In The Beginning...
You know it's going to be good when they use 'In The Beginning...'
Publish Date - January 6th, 2025
As the new year has dawned upon us, it's time to take a brief step back and think about the coming times ahead and how we want to improve ourselves going foward. For some of us that takes a few days INTO the new year, but whatevers. Some of us like to ruminate before putting pen to paper. Or in my case, fingers to keyboard keys. Whatever, Shut Up.
So here's your ol' pal Eric's New Years resolutions!
And in the off chance you're some random who came across my blog in some unknown stupor and you don't know who I am...Tough Shit, I'm Not Giving You A Proper Introduction To Me. Go look at the Bluesky if you wanna know what I'm about. NOW THEN.
1. Survive
Wildm'n Bear Grillmaster Telling You To Drink Your Pee
Look, you don't need me to tell you that the next years (Hell, the next FOUR YEARS) are going to be difficult. No matter who you are and where you are, you're going to be pushed to some serious limits. I'm expecting the worst...but I'm gonna keep going as far as I can in this crazy, messed up world of ours until the wheels fall off..
And if the wheels do fall off, fatal style or otherwise...Well, I lived a good life! No one can't take that away from me!
Check the links in the sidebar for more resources to build your own website!
2. Commission More Artists
Aside from one piece, this is all the art I commissioned in 2024. Check em' and the credited artists out here!
Says it right there on the tin, doesn't it? I've been very honest about my lack of ability when it comes to rendering my characters in a proper style that isn't just my flat character sheets. Believe me, I'd try to learn how to draw but everytime I put in the work, something happens that kills my momentum. For ex: The last time I told myself I was gonna learn, my step-father died a week later.
Plus with some characters, I just have no way of showing of certain design aspects. Let's say I make a character who's superform is turning into an anthro beast. No way in Hell can I do that myself, but I know several folk who excel at that kind of art~
So yeah, more commissions.
So this one hurts me the most
As I type this, work has begun on the next Fighter's February, which means it's time for my yearly reup of Hitfilm Pro so I can get any and all effects I might need for bumper graphics and such.
To make a long story short because it's kind of important, a few years ago Hitfilms was bought out by some bigger company and switched over to a worse subscription based model instead of the old 'buy what you need' method that made Hitfilms Express so enticing to someone who was trying to ween off Adobe. And now several years later after ghosting much of the community with a less than idea 'better' replacement, Hitfilms is being shuttered on the 15th. And while I'm more than content with using the old and already deprecated Hitfilms Express, I gotta look at the writing on the wall.
It's time for me to get that stick out of my ass and learn a new program. And because I refuse to buy into another subscription based alternative, I'm going to try and learn Davinci Resolve which my buddy Frostey swears by. I messed around with it before after I found out about the Hitflms regime change, but I felt it was a little too much for what I needed. But after messing around with it again, I think I might've been a bit quick to judge.
So RIP Hitfilms. You were the Adobe alternative I needed, but then you became what you were fighting against. Amen.
4. Be A Better Friend
IUf you don't like the Power of Friendship as a trope, then you don't like Kinnikuman. And if that's the case? I don't wanna know you at all!
As someone who's pushing the message of togetherness to weather the on-coming storm in my Discord server, I could probably stand to take my own advice because sometimes I feel like I can be a bit of a fair weather friend. Y'know, someone who pretends to be your friend but is only around for the good times and not the bad so they're not really a good friend at all.
No one's called or acused me of being one, but it's something I myself am very aware of. I try my best to be as supporting as I can, but I know I can do better. And this year, I promise to do better. When I say I'm here for someone during a time of dourness, I want to be true to my word.
5. Make As Much Stuff As Possible
I didn't know how to visualize 'stuff', so a museum felt proper. I guess?
Another one that's pretty on the nose. Whether it be art, OCs, logos lore, streams, videos for the YT channel or even this blog, I want to make as much stuff as I can. Why? Because It Feels DAMN GOOD To Make Stuff!
And that'll do it for this post! This blog's off to a great start! Join me next time for a post about whatever I'm fucking feeling like! I already have a few long drabbles on the backburner!
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