If you are new here, welcome! To those who are returning, welcome back! If you haven’t done so yet, please consider joining my Fishbowl Fam email list where you can earn both rewards while also staying up to date on my posts which are posted randomly. I will be making some big updates to my shop soon which Ill be talking about in this weeks blog. Thanks again for stopping by and I hope you enjoy today’s entry!
I'm Headed to Lightbox Expo!
This October, I'll be trekking to California with fellow artist friends to head to the one and only, Light Box Expo! Unfortunately, I will not be there as a vendor (although it is something I’m manifesting one day) but I will be attending as someone seeking knowledge. Now that I’ve spent a few years freelancing and taking paths of least resistance, I've learned to never be too good for information. Even though I understand the benefits of this advice, sometimes I still struggle with it. My reception to feedback and education has only improved my art and it’s allowed me to gain a wide range of skills which overtime has helped me gain a better idea of what my long term goals are.
I think this event will just help me either solidify or modify my goals but I still worry about the plight of many art students before me. As I understand my long term goals more, I’ve witnessed others compromise creativity for technical skills and methodologies. I want to continue to keep an open mind and lately I’ve been making goals for the sake of learning but now I want to start making career moves with more rigid expectations for myself. LightBox Expo (LBX) is one of the largest gatherings of entertainment industry artists, recruiters and other professionals. This includes animation, games, TV shows and illustration. This is the first time I’ll be attending an industry focused expo (As opposed to a fan focused expo) and I’m looking forward to embracing everything it has to offer (both good and bad). I’m even more excited to share my experience with you all. So stay tuned! In the mean time I'll be posting more technical work on my Cara profile.
Created for artists by artists, Cara is a great social media alternative and I implore you to at least take a look and possibly join too. Although it's still in its infant stages, you'll find that many artists who are in support of non-AI art are making the jump, me included. So, if things keep up this way, Cara may be the place where I will post more original/non-commercialized art. It's the first of its kind (that I know of) that protects your posts from AI through glazing and you can scroll through without all the ads. I posted links to my Cara profile down below.
Link to Cara: https://cara.app/runawaygoldfish
Allowing Joy to Influence My Art
Sometimes I'll draw with the intention of creative flow but lately, I've been trying to use my art as a tool to record memories. I've been taking photos with intention and using life as reference for both life studies and also my more graphic work to bring my unique personal experiences into my art.
I've been focused more on being more present so I haven't really posted up any new videos. Some of the things I have posted are mostly in the form of shorts on my YouTube channel. i'm hoping that you (and mostly me) can begin to see those connections in my art moving forward. But I wanted to repost an old video on here of my original stated 2024 goals. It's always interesting looking back and feeling accomplished on the goals that I set for myself while also reflecting on the things I wasn't able to accomplish. Because so much time had passed since I made the video, I am also able to watch my past self with kinder eyes. Even though not everything on the checklist was checked off, I see growth in other ways as well.
Bakunawa: The dragon dream
At the beginning of the year, I talked about entering the year of the dragon (symbolizing good fortune and strength) and what it meant to me. I've been on a journey of learning from past dragon stories and channeling dragon spirits in my life. In chinese folklore, the goldfish swims up the river to a waterfall and becomes the dragon. In filipino folklore, the bakunawa is the symbol of ferocity and change. And I'm learning to embrace the changes that have been coming. If you want to follow my dragon dreaming journey or maybe want to adopt one of your own, visit ig.com/goldfishdreams!
Cryptids , Conspiracies and Nightmares: Halloween is upon us.
Dark Waters: A Spooky Art Collection Sale!
For a limited time, my original art in my Dark Waters collection will be 40% off! All my art in this collection come with a reinforced frame for longevity of the piece and safe travel and I provide free shipping to anywhere in the USA.
I will also be releasing a series of stickers and washi tape inspired by monsters of the deep which is available for pre-order! And for a limited time, get 40% off your pre-order!
Made from rice paper with non-toxic adhesive, supports green business and is home compostable after use. Great for crafting, decorating, labeling, sealing, wrapping, highlighting, patterning, and more! Expect more photos soon!
Most of my other products are sold in person but if you haven't had the chance to catch me in person, save 10% at The Fishbowl Market webstore! Use code: THTBBL24 at checkout!
Did you know I was a scare actor?
Last year I dipped my toes into something new and now I'm working at Frighthouse Station as an actor and assisting the creative team. its been really satisfying being part of a production and growing up, I was always into Halloween to the point where, it became my job as a kid to do most of the decorating. Throughout COVID, one of the things that really got me through was strangely, haunted house POVs. So over the years, I've gotten to be a connoisseur of haunted Houses and learning everything I can about them. Whether it's the art of the scare to set design, I've really learned to appreciate the work that goes into these installations. So when I get to be apart of the building process of a local flagship haunt, it makes me really excited.
Doing this allows me to elevate my own home haunt. When I'm crafting my props and décor I try to keep things as ecofriendly as possible. Not only does this save money but it also challenges myself to maximize the use of found items. In doing so, I learn new techniques and creative ways of using materials that others may skip over when purchasing props from places like Spirit Halloween. Part of why I do this every year is not only to appease the local trick or treaters, but it also gives me a great opportunity to test my story telling skills and work with more tactile art materials. Every home haunt that I do throughout the years has a story and this year, I'm doing a cross between typical cryptids and Gravity Falls.
MY LATEST TWEET:
So if you're looking for a spooky good time in Washington, our haunt opens Friday, September 27. Click here for more info!
Making Friends with other Artists - Enjoying nature
it was a beautiful day on fourth of July. Myself and a fellow artist friend took an impromptu trip to a location that I had been putting off the past couple years. It felt like such a special moment because the nature and culture of being an artist leans on the idea of perpetual growth. We are always learning and trying to increase the value of ourselves and our art. But sometimes I wonder how this permeates into how other artists interact with each other.
FIND ME ON TIKTOK!
Here's my latest post:
Connecting with other artists outside of their art, for the sake of bonding feels rare to me. I think there are many things contributing to this. But one of them, I think, is the difficulty of distancing ourselves from our thoughts and feelings. Part of our job is to create visual representations of emotion. When your job is to create the quintessence of those feelings they can be strong and visceral when you are personally experiencing them. Focusing on trying to get others to connect with our work without seeking to connect, I feel, can lead to missing out on the bigger picture of life. It felt great traveling someplace with no intention despite being around others. But in some ways it still felt isolating because of how my brain forces stories and narratives even though the intention was to purely be an observer. Maybe that’s just part of the human condition.
Either way, I hope that I can continue to harness a more balanced way of connecting with others. One that isn’t just me striving for someone to fit into my ideas but instead learning to be flexible enough to fit into others. Within that compromise, I feel that's how true connection be formed.
I'm Hosting a Full Moon Halloween Party!
I'll also be hosting a little Full Moon Halloween Party on my discord Wednesday, October 16 from 3PM PST to 7PM PST to join, visit my twitch channel link below to become part of The Fishbowl Fam discord!
Follow me on Twitch! Twitch.tv/goldfishglub
Because I want to get into the practice of valuing my own peace and mental health more, For October and November, I won't be streaming on Twitch. BUT I will be cordially inviting you to join me Thursday, December 5th from 3PM PST to 7PM PST for a special holiday stream where we can chat, drink some nog, catch up and (actually) play some games! So mark your calendars, ya filthy animals!
Creating for Good: Mindful product making
I had been making art all my life but I believe it was about 2019 when I actually started vending it. My art is so different now (in a good way). Because I didn’t have a lot of designs and had no concept of sales outside of my experience working retail. When it came to my own art, I ended up purchasing larger quantities which I’m so happy to finally be able to move on from. Of course I know better now but because of that, it got me really thinking about what my next chapter of products are going to look like in both aesthetics and in the messages I want to convey. A few months ago, a past manufacturer I had been using made me think hard about how I want to move forward with my business and think about the type of business I want to be. Needless to say, I no longer use that manufacturer and I am now learning to be more mindful of where my products come from. I think in many ways art is a great way to escape but I really want to create things that are conscious of my environment (not just “the environment”) while also serving multiple functions. I know the journey won’t be perfect, but with this next wave of creations, I’m hoping the people who are on that same wave are able to ride it with me.
CHECK OUT MY INSTAGRAM!
Here is my most recent post:
"Rising Tides" Sketchbook
Made “green” and good for the environment:
- Using the finest paper (67lb Bristol/147 gsm) from the Sustainable Forest Initiative
- Spiral binding made from recycled material
- Front cover reinforced for durability with a rigid back cover Each notebook is made in the USA and supports accessibility to better art education and it's educators.
new pilot is out and getting to the final stages of the comic!
If you've been keeping up with these blog posts or have been following me for awhile, you'll know that I've been working with Austin Ford of @gfy95 (IG down below). Together so far, we've made two children's books, apparel and we have another project in the works. But as I'm working on that project, Austin commissioned some amazing artists to animate the first children's book we worked on, Gee's Way or The Freeway, where I am listed as the creative director. I can't tell you how excited and happy this made me so I Hope you enjoy this video as much as we both did.
Lastly, my project with @Gfy95 is still in session so Be sure to follow his Instagram to stay up to date!
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