IX.1 : Chances
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Welcome new and old!
It's been three months.
Which means it's quarterly update time.
Did I complete the goals I set for July?
Let's see!
[~] Develop The Series™ to inform and entertain with the fragments
Well, at least it got started.
This was what mannequin lady was going to be. A way to introduce people into these large, unwieldy, but apparently helpful ideas swirling around in my head. A fun way for me to learn 3D modelling, reacquaint myself with animation, build out organic stories, maybe even collaborate with others (putting them in as their own weird, abstract character) and having them speak their own wisdom. A way to get the ideas out there and build a following around them (as well as all of the stuff I'm going to make).
Lost the project files to it.
Considered remaking everything.
Decided against it.
If it wasn't going to be exactly the same, it needed to be better. And would that be a wise use of my time? Probably not if it was all to build a following (which is something I don't need to make videos for). Not to mention that it would be one giant distraction from what I'm doing now.
And it is unwise for someone that has crazy tunnel vision to meander and divide their energies.
[X] Develop The Way™ to help people with their own goals via the fragments
This one I just straight up dropped. I'll tell you why.
It's been said that your 20s are for self-discovery and your 30s are when you start putting your mostly-developed (and ever-ossifying) preferences into action. You know what you value and you start acting the part. Having just turned 29 (as I'm writing this), this pattern coincides with my own development, this much I can say.
Back in the 8th entry, "Dawn", I said that it feels like I've been trying to walk forward with one foot while dragging the other. This is directed at teaching. It feels wrong trying to teach my concepts. It's not the format that can hold and support them. They're far bigger than just mental tools you can deploy in day-to-day life.
That's why I dropped it.
The only reason I tried to cram them into that box was because enough people advocated for their utility. From a business perspective, it made perfect sense to try and package them. And I agree with them. I see and know their utility.
Never developed into feeling like it's the right thing to do. And in my case, if it doesn't feel right, it will collapse.
The Return of the Old
The current project was born of very familiar circumstance and has taken a very familiar shape.
Six years ago, I started transmedia trilogy called The Astral Triptych. Very large and grand in scope. All about humanity, the cosmos, and their connection to it. Well, I got two thirds of the way to completion. After the second part it all unraveled. Couldn't bring myself to create anymore art (because I was convinced I didn't need to make art anymore) and it contributed to me wanting to try and teach the ideas that first part developed.
We know how well all of that is going now.
It's possible that the teaching was the third part. Maybe I was the one being taught by my own creations. All the projects I've finished up to this point has taught a more and more about what it takes for an idea to support itself, but it (naturally) took a long time to piece together a new, large project to really try put all of that knowledge to good use.
Sure enough, this illustrated epic has most if not all the hallmarks The Astral Triptych had, but all of the ideas have reached a form of maturity. The fragments have unified together into a new whole. Very fitting, given that this is what they're meant to do.
This whole thing is a second chance. Because God knows the first grand adventure would've been better at sustaining itself if I had as much experience as I do now.
But that's hindsight for you.
Fortunately for us, we have fractions of a day and the energy to do something about it. So, let's get it done.
Quarterly Goals
We already know where we're going, but just to be clear...
These will be the new goals for the quarter.
Create rough drafts for at least the first Act.
Finalize a few pages for the epic (and maybe give it a name).
Solidify the central themes and develop a value proposition for the work.
Make a Kickstarter page for the epic and start collecting followers for it.
A fun list. Might look daunting, but they all depend on each other. And I'm about 27% done with the lot of them.
Stay tuned.
Funnily enough, I suggested for you guys to check out Desire (the first part of the Triptych, a shortfilm) in the previous quarter.
I think it's only fitting to suggest the second part, Metaforma.
Now, I say this to everyone and it will never change:
I don't actually recommend reading it.
Flip through it, get a feel for what it's trying to convey. If you choose not to heed my warning, be very, very patient with it.
It is not an easy read.
(Can you believe that I genuinely thought I did a good job at making it easy for people to read? I can believe it. I was little bit more insufferable than I probably am now.)
That's all I have for you today.
Next update on the 27th, barring emergencies.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Until then,
👋