go and I do get sunlight. I've also NEVER gotten a flu or cold at all this year which has never happened in my entire life. I usually get 2-3 colds or flus. I also did not take a flu vaccine (which I feel is bunk and profit motive driven from Obama's Admin, but I have all my other vaccinations). But, I WOULD like to get a Booster shot soon because measles is going around, and that can make a person bedridden for up to a year, you can also go deaf, blind, and get brain damage.
There are days when I question my sanity over the lethargy/fatigue I have as well, because some days I feel not as bad. I wondered if I was just a hypochondriac, or maybe it was all in my head... so, I would stupidly try to do things and make myself worse because I was ignoring my problems. I was worried about getting scurvy so I ate a lot of things with Vitamin C, B Vitamins, and a lot of plant stuff... but, I was still consuming meat here n there, milk, butter, etc... just not a lot... so, I don't know if I just need more of those. I am unsure.
I also find I often have this lethargy problem when its an equinox. So I don't know.
Art Bits:
My most popular streaming stuff is when I do painting. Especially when I am doing Figure painting by Windstone Editions.
I have ranted bout my spouse throwing out my 1990s VINTAGE SABLE BRUSHES, and I WAS FURIOUS!
I have some new brushed, but they are NOT Sable, nor vintage. :(
These painting sessions are SO labor intensive to set up. It sounds simple: set up the camera, open the programs, start streaming, but is can take up to 3 hours or more just to get it started.
Since I no longer have my sable brushes, I NEED to use boiling hot water to shape the brushes. And, with fiddling with all this stuff, providing I'm not getting hacked, nor having an update, and my internet isn't fighting me, and I have no film crew or producer and do it all myself, the water can often need to be reboiled, and if I don't time it right I often need to reboil the water at least 3 times.
Hopefully within those times, another program won't overheart the video card or the processor, or the GPU or the RAM. It's SO FUSSY. It can be absolutely nerve racking!
I know when I go on a lot of people's streams they tell me they love to watch me animated and often ask me to do more of THAT... but the numbers on my animation streams are actually very low, even on peak times for streaming.
But, when I'm painting the number are significantly higher, people are MORE likely to chat with me, and THAT is a lot more work to set up than chatting when animating or doing graphics just for audio.
Also, when I'm doing the painting stuff, I often find my legs n feet get very stiff and feel like they are atrophying. It can take 2-3 days worth of stretching to help fix it, provided it's NOT RAINING. Even just a 10 min rain can make it worse for a whole week. Plus, rain seems to make my camera batteries lose charge even if I just charged them fully the night before.
I am looking forward to finishing this up. I do enjoy working on it. I actually enjoy painting outside, and I'm looking forward to that by summer.
Production Still: "A Spirit To Be Free"
TV Bits:
I also have plans to do some PAINTING TECHNIQUE VIDEOS later this year.
I STILL need to speak with the TV Studio this month or next month to set that up.
THEY WILL BE FREE. And MANY people have been requesting them, including non-artists.
I have my own TV show, which is still in the works, and I'm trying to wrap a number of those things up, some of which are film(s) related.
And, I might actually be doing a Star Trek/Sci-Fi Commentary Show as well... POSSIBLY...
Character "Moonbeam" on set of "The Holy Maple Tree" by Roland K. Shot on 50mm
Film Bits:
I just found out we finally got a new set secured for the film I've been working on since 2016 (The Holy Maple Tree). I just found this out today. I'm also the DP on this film.
So, I'm looking forward to finishing this headdress piece for a main character in the film, but also to getting back to filming.
So, I'm hoping to finish that up this week.
I dearly hope nothing goes wrong because if I can't stream I'm still going to be working on this anyway.
I need to also do some research for the film scenes because I want candle light, and lighting changes, plus multiple lenses.
I'll mostly be using my 50mm Prime w Bokeh shapes, and my kit lens w star/cross filters, and maybe fog filters.
I need to make the Maple Leaf Roses as well.
I had originally used real Maple Leafs, but that was back in Sept-November and they are all dried n brown now.
Now, I have purchased some cloth ones.
I'd mentioned this on 1 of my other blogs:
This is 1 of those things I was really surprised at how much attention I got for it.
I wanted to finish this at least 2 weeks ago. But, I'm still not done.
I have streamed it a little bit. But, I wanted my energy back to work on it. Animation works better when I am in a more energetic mood, but I felt like my brain functions weren't working right.
i made my husband take me shopping finally on Friday, and I got Vitamin E, Biotin, and OMEGA 3 FATTY ACID with EPA & DHA. It was a noticeable improvement. SO I hope to take it again. But, I think it's a bad idea to take it while drinking coffee. So, I often need to wait for that to digest, and I often forget to take it before the evening because Vitamin B makes me not sleep.
I often pass out from severe fatigue a few times a day for the past 6 weeks. I really noticed it after I kept going outside to play Pokemon Go but the arctic winds would start blowing while I was out. I felt utterly depleted when it did often for 3-4 days. And even if it's 60 degrees out but those winds are blowing, it just burns up my nutrients.
I also feel like more of my hair is gray than ever.
My health usually improves by Summer anyway.... so, hopefully it will.
I'm just really glad I never caught a cold of flu.
All of the little small films & motion graphics will be a part of my TV Show "A Spirit To Be Free".
I really hope my energy comes back, because this is really devastating for me. There's been so many times in the past few years where I could be very energetic, and hyper, and I could churn out animation, artwork, and films 1 after the other like it was nothing... It's like riding an awesome wave. I SO wish I could get back to that! Because when it's like that, its effortless and sometimes even euphoric.
A major issue with it not happening is the hackings I keep getting.
For some reason, someone(s) really hates me so much, and even sabotaged me from going to the gym at a critical time of really improving my health and getting back to my art. Terrorists don't make any sense.
I was served a restraining order because of what the terrorists did to the people at the gym to target me, so I cannot go to any of the gyms in that franchise in the entire area. It was already a major struggle just to get into a gym because of the cost, and also because I don't own my own car. The gym also refused to call Homeland Security, and I was studying for my BA at UMASS at the time.
The terrorists also did what they did to the gym to a few other locations based on my Yelp check-ins, including a local pizza place, and a few others in 2017. I had to go home in an armored police vehicle with my daughter, and my family's cellphones were harassed with racial slurs.
I have a number of really lovely ideas, and it takes time to learn, practice, but also in the process of DOING THEM... I'm unsatisfied that I have NOT finished these things yet.
But, at least I AM doing these things...
I can only go at whatever pace I can, whenever I can. I have no control over chaos, external factors. And, "magical thinking" doesn't make our world a better one. I have no control over power-outs, computer crashes, hackers, persons with manias and madness causing trouble, or robbing me.
I also can't MAKE people understand me if they don't, won't, or don't want to. I can't make people like or value me either. But, I also CAN'T be fake.
I don't want to be a faker on my stream either... I do value politeness, courtesy, and even diplomacy, but a number of situations sometimes make me wonder if people were telling me what they THOUGHT I wanted to hear, if they were just MARKETING, or CUSTOMER SERVICING ME, humoring me, and being an all out faker or humbug, or perhaps to a small degree.... But, I don't like fake politeness, or "baiting" either...
Unfortunately, we live a in a screwy world.... there's no real role models, and not everything is as it seems.
Much like Bruce Lee, I am an iconoclast, and I care very much about integrity, and genuine honesty to one self.
I wish I were better, and could do better. But, at least I keep striving to get there. I wish I could wave a magic wand and all the problems would just vanish. I wish there were no setbacks, untrustworthy & deceptive persons, health problems, unnaturalness, and so on... but, we're not in that world, we're in this one.
Like I have said before, I only have the rest of my life left, and its already half over.
Every morning I wake up and think about half of my life being gone. At least I don't think about the relationships that suddenly blew me off, cut me off, n rebuked me, out of nowhere, or betrayed me, which was how I felt from 2004-2017. I'm glad those persons don't matter to me anymore.... but when I was a young person it very much did.
You don't get to choose which friends u care about, or love, the most. It just happens, cruel as it is...
I could intellectually understand it, but emotionally I couldn't. SO it was an internal battle. I often still dreampt about these persons, and I used to have beliefs about dreams when I was younger that I no longer believe. There are a lot of things I no longer believe.
Today I can look at these relationships, and without feeling any sadness, I can objectively wonder why I ever valued them, because they clearly didn't value me, and I was just convenient to them. It's also the reason why I never use terms like "Best Friend" or "Soul Mate" because anyone that ever seemed to be this after calling them this, or them calling me this, would unravel from that point on.
I don't know why when I look into the past, some things seemed more true or reliable, but I can also see where others were fake, or a facade. Or, other people became mad or committed suicide out of nowhere, or on a fit of depression began using H. I would NEVER turn to using H no matter what.
But, at this point, the Opiate problem is a serious issue. It's nothing something I can understand. But, many of the most devastating and damaging relationships I had were due to people pushing up H mixed with some unrealistic "spiritual" ideology that they just never bothered to questions nor examine, and often punished themselves by punishing me. I honestly have lost count of how many people were doing H then went mad, and abused me a lot with their back n forth mistreatment of me. The first time I ever encountered the problems with people using H was in the late 90s. I don't know why H addicts are so likeable and friendly... but, they have either a pathological or habitual liar problem. The majority of these persons were usually Single White Females as well... Or it was M. With men, it was often in combination with cocaine. I just don't understand drug addiction, alcoholism, or substance abuse. I try so hard to be understanding, and have tried for decades. I don't want to castigate or be cruel to these persons either. I understand they have problems. There's a reason why I don't live in New Jersey anymore, actually several. New Jersey was a hub for drugs, and drug abuse. The majority of the persons I grew up with there all left the state, went mad, or committed suicide, and it was usually substance abuse related.
All I ever wanted to do was achieve some goals in life, contribute to the world around me, and be a decent human being... so I don't understand how so many things decayed so badly...
Life ought to be beautiful, fun, and flourishing. If we could just ALL come together, put our differences aside, and get along, all the big issues wouldn't have even happened, or they would've been solved 10 years ago. In fact, there's solutions RIGHT NOW. And, its NOT even difficult.
All I can do is try... and my life is a record of that. At least I tried, and more than once or twice.
If you've gotten this far in reading this blog, by this point, then I want to appeal to you RIGHT NOW, that if you have any guilt, remorse, or regret over something YOU have ever done, THIS IS YOUR LIFE and YOU ARE STILL LIVING RIGHT NOW.
I want to APPEAL TO YOU to try and make amends to WHOEVER IT WAS you wronged, dissed, blew off, hurt, or whatever. NO MATTER WHO IT IS, and EVER if its a person you HATE. I ask you to contemplate in your mind what it might be like if you ACTUALLY tried to resolve that problem and IT ACTUALLY WORKED OUT.
HOW MUCH BETTER would you feel if YOU apologized to whoever you wronged, and how much weight might be lifted from you? Guilt has a way of eating away at the mind.
I've just NEVER understood how people could be so bad to each other, because from my perspective if I thoughtlessly, or unwittingly hurt someone so badly, especially someone I loved, it would make me feel horrible, and I would go out of my way to make it right.
Every time I hear people whom claim they confronted their victims or whomever they betrayed it 9 times out of 10 goes well.... even if you were that 1 out of 10 that it didn't go well, at least u tried, and many people often feel better, or after the fact the person actually comes back and forgives them.
Maybe you cold give it some thought on your commute, or when your standing in line at the store, or when you're in the shower, or making coffee...
Just THINK about it.
It's funny how when this topic comes up with people I know, about a week later they thank me for saying it, even if it upset them at the time. Don't expect a miracle.
And, some people might lie, or humor you, or tell you what you want to hear, or fall back into old patterns again... but, what if it wasn't that bad?
If you've NEVER even bothered to try, then why not TRY? The stronger person would; it takes strength and courage, but trying makes it easier for the next few tries.
It's OK if you cry.
Don't wait until your death bed to wish you tried.
I just wanted to post my Animation Work through the years, and follow it up by including some of my goals.
* PLAYLIST: Here's my old Vintage Stuff from the 1990s-2000s from UARTS N AIPH(Philadelphia):
It's mostly an archive of clips. I did have a demo reel or 2 or 3 but I kind of hate it by now and also can't find it/them at the moment plus they had copyright music on them.
* PLAYLIST:
My UMASS BostonAnimation N Art Stuff
(Still wrapping up the last few goals N projects still):
* PLAYLIST: * Post UMASS Boston:
This is a compilation mash-up music video of the Motion Graphics Animations from UMASS Boston N Post UMASS Boston from 2016-2018:
A slapped-together mash-up of some of the ideas n conceptual stuff i wanted to do since UMASS Boston (2017) which I'd also included in some pitches & proposals. But I still have my own original vision of them as well. They're very rough:
So, progress takes time... but, sometimes it also means taking breaks, which is a hard lesson. Anyways, that's just the rough conceptual stuff. I've definitly blogged about those before, so I'll skip the details. Those will remain rough for the moment. I WILL however be pushing to move more into the Traditional Animation direction, but with the fusion of digital & traditional art.
Once I wrap THIS stuff up this year, I will NEVER be doing puppet animation a a main focus EVER AGAIN in my own PERSONAL WORK. I AM MOVING ON FOREVER. But, I am reaching a number of my own goals with the digital end, and learning the software. But, the more I do puppets & curves animation, and stuff like that the MORE I KNOW IN MY HEART that I am a traditional artist N animator, and that COMPUTERS ARE TOOLS and NOT a substitute for ART and ARTISTS.
I will STILL defend artists that do vectors n puppets because they have value, so I won't become a big snob over that stuff. It's JUST not for me tho'. I actually do like a lot of motion graphics stuff tho' like moving pictures/scenery or "Plotographs".
But for now, it's just a Work-In-Progress:
Addressing Narrative Bias N Story-telling Work:
Look, I get it. Not everyone goes to study film in Academia, so people are conditioned to BELIEVE that cinema, films, and cartoons MUST therefore ALL tell a story.
* I also realize MANY of the criticisms literally are coming from children pretending to be grown-ups online, or even older men that never studied in academia about Arts & Cinema and have a skewed ignorance about what "Experimental" means. (Also the irony that ignorant stances of folks get triggers by pointing out that its ignorance without understanding what the definition of "ignorant" and "ignorance" means and taking it as tho' it were a derogatory word, when it isn't.)
* It's also very odd to have people literally condensed to me about my work, and when I explain it they accuse me of being condescending. *face-palm*
So, I will eventually be doing story-telling stuff. I mean, if you follow my Snapchat, I tell stories ALL THE TIME just by being ME. But I DO NOT WISH to make a full story of ANYTHING unless I can have more time & practice with things like mood, timing, lighting, software, and practicing the animation itself.
A major problem I personally have with "Tweening Animators", "Curves Animators", "3D Animators", "Puppet Rig Animators", and many forms of "digital animators" is they often flagrantly ignore animation rules, but not as a form of comedy but due to laziness or ignorance.
And, I'm not saying they MUST follow animation rules because I say so, like some arrogant old punk. But, I just want to strive and do better FOR MYSELF. I CAN DO BETTER, BE BETTER, and STRIVE for a better expression of art, THEN THAT IS WHAT I WANT FOR MYSELF.
Me wanting MORE for myself doesn't detract from YOU as an artist or an ANIMATOR.
I can be open minded enough to love, support, and VALUE your work as a whatever kind of animator YOU feel happy and comfortable doing N being, but I can also hold those views N stances WITHOUT having to be a conformist to them.
Look, I AM A TRADITIONAL ANIMATOR in my heart. I will ALWAYS BE THAT. Right now, I'm doing a lot with digital stuff, and there's room for Traditional Animation & Traditional Art within the Digital worlds and vice versa.
I'm STILL on this journey...
Maybe you can't see what I see, or get it. Maybe you can't understand it.
But, I am a LOT of things, and I MUST be TRUE N Authentic TO MYSELF BEFORE I can be true to you, and anyone else. There's also NO reason ANYONE ought to feel threatened by these things either. I am also a Philosopher, and Photographer, and Filmmaker. So those things won't be going away. Accept me FOR ME. Because I CAN be open minded enough to accept YOU for YOU.
I am planning on doing some Commentary videos with animation to address a lot of this stuff FOR FREE.
Anyways, all of this stuff I just posted above is for practice, and I will be eventually creating my Qilin Film! That's the first big goal!
Hopefully within the next 2 years, I'll be a able to make it there! But, I'm having a funding problem at the moment, and I STILL need a WACOM Cintiq!
Much of my motion graphics works are to help me with coloring, lighting, timing, digital keyframing, and software practice. These things make sense to me.
But, I do actually have 2 other stories that I still have, and have also been blogging about for a few years.
They were 2 concepts that I started since my teenage-hood. I did recently acquire some software to help me get there, but things can only be done step-by-step but as 1 step at a time.
But, I am a LOOOOOOOOOOONG way away from reaching N achieving THOSE 2 things.
But, I BELIEVE I CAN REACH IT!
I hope my dream might become YOUR DREAM AS WELL.
Anyways, like I keep saying in my older blogs: I only have the rest of my life left to live, so I'd better do what matters to me as an artist.
Also, narrow minded N prejudiced
folks are gonna need to get over the fact that I'm also a photographer,
and that I shoot video N film/cinema.
I'm NOT sorry that I like those
things, and include them within my art, because I'm NOT WRONG.
They will
NOT be going away, at all, ever.
Me in Cosplay in a TV project still WIP, in South Field.
Me in another TV/Video clip I'm still working on in North Weymouth
Me a Weymouth Great Pond in South Weymouth
Still frame from "The Holy Maple Tree" which is my friend Roland's film, shot on set in Brockton Mass. Actress: Shevon as "Moonbeam" the Hippie character.
Production Still from "The Holy Maple Tree" shot on location in Rhode Island. Actor: Raidge
Filmed at BTV for "The Holy Maple Tree" ("speak of The Devil" fake news show on fake "Heaven N Hell TV" Channel in Bridgewater Mass. Composit, Graphics N Animation by me.
Camera Crane Jib Shot Slate filmed on Location in Rhode Island "The Holy Maple Tree"
Bokeh Maple Leaf Shapes Screen Tests: Shot in Connecticut Papa Joe's band
Gorgon After Life Scene: Shot at BTV & Weymouth by Me. Compost & VFX also by me. "The Holy Maple Tree"
