Passing Judgment, Part 2: Readers, Viewers & Fandom

Click HERE for the Audio Edition!

There have been several instances lately of works of art and media being torn down or otherwise endangered because of association with an artist who did or said something negative. I’ve decided to explore this issue in two parts, first looking at the production side with those who create or perform the media, and then looking at the consumers of that media, a.k.a. fandoms.

While there have been many news stories about artists being slammed for their personal views or lives that had a negative impact on the work itself, there is another just as insidious and pervasive negativity radiating from the opposite end of the spectrum. I’m talking about the consumers of media: the readers, viewers, and fans.

Continue reading “Passing Judgment, Part 2: Readers, Viewers & Fandom” →

Passing Judgment, Part 1: Artist, Actor & Creator

Click HERE for the Audio Edition!

Continue reading “Passing Judgment, Part 1: Artist, Actor & Creator” →

Donating to the Arts

Click HERE for the Audio Edition!

Greetings everyone! How are those New Year’s resolutions or goals coming along? Yeah, it’s been hit-or-miss with me too. Feels like I am sleeping way too much, which kind of wreaks my morning schedule.

Still, I did manage to finish the first original short story I’ve written in a while: “Handsome and the Hag,” a gender-swapped retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Eventually, I hope to rewrite it and expand into a more detailed short story, but I wanted to have a more traditional fairy-tale feel for the version posted on The Fellowship of the King. Also, I’m almost, almost done the initial draft of All’s Fair; my goal is to have it ready for beta readers by the end of January. Hooray! Aside from that, none of my other writing goals have really gotten underway, especially with the Audio Editions. Gods, I am so behind…

But there is something I wanted to bring up. It’s been kicking around in the back of my mind for a while, so I wanted to share my thoughts on it:
Continue reading “Donating to the Arts” →

2015: The Year in Review

Click HERE for the Audio Edition!

Okay, seriously, who keeps making off with all this time? Feels like the year just got started and we’re already on the cusp of 2016! (And from what I’ve heard, this sense of time distortion only gets worse… ugh.)

I am definitely in a better place at the end of 2015 than I was last year. Many of my 2014 goals have been reached, and it feels like I’ve got a better handle on life in general, which is a massive relief! I want to give a huge thank-you to all of my friends, readers, subscribers, and followers. You make this all worth-while.

Continue reading “2015: The Year in Review” →

Onward and Upward

Being a writer is hard.

Heck, being any kind of artist is hard. Writing, drawing, painting, sculpting, composing or playing music, dancing, costuming, the performing arts…all of these and a few I haven’t listed require time, training, and serious dedication to master. Some people have inborn talent that lets them pick up art forms more easily than others. Some appear to be good at everything with no effort at all. But that lack of effort is an illusion and I’d say that 99% of any master who makes the work they do look easy have paid their tithe of blood, sweat, and tears.

While talent may give you an edge in some fields, most of it is acquired through long, careful study and vigorous practice. No matter how much talent Nature has gifted you, if you don’t expand and refine that gift, it will go to waste or never reach its full potential. Thanks to my mother’s side of the family, I have a decent amount of inborn talent for drawing and painting. It’s not genius level, but I look and approach things from an artist’s point of view and can draw decently without a whole lot of training. However, I could be a really good artist if I put my mind to it.

Continue reading “Onward and Upward” →