My focus has been a little all over the place the past few months. But now, things seem clear.
I did get some work done on Brothas and Losing Valarie as I finished up some interiors and exteriors for both series. Character designs will definitely be my focus going into Spring 2021.
By Summer 2021, I plan on spending my time focusing on my action-adventure series. I want to dedicate my art skills to create a visual representation of that show. I have my sights on starting character and background designs.
Along with personal work, this year focus on making my freelance business profitable. Patreon and Etsy are helping my business to grow. Getting more into digital marketing will definitely be the key. I’m still in the process of building my freelance business as I look for representation – finances and law – and acquiring (and creating) the necessary equipment. By Summer 2021, I pray my business gains some serious traction.
Just remember creativity is the key to success.
Keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram! Until next time, be your best creative self!
After a busy few weeks, I’m back! Happy New Year! Merry Christmas! And all those good things. 2020 was a year of mixed blessings for me. But recent developments have left me optimistic in 2021.
For me, 2020 was mentally, emotionally and spiritually taxing for me. I witnessed Black body after Black body become viral sensations as the American mainstream finally recognized (not accepted) how racist the US truly is. COVID-19 decided no one was going to have any fun in the first year of this new decade. I experienced an overwhelming depression that led me to channel my feelings into overeating. I also felt isolated from my family for months. Thank God for Christmas (don’t worry I took all safety guidelines and protocols). Of course, my car accident left me messed up for quite some time. While I still deal with the mental and emotional scars, I’m finally done with medical with still in legal limbo.
The brightest moment of 2021 has been the Orange Man leaving the White House. Congratulations to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris! Of course, he had to go out the way he came in (chaos and coded language). One thing led to an insurrection, and BOOM! He became the first president to be impeached TWICE!
Despite all this turmoil, my creativity will be my main focus as I work my personal projects. Hopefully, I can start sharing more work in 2021.
Since taking my break, my freelance work has increased as more and more contract work continues to come in. While it can be overwhelming at times, I won’t want it any other way. I love being busy. I’m putting more focus on building my brand in 2021 as I make some necessary changes (be on the lookout for some changes on this site).
On the school front, I’m still waiting to hear about my assignments for the Fall 2021 semester. Hopefully, by Fall 2021, the American school system will know how to deal with the “new normal.”
My focus has been a little all over the place the past few months. But now, things seem clear.
Despite taking a break from my work, I’ve finally started to carve out time to finish up Brothas and Losing Valarie. For the first time, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. During Christmas break, I will finish my work on the current interiors and exteriors for both series. I hope to start some new ones before Christmas break is over. Hopefully, I’ll be able to reveal the outcome soon. Because by Spring 2021, my focus will be on character designs as I try finishing up some summer leftovers while creating new ones.
By Summer 2021, I plan on spending my time focusing on my action-adventure series. I want to dedicate my art skills to create a visual representation of that show. I have my sights on starting character designs while other designs coming later in the year.
Along with personal work, this year has been all about turning my passions into a steady income. Patreon, Etsy, Fiverr, and UpWork are helping my business to grow. Even though, I have slacked on marketing lately. Operating an LLC has its ups and downs, but I have to remember I’m in my first year. I have to accept the growing pains that come with being a young entrepreneur. I’m still in the process of building my freelance business as I look for representation – finances and law – and acquiring (and creating) the necessary equipment. By Summer 2021, I pray my business gains some serious traction.
In growing my business, I hope more freelance opportunities will start to roll in. I’ve noticed more individuals and some businesses are looking to fill much-needed roles with freelancers and contractors. Again, digital marketing will be the key to making this happen.
On a side note, I have decided to do my annual Black History Month project. Like past years, I will focus on Black superheroes, which I plan to start working on over Christmas break.
Just remember creativity is the key to success.
Keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram! Until next time, be your best creative self!
2020 has been a year of change for me (as well as many others). This year, I decided to put my career as a creative first. I wanted to turn my love and passion into a business. Unfortunately, I decided to pivot and grow in a year where chaos and uncertainty started to dictate the rules. But this year shown me what I’m really capable of.
For me, I pivoted before the pandemic. Working a dead-end nine-to-five was killing my creativity as I tried carving out my career. I needed a change. The change was necessary as my workplace became toxic to me – physically, mentally, and emotionally. When you feel like the only adult in the room, and you’re not management – it’s a problem.
My change started taking shape in 2019, as I gained more and more traction in freelance writing. My moment came when I became an assistant professor. I found my way out of the retail rat race. I could finally breathe and be my person away from the public.
I do admit I struggled for a few months as the economy took a downturn. But eventually, things started to fall in place as contract work started to pick up and my business became official. At this point, I have found a sense of happiness.
I have to admit that sometimes it can be overwhelming and daunting being a self-employed artist. While the work is varied, I feel from time to time that my personal life is suffering as my workaholic ways take over. As I gain more and more traction in my career, my time has become more precious. But honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
With so much work ahead of me, I feel like Christmas break will be the perfect time to do some personal work. As 2020 draws to a close, I hope to find more time for me. There are many things I want to write.
When it comes to my position as a professor, the finish line for Fall 2020 is just days away. But it will be more of the same as Spring 2020; I’m teaching online once more. Like every school year, there were the usual ups and downs before the pandemic took it to another level. Here’s to hoping 2021 is a better year for everyone all around!
As 2020 barrels toward an unpredictable ending, being a Black writer has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Angry. Sad. Anxious. Joyous. Depressing. Exciting. Frustrating. But recent developments have been made me hesitantly optimistic.
My creativity as a writer has been tested so many times this year. For me, 2020 was supposed to be my year, but God has other plans (not only for me but the world in general). I’ve witnessed Black body after Black body become viral sensations as the American mainstream finally recognized (not accepted) how racist the US truly is. So many times, I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs in frustration and angry. I tried to write about it, but my mind and spirit wouldn’t let me. It was too tiring to use my words to educate or express my thoughts on the Black American experience.
Along with America finally (if only superficially) addressing racism, COVID-19 decided no one was going to have any fun in the first year of this new decade. Again, my thoughts and feelings couldn’t come together to speak on the fun destroyer. I experienced an overwhelming depression that led me to channel my feelings into overeating. Despite being an introvert, I found lockdown to be isolating and anxiety-filled as this pandemic brought this never-ending cycle of openings and shut downs. I’ve been isolated from my family for months with social media and phone calls being the only form of contact. Despite writing for months, I’ve felt no motivation to tend to my personal writing. I hope to change that in the near future.
But the past few weeks have taken the cake. Between the clusterfuck known as the presidential election and an unexpected car accident, I have been having a hard time. Watching this country be divided between red and blue, Black and White, and men and women has been surprising yet typical after the election. Seeing the Orange Man defeated after four years of nonsense was bittersweet. Part of me was joyous to return to a bit of normalcy while the other part of me knew udder chaos was bond to break out. The social media meltdowns were better than primetime television.
On the other end, my car accident left me with mental, emotional, and physical pain I will have to deal with you a while. Despite having an attorney and an orthopedist, the process hasn’t been easy. I still have to deal with things that out of my control. My frustration and annoyance has been on an all-time high.
Despite all this turmoil, my creativity has never stopped. My mind is constantly filled with ideas of pieces I want to write. Hopefully, my plans for the rest of the year will pan out. Screenwriting is definitely in my sight as I plan on revising quite a bit over Thanksgiving and Christmas break. Working on Valarie, Brothas, and the untitled action adventure will be my main focus before 2020 ends. I feel inspired to work on a piece or two (one fiction and one nonfiction). I will see more coming from me in 2021.
Since taking my break, my freelance work has increased as more and more contract work continues to come in. While it can be overwhelming at times, I won’t want it any other way. I love being busy. I might even have even more work around the corner if some connections work out.
On the school front, the Fall semester is coming to an uncertain close. Dealing with COVID-19’s impact on education has made everyone involved feeling overwhelmed, despondent, and anxious. If recent news and emails are anything to go by, these circumstances won’t be going away any time soon. Hopefully, by Fall 2021, school will have dealt with the “new normal.”
Adreon Patterson 