Took some big swings earlier this year that paid off this past month…
I peddled my wares at SFZF for the first time, which went better than I could’ve ever expected. Met so many cool people and managed to pick up a few pieces via trades, which I’ll probably share in another future post. It was also the first market I’ve done on my own. So choke on that, agoraphobia.
I also delivered my very first wholesale order. I’ll have one of my zines and a few pins and stickers available at Fair Arrow Books in Martinez, opening sometime in September. Exciting times.
In the studio, I’ve been busy prepping for the largest market I’ve ever done up to this point: The Illo Mart. It’s two days, Sept 27-28, with over 400+ illustrators in a single building in downtown San Jose. I’ve got a bunch of new pieces that’ll debut there: stickers, prints, patch designs (if they arrive in time), and a new zine I’ve been working on that’s all about OCD themes. I have reservations about the audience there and how well my work will be received because the majority of what I’ve seen seems to lean more into the anime / kawaii world of illustration, but I’m going in with a shot of optimism and a healthy dose of skepticism as a chaser. At the very least, it’ll be another learning experience and that benefits me just as much as any sales would do. A fast follow after the Illo Mart is the second largest market I’ve ever done which will take place October 5th: The Mockingbird Lane Halloween Market in Alameda –NGL I feel a bit more at ease with this one.
There are few things in nature that leave me more breathless than a late Summer / early Fall sunset over the bay. I adore Autumn in San Francisco. I know we don’t get “seasons” like other places do, but I don’t care. I absolutely love it. I love this place. Other things I love: kaiju stop motion animations by my little one, spoiled potatoes in tote bags, sad bread content, aggressive nu-metal matchbox car edits, and Mannequin Pussy.
Let’s see where September takes us.