Never have I been one to break with tradition so here I am updating my journal in January for no other reason than I've done it for the last 5 years in a row, since joining DevaintArt.

I got to say that unfortunately I have not been very active in the art world. The last tie I had to comics was severed recently when Global Comic Jam was shut down. I had stopped collecting comics like 3 years ago and hadn't really picked up a pencil in 2 years. It's kinda depressing actually. Art was a big part of my life for a long time and now it seems pretty inconsequential.

I've been working 2 jobs for almost 2 years now and that in itself keeps me busy 60 hours out of the week. I know there is extra time in there to draw, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't but I just can't muster the strength these days to put pencil to paper. And when I do actually doodle on napkins or scratch paper I'm usually so repulsed with how bad it turns out that I avoid doing it again. Terrible, I know.

Now I know this all sounds pretty negative but that is not the point of this entry. It's no coincidence that I have come back here every January for the last 5 years to write in this journal. Every January I make a vow to myself to renew my interest in art and to stop neglecting this site and what was once my passion. Every year I say this is the year that I start that comic I've always wanted to do or submit that packet that will land me my big break. Those are both pretty lofty goals and pretty unrealistic considering I haven't drawn much in years but I can say that I will try harder than what I have in the last 2 years to produce some work.

Small steps. That is my vow for this year. I've already had one update this year which is more than I did all through 2008. Hopefully there will be more to come. We'll see how it goes...

JV