Hey bloggerfolk!
In case you couldn’t guess from the snazzy red carpet photos or perhaps even the title of this post, Season 2 of The Wingfeather Saga premiered a couple Tuesdays back and has new episodes coming out each Friday! It’s crazy to think that the show is finally here - feels like ages since me and the design team were working on those early episodes! Although I did mostly production coordination for Season 2, some of my design work is already showing up in the episodes, most notably the family’s backpacks (major kudos to the animators, assembly artists, and production management who had to keep track of them across the episodes!)
The studio put on a proper red carpet celebration that included handmade decor, a panel with the team, and live music performances (cause it’s Nashville!) But my favorite part was really just getting to catch up with everybody - old coworkers, recent coworkers, out-of-town artists, mentors, executives, friends. It was kinda like a wedding in that way, or maybe a reunion. Animation is such a long and gradual cycle that some people who were absolutely integral to making season 2 haven’t even been on the payroll for months. Now that I find myself drifting into that camp, a premiere/wrap party certainly is bittersweet. The day definitely reminded me of the fact that I don’t work for Wingfeather right now, but it also was a fitting sendup of all the hard work the crew and I have put in over the last couple years!
And the afterparty was at Waffle House, of course.
Now that the confetti has settled I find myself back in this quiet, strange, unemployed time. Solidly three weeks in at this point! The resumes have been sent out and now it largely feels like I’m waiting for something to stick. As much as I’m glad to not have to commute anymore, I do really miss the action and purpose of collective work, and having social time from 9-to-5. Who would have thought my little indie heart would miss spending most of my day working on other people’s projects? Or maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised that I miss hanging out with cool artists and talented people each day. Turns out there’s a lot more you gain from a job than just a paycheck.
In the meantime, I’ve tried to keep busy: experimenting with new animation styles, learning French, (or more accurately) watching a TON of Bluey in French, exercising, drawing at the zoo, reading novels, and the like. I never feel like I’m making enough progress on any of these things (ESPECIALLY with starting my next film) since I literally have all the time in the world right now. Every day is the weekend, and I can do whatever I want. It’s not that I’m paralyzed by the amount of choices, I just feel like it’s hard to be a steward of such a luxurious, fleeting gift. Especially since it’s coming during a year where my mental health has never been more shook and traveling is difficult given that fact (and other scheduling concerns.) I feel like if I was unemployed last year I would have rocked it. But this year… I don’t know.
Talking about all this with my friend Clay last night helped me realize that maybe I’m just being a little too hard on myself. Maybe I have too narrow a view of what “succeeding” during unemployment means. Maybe this time doesn’t bring an obligation but offers a chance. And it doesn’t all have to be toil. I don’t need to measuring the days in terms of working hours (practically absurd given that I’m unemployed) but could be looking for other beneficial ways to spend them.
I’ve been watching through Season 2 of The Bear over the past few months, which has felt surprisingly relevant to my current situation. In it, the restaurant is closed, and whole season is about the team rebuilding - not just their physical restaurant, but themselves. It’s a surprisingly gentle search for restoration and inspiration. I’ve been thinking all day about the episode where the newly promoted head chef just goes around town trying new dishes. How long has it been since I’ve done something like that? Something that’s not work, but still of value? The thought of doing something similar (like visiting the art deco buildings of downtown Nashville to research my next film) gets me excited. Maybe this sort of edifying leisure is the real benefit of an unemployed season.
I’ll let you know how that goes, as I keep sending out those resumes and keep watching Bluey (in whatever language fits!) I’m so excited (and heartbroken) for what could very well be the show’s final episode this Sunday. (Nothing much is confirmed, but I have my theories.)
I hope this season finds you well! Oh and go check out Season 2 of The Wingfeather Saga over on the Angel Guild! And tell me which of the backpacks is your favorite ;)
your wayfarer in chief,
dh
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