Coming together!

      Hello my friends, it is so good to be with you again.  As a matter of fact it is always great to be with you all.  Happy Summer Solstice to you as well.  With the coming of summer my strength and energies are coming back and the goal this year will be to make my self strong year round, and I don't think that will be a problem now. Things are really looking up.
      I want to share a series of thoughts with you today for you to think about and hopefully you will grow from it.  This is for writers just as much as it is for artists. In the early 1990's I was making a lot of money doing commercial art. I had some sweet accounts lined up. I worked for several professional sports teams, I had an account with Seaworld, I did work for a greeting card company just to name a few, and that kind of work pays 20 times the money that publishing pays.  But because I couldn't see a new future it came to an end.  The computer was on the rise and most of the commercial work out there was done on the computer. I didn't want to go that way though. I didn't want to learn how to use a computer, I was a dinosaur, so slowly I went back into doing physical labor installing carpet, when all I had to do was learn something new.  I really kick myself now for being so narrow minded. But I have no one to blame but myself, but this coming year you are going to see me throw my hat back into the commercial ring and include that kind of work with my personal "Art" pieces. I am going to be expanding my horizons as the saying goes.  But the point of this is that if I had been a "visionary" I would be living a hell of a lot better, be a lot more healthier and have a lot less emotional scares to burden if I had just learned to use the computer.
    Madison and I where talking about the new direction that publishing is taking. If you want to make a living as a writer, your going to have to start thinking outside of the box.  That means you are going to have to think about e-books, my god, that market alone is becoming massive with Kindle and all of those gadgets. For a writer not throw their hat into that ring, damn, that is just so stupid. Think of all the potential money and readers you are losing. Lets face facts, people are poor these days, and that is not going to change anytime soon. If  a kid has a choice to buy a book for 20 bucks, or they can download the book for 2.99, which one do you think the kid is going to do? I think it is a Miracle that kids are even reading these days.
   And all I hear is all the "Big Time' writers and publishers putting down the self publishers. Now this is a shame, but I do understand why from a business point of view, but I don't like it. This is America, and I do remember making a commitment  to my fellow Americans to fight for their rights to have free speech and so on.  Self Publishing falls under this, and anyone with a high school education understands that the principle of democracy is that we have a "Competitive market" so prices will stay down and quality will increase. I know I am damning myself by saying this, but I support self publishing and will continue to do so.  So for those of you that just read this and said, "Well, he'll never have a future at our company," I say to you "That your company does not have a future unless you learn to look outside of the box" 
   I have several writer friends that can not seem to grasp the concept of  making money off of e-books. Their damn lucky to sell 50 books a year because they don't have a clue about marketing. For some reason they seem to think that If they publish a book, the whole world is going to rush to by it? No, I'm not kidding, I know several writers just like that. They never wrote a book in their life and they think just because "THEY" wrote a book, everyone is going to rush to buy it. Not one of these writers even considered a budget for advertising or traveling on a circuit to promote their book.  Good ole common sense tells me that "hey if I put my book on Amazon as an e-book for a few bucks, that I could make some advertising money right there with no money out of my pocket."
    Advertising and getting the word out about what your doing is the 2 biggest keys there are to being a successful writer or artist.  BUT IT TAKES TIME! and that is the big enemy to young people these days, not one of them have patience. They all want it right now and that is a whole another story that you don't want to get me to get into right now.
   But anyways, enough for now, if I am going to blog more, I have to keep them shorter so I can get to work.  Folks, the glamour that used to be publishing died in the 80's. It is not coming back. If you want to be an artist or writer, then you need to start studying on new ways to make it happen.  If you want to talk about this, then lets do it on the group my friends. Peace and Blessings.  "May the Darkness Comfort You"

Just when I think.....

      Just when I think I am out of the woods, someone hits me upside my head with a ball bat and says "Not Yet"  As you all know, I have been getting a ton of dental work done and I thought I was out of the wood as far as them pulling teeth goes, except for the front 4 teeth they are going to pull right before my partials.  (Please forgive any errors I may be making, but thy have me on Methadone because the pain is so intense. I will be off of it tomorrow) I went in Tuesday to get some fillings done, and the Dentist informs that after looking at the x-rays more, she doesn't think we can save the tooth, and she also has spotted fragments of a tooth that dissolved 25 years ago buried in my gums that need to come up. I had been feeling great, so like a fool, I say, "Lets do it." 4 days later I am just starting to be able to get out of bed. It feels like she ripped my gums wide open as well as the side of my mouth.
   I am telling you this because just the other day I said "Man, where going to start writing blogs every other day and really kick arshe art wise." Ho hum, I am sure we will get there soon, but not this week. lmao.  But I think the life lesson here is that no matter what we think or the best laid plans we have, life is going to remind us on a regular basis that we are human. I think my biggest problem has always been accepting this, but I am proud to say I am getting there. I have embraced that saying that "When Life Gives you lemons, make lemonade!"  So instead of painting and communication with all the wonderful people out there that love my work so much, I Will go with plan "B" which is to watch Some old "Batman" TV shows from 1966 and then finish watching the first season of "Lost in Space" Since I can't do what I want to do, Plan B is pretty awesome for an old geek like me. lol!
   Outside of me recovering, everything is just fine.  As a matter of fact The Publication 
Pagan Element  did a feature on me this month you can find here  Take your time to look through the whole publication, it really has some good reading. We also have another article coming up in a few weeks and another and really good interview coming up later in the summer. So my health has slowed me down a little, but the machine just keeps building momentum.
   Another BIG change I hope you will make note of is this. On my regular FB pages  I will only be showing finished art. If you want to see step by step or really old work, or get good deals on prints you have to be a member of the fan club. It is free. Just go here and hit the like button, and please help spread the world by hitting the "Share" button and letting your friends know about all the crazy and wonderful things we create. Yes, I said we, because I have took several of your suggestions and turned them into paintings. For Instance, "Zombie Kitties"
   The next big change is the "Group"  The group is where we all get together and talk about anything cool or art. It is the only place that I can be one on one with my friends. I was spreading myself WAY to thin a little while back and wasn't able to be anywhere and found myself becoming very frustrated because I couldn't do what I have always done, which is spend time with the people who love the same things I do and my art. I take these kind of things very serious. I love all of you  and to know you love or like my work really keeps me going and has gotten me through some really hard times. Without you, I would be nothing.
   So by keeping the group page up on my comp makes it much easier to keep up with messages from everyone, instead of trying to keep up with 7 mail boxes, 8 clubs, and so on. This way I can one of the fellows again. So please be part of the group to if your not already.  Here is that link.
   Alright my friends, I am going to put on my Batcape, and take another pain med. I love you all and thank you for being so awesome and accepting me for being so damn human.  MAJOR HUGS!!!!

Moving forward in BIG ways!

     Hello my friends. May love and peace fill your lives always.  I have been feeling so good lately that I am no longer worried about making commitments for commercial assignments anymore.  As a matter of a fact, it is going to be full steam ahead from here on out.
     I am going to be posting a lot more blogs talking more about my everyday life and the little things that really make up one's career. Blogger added a section a few months ago that lets you keep track of the traffic on your blog, and where it comes from, the feeds to it and so on. I checked it out the other day and it is telling me that I have a minimum of 80 people a day reading it and as much as 1200 in a day reading it. The average is 480 hits a day. Wow!  I couldn't believe it and I said that I need to start spending more time here and give my readers more of what they want. I am VERY honored that so many of you keep up with my antics and work. I am flattered and more encouraged that I could ever put into worlds.
   One of the big things about my mindset is this, and this also explains why I am so upset with so many artist out there that I know.  I was born an artist, or better yet a creative soul. I love to be creative in many ways that now you will get to see since Mother gave me a second chance. I am going to keep myself healthy and work everyday (but not forgetting to have time for my loved ones and for myself) and really blow everyone away with all the cool things I see in my mind's eye yet to come. But anyways, I am creative because that is who I am. I do my best to improve and learn new things everyday.  It is important to me that I become the best at what I do above all else. I can't imagine anyone that wouldn't?  Isn't one of the big reasons for our lives is to  make the world a better place than the one we where brought into?  If your not going to give it your all, why bother?
    But what has been making me upset with these people, and it's all creative people really, it's just that I deal with artist more, is that I see that there main motivation is to be "Famous"  WTF? Are you kidding me? Your only goal should be to become good enough to be able to support yourself with you art and live the dream.  Damn, that's the payoff.  That's the dream come true. But unfortunately what I see from 90% of the artist that contact me is that all they care about is being "famous"  They only want to rub elbows with the "High and Mighty" artist of the art world.  To them it is all about sucking up, hoping someone will take pity on them and throw them a bone. 
    It never stops amazing me that they miss the point that if you work very hard, learn all you can, and be PATIENT in time your day will come if you truly have talent.  But instead I see all these people either kissing all the arshes they can, or stabbing someone that trusted them in the back, because for some insane reason they think that will move them on. It sickens me and that is what I have been ranting about the last few weeks. I want to help artist, if there heart is in the right place, but I find very few of them. Those that I do, I hold close.  Something for the 90% to think about.  I cannot think of one of the "High and Mighty" artist I know, and there a lot, that ever set out to be famous. They just wanted to be as good as they could and to be able to support themselves and their families.  Think about that and let that set in your noodle and absorb it in. If you get it, maybe there is hope for you, if not, well.  Okay, I think I have finally got that put into worlds the way I wanted to for a while, but just could think of how to do it. 
     A couple of cool business things are going on.  Everyone knows that Tilly Rivers is my very close friend, and she is like family and so much more to my family.  She will be getting her law degree soon and we have worked out an agreement that she will be mine and Madison's lawyer for all things we need in this publishing business. She also acts as a consultant and agent at times.  I am thrilled by this simply because I know I am not gonna get screwed in a bad way anymore and if anyone wants to get froggy with us, it will cost them. Truly creative people get screwed more than anyone, mostly because we are a trusting lot, and there is ALWAYS some con artist out there just waiting to set you up. No more for this family. 
    I am also working on a deal right now that will give Madison full time editor to work with us on our books.  She worked with Madison on her first book "The Bone Extractor" and it was a very awesome and wonderful working relationship.  So I am working on a deal and future deals to keep her in our corner for all of our writing needs. She is also a writing agent.  Isn't that cool?
   There is so much to being an artist, or a creative person than we usually talk about, but now that i will be blogging more, we'll talk about all parts of the business.  It's time for me to get to painting so I will see you in a day or to. Much love my friends and "May the Darkness Comfort You"

I'm alive and doing damn fine!

Contrary to popular belief, I am alive and doing damn fine. lol Hello my friends. I'm sorry about the length between blogs, but I have been "living" for the first time in a long time and just having fun. The serious state of my health had took a big toll on me physically and mentally. Now that I am doing much better, I had some healing to do in both area's. Now I am finally coming back to myself. It took some doing and I hurt some people's feelings on the way, but they had it coming. There are a few more that I am going to deal with soon as well. Another revelation, because of the way that the very people I have helped through the years have acted toward me, I will give tips here and there but I am saving all the lessons for my books and video's. If I am going to have to listen to crap from the people I help, then they are going to pay me for the privilege. Do you get the feeling I am fed up with other artist bullshit attitudes? lmao. Yes I am and it ends now.

I love my life and l love what I do. I am very blessed and get to do things most can only dream about, but that makes me a target. But the good news is, I only have to deal with things if I want to deal with them. I have a lawyer to check over any deal or any person that is wanting to work with me. In normal terms, that works great for both me and the client if every thing is the way it should be and it keeps me from getting scammed like I have been so many times in the past.

On to other things. If you want prints of my work, you can order them through my fan club and save 5 bucks, or if your a member of my Face Book group you can for normal price. If your not on facebook, you can order them through me. Send me an email at wickedkittystudio@gmail.com for info on how. I haven't sold them to the public in a while, so if you want one signed, this is your chance. Also the prints are a large 13 x19 on very high quality paper. Most artist sell 11 x 14 prints.

I love the people who support my work and my fans, never doubt that. My anger is usually caused by my so called peers and it occured to me that I can close that door and it doesn't matter. I haven't meet another artist yet that wanted to buy any of my work, so why in the hell do I care what they think or say? I have been doing a slow burn over this because when I was sick, I had to deal with all of there crap and now that I am better, they think they can keep on. It's chain yanking time.

Ok, I just wanted to check in my friends. I'll have a new painting with Kane Hodder in it soon. Love you all. Hugs. Peace and Blessings. "May The Darkness comfort you"