24

animation drawing from bearpuncher

It was one of those perfect summer nights in Nashville. We were smoking pipes on a friend's porch, the first time in a while our group of little Inkling-wannabes had convened to discuss our day jobs, personal projects, and of course, girl troubles. 

As I was smoking my pipe, the taste reminded me of who I was as a newly-minted 23 year old. Last summer, I was a house-sitting indie artist living on the cheap, nurturing a burgeoning interest in cooking, hiking, and travel. I was working on personal projects every day, in what was (in retrospect) a luxurious time to indulge the furthest extent of my child-like, artsy side. But now as a 24 year old, that self, and his goals, felt foreign. 

In the months that followed my 23rd birthday, I would accept my first, though rather non-artistic, job in animation. I would settle into my first apartment, though given the amount of boxes I still have in my bedroom, I can't say that I've totally unpacked. In order to create the amount of art I wanted in the margins of my social and work life, I would accept a motto of "minimize lifestyle, maximize output." I reduced the time I spent on hobbies such as hiking, cooking, and sleeping - but it worked. After a brief late fall slump, I was making art again, waking up early in the mornings with a cup of tea and yet another Bearpuncher shot on the table (technically the Cintiq, but that too was on the table.) Things were getting done. Bearpuncher was getting done. 

And as of just a few weeks ago, Bearpuncher is fully animated. 

It's weird to speculate, or even celebrate, about the light at the end of that tunnel. One of the many things I've learned on this project is that any task will take about three times longer than I expect, and with animation coloring and a few more background paintings left to go it could just take two more months to complete... or it could take the whole year. It's been hard not to compare the film to others in its field, like this stunner from Emily Xu. I've been so deep in the project it's hard to tell how it actually measures up. I think it's good. I know it's entertaining. But at the very least it's given me a reason to keep drawing something that's truly my own, which I really needed. 

Because despite literally working in animation, I don't feel much like an artist anymore. Not only do I have significantly less time to work on art nowadays, but I've also been wracked with serious doubts about the righteousness of the artistic quest I idolized in college. Was it selfish to want to spend a life tinkering on my own stories? Would the expense and foreignness of living in California outweigh the fun of studio life? As a Christian from Tennessee, would I even be welcomed into a established studio communities to begin with? Or perhaps most importantly, was creating better, more important, and more expensive stories worth what it would cost to have that opportunity? Now, I wasn't so sure. 

As the sun set and the pipes burned low, I missed that 23-year-old version of me who knew exactly what he wanted, who was filled with so much wonder and potential and zeal for the work. There's a lot I think I have to learn from him. But 23-year-old me had a very narrow vision of success, and even his own identity. He didn't expect to change. But he did. 

And my mission as 24-year-old Daniel is to make sure that was for the better. 

Whoops: I Had Too Much Root Beer and Forgot that 2021 Ended

some favorite pieces from 2021

Well, not exactly. 

But I am pushing the bounds of when it's appropriate to post a "2021 wrap-up!" 

For some reason, it's been really hard for me to summarize my experience of 2021. The year had several distinct stages, each with their own joys and disappointments. It was a very mixed bag of a year for me - one where many goals were achieved, but many dreams left unfulfilled. Although it's only a month distant, the year already feels fairly foreign to me. I was in school only a year ago! Hah. Weird to think about. 

But before I go and get too introspective, I wanted to share my favorite things I discovered in 2021. So in case you happen to be looking for something to direct your eyes (or industry awards) towards, here are my recommendations. As always, I'm not limiting this list to things that debuted in 2021, just things I watch/read/played for the first time last year. 

Movie of the Year: The Mitchells vs the Machines

This film continues the innovation and heart first shown in Spiderverse, establishing Sony's position at the forefront of the American feature animation scene. It's probably the funniest movie I've seen in a decade, with absurdly dumb, smartly utilized jokes that hearken to the directors' days on Gravity Falls. I was worried that I liked the movie only for artsy reasons (art-school protagonist, innovative use of CG reminiscent of watercolor mixed-media) but its multi-week tenure on Netflix's top ten speaks to its widespread appeal. In addition, my mom was recommending this movie to everyone she talked to, a rare and sacred honor. This movie knows how to flip between being as zany as possible during action-comedy sequences, and as real as possible during the family scenes. If it doesn't win the Oscar, I will flip. 

Show of the Year: Centaurworld

This may be because I don't watch a ton of TV any more, but I felt like this was a weak year for animated TV. Many good shows (Hilda, Bluey, Mao Mao:HoPH) were in their between-season hiatuses, with only Amphibia holding down the fort with its killer season finales. However, Centaurworld's first season stood out with an incredibly satisfying story set in an incredibly weird and song-filled world. Kimiko Glenn and Megan Hilty are just fantastic as the show's leads, providing such life to the character dynamics and the show's soundtrack. It's with great regret that I say that Season 2 falls vastly short of its predecessor and instead plays out like an awkward fanfiction dotted with decidedly un-catchy songs. I don't really know what happened there, but Season 1 is good enough, and self contained enough, to establish Centaurworld as a great offering from Netflix Animation and my pick of the year. 

Note 2: Aquaman, King of Atlantis is a STRONG runner up and since I don't think it got enough love, I'm plugging it here. 

Book of the Year: Watership Down

You can find my full review here, but this was easily my favorite book I read this year. It has such a well-balanced sense of scale - both in the physical setting and worldbuilding. Nothing feels too sprawling or extraneous, so the author gives you permission to care about each detail he provides. And these are details you're gonna want to care about - daring escapes, bunny politics, prophecies of doom(!?!) The adventure is grand, the in-world fables are highly enjoyable, and the characters are rabbits. What more can you want from a book?

Game of the Year: Villainous

Whaaaaat??? A Board game as a game of the year??? Luckily for me, I wrote this category vague enough that I can do this. Try and stop me. You can't. 

Vindictive arguments with incredulous (and imaginary) readers aside, I got so much enjoyment out of this well-illustrated game based on Disney's more nefarious cast. This game succeeds due to its balance of story and complexity. Each character/player has a different win condition based on the villain's cinematic plot. As Cruella, you'll have to search out and capture puppies across various locations. As Scar, you'll knock off Mufasa (and then enough of his allies) to secure your rule over the realm. As Prince John, you simply need to collect enough "beautiful, lovely taxes! Ah ha." All these various systems are housed within a streamlined core ruleset - uncommon for an asymmetrical game like this. Learning the different villain plots is the most complicated part, but there's enough similarities between them to make this game easy to pick up without losing any replayability. 

Newsletter of the Year: Animation Obsessive

(2021 BONUS CATEGORY!!!)

This year, as part of a general move towards the analog, I got really into newsletters as a preferred social media. (I even tried my own! Sorry for putting it on hiatus, guys) If you have an email, and are interested in animation at all, I recommend subscribing to Animation Obsessive. They provide some of the most well researched dives into the craft of animation (weekly!) This is some intelligently written stuff, nearly academic and yet instantly approachable. They cover animation of all types, from all places, and dang do you feel cultured after reading it. At times when I don't feel like an artist or I lose my faith in animation, I read AO, and instantly I'm back in art school - informed on what's new, a bit snobby, and ready to make something.

***

For me personally, last year pivoted around my graduation from college, and all the rippling effects and changes and responsibilities that come with it. And boy did I complain and fumble my way through it. Complaining and fumbling, people. After a leisurely summer of working on personal projects while housesitting, I got a major case of lifestyle whiplash in October, when I got my first fulltime job, first apartment, and the very, very minimal amount of free time that accompanies such responsibilities. There's a lot of college luxuries that I found myself wistfully gazing back upon: free time during the sunlit hours, a focus on creating personal art, and the ability to travel to name a few. I've now gained a great respect for grown-ups (especially those with kids??? how??), a great nostalgia for the easy days of college life (wow, that was early), and a great case of sleep deprivation (uh oh). 

I spent the beginning part of 2021 preparing to leave Nashville, and the second half coming to terms with staying here. This spring I said a lot of goodbyes. I was saying goodbye to the people who I had walked with for the past four years - professors who built me as an artist and the friends who'd built me as a person. I had a lot of lasts. Last Caricature Show. Last Five Minute Film Festival. Last college class. Yet the despite the sadness that accompanied this departure, I felt like it was time. Like the Elves, Frodo, and Gandalf, my time in my old world had come and gone. I didn't recognize most faces on campus anymore. My skills were ready to be tested out there at An Animation Studio, where I would begin the next phase of my education. I was ready to drift into campus legend as "that weird guy who always had long hair and sandals" and go tread those sandals elsewhere. During all of the covid-time I had been building up a mighty thirst for adventure, and no place seemed too far away. I'd go to LA, Brisbane, Kilkenny - whatever it took. I was going to "make it," and hopefully draw some new coastlines, pay with new currencies, and create some new stories along the way.

But just like an awkward partygoer, I found I had said my goodbyes a tad too early. As the year went on, I struggled to leave town. A few key things were holding me back. One was my commitment to finish Bearpuncher, my thesis film. While in school I had bitten off way more than I could chew and had prioritized lifestyle rather than making art, which left me with plenty still to do. However, I had made a commitment to finishing it, which felt like something I could do given that I had no job offers coming in (second reason to stay). Although I got really far in the interview process at DreamWorks, my applications remained fruitless. This barren ground would later blossom into a position working at Shining Isle, which has been an incredible experience. Less than six months out of school, I now find myself working in animation, which is incredibly uncommon. Even more uncommon is the studio's location - just south of Nashville. This has left me free to stay in touch with all my good friends, and to continue being blessed by the community we've been building here (third reason to stay). I'm writing this now in my first apartment, nary two blocks away from campus. I can even hear the Lipscomb bells ringing out on the hour (which I do not begrudge, I'd always like to live in a place with bells.) Despite all the obvious goods of this familiar location, I remained haunted by the fact that it felt decidedly un-adventurous. What was I to do with the courage I had been building, an appetite that called out for the strange and new?

I guess what I learned this year is that for as much as I idolized the idea of the adventure of life, I don't get to be the person who draws the maps. Instead, my role is to chart the best course within them. For as much as I admired the Fellowship, courageously carrying the ring to Mordor, I had forgotten that Frodo never asked for such a quest. Sure, I wanted an adventure, one with excitement and challenge and risk, but ultimately one that built the skills I already wanted to learn, took me to places I already wanted to go, and satisfied the ambitions I had already set in place. But I'm not sure adult life, or adventures work quite like that. 

Looking out a the beginning of 2021 I was unsure of the "terrain" of my life. Where would I be living? Who would I be working for? And my college friends - would we be able to stay in touch? And although I've now found the answers to those questions, they didn't all come from me. They came from covid restrictions, community blessings, application rejections, job offers, and ultimately, God's plan. 

Now looking out on 2022, I've scouted out the terrain, but now need to decide what route I'll be taking. I know what I'll be doing this year, but what do I want to do? Are the grand ambitions I coddled in college worth keeping around? What am I willing to give up to be an artist - and is it worth it? 

For despite the big, existential questions that usually resurface when writing for my blog (or watching tick, tick... BOOM!), my day-to-day life in 2021 was actually pretty fantastic:

• I practiced hospitality now that I had my own space
• I learned how to cook all kinds of new things
• I have several artists in my life who could make great mentors and help me learn
• I have a fantastic community of artists and non-artist peers who encourage me every day
• I learned what it takes to get hired in animation
• I joined in on the sea shanty trend, an ashamedly non-hipster move for me
• Also started listening to a lot of musical soundtracks
• I'm officially in the time of my life where I get to attend a bunch of weddings, and even co-best manned in one
• Had a big Italian phase this summer after watching Luca
• Had a big Lord of the Ring phase this fall because I want to live in the Shire
• I ran my best 5k ever, placing surprisingly well in my age group
• Went on big, adventurous trips to the Smoky Mountains and the Virgin Islands
• Spent months primarily working on personal work
• Polished my swing dancing skills alongside a live big band
• Got really into board games
• Ate tacos on Mondays
• Played trivia on Tuesdays
• Got to the final round of internship interviews for a LA studio
• And then actually got a job in animation, for a studio that admires the good and true and beautiful

It's tough to reconcile the everyday goods with the big-picture worries. It's going to be weird to pass from a year characterized by transition, potential, and instability into one that promises to be predictable, defined, and stable (at least in my personal life. The world at large is still pretty wack.) I'm still not used to it, still just as bad with commitment, but I'll keep on fumbling my through it. I'm thankful for where I'm at, excited to see what's next, and ready to keep on learning. I may have finished my formal education, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I still have more to learn than ever. 

To learning, to fumbling, to good cheer and the friends that walk with us.

To 2022!

-dh

Daniel vs. the Future

 

east nashville clouds

Hello Bloggerfolk!

After one of the longest breaks this blog has ever seen, I am back with your typically scheduled life-update-y kind of post that you've come to expect (and maybe dread? or cherish?) I promised myself that I wouldn't be one of those bloggers that leaves school, gets a job, and then never blogs again. (That's the very fate that befell this blog's spiritual ancestor, RIP) But now I see why that happens. Priorities get more intense, no one tells you how to manage your time, you decide to start watching Parks & Recreation on a more than regular basis... you know, all the usual things.

Also, while I've had my fair share of blog-worthy crises this summer, I've found that a lot of my post-college problems cannot be so easily discussed in such a public place. Therein lies the paradox of the personal blog. I want to be as honest as I can here so I can best represent and remember the reality of my journey through the arts. Yet I don't really want to do a career/social nosedive by putting everything out there. This is the third time I've rewrote this post, and I still don't know if it's really going to stick the landing. Which sucks, because I've had a lot to think about this summer. And I could have used some self-indulgent bloggy processing. 

I've been thinking a lot about the idea of "liminal space" - the hallway between the doors, the muggy thunderstorms between summer and autumn (which have begun to roll in recently.) This summer has been a rather comfortable liminal space between what I expect to be two big seasons of my life. College is over, but at the same time, my career hasn't really yet begun. I'm in Nashville, so things are familiar, but my routine is different. Everything has been characterized by a vague sense of non-commitment. I've been housesitting, living at home, staying in Airbnbs, and moving places about every two weeks. I get to try new grocery stores, new neighborhoods, and new restaurants. Each place has its own unique delights: farmer's markets, trains rumbling past, thrift stores, pools, expensive grills. Grounding it all has been steady hangouts with consistent group of friends. These summer nights have been full of board games, swing dancing by the river, and jamming to "Come on Eileen" just one more time. I've been learning how to cook, hosting my first dinner parties, and making pies and smoked BBQ. And for weeks, the setting sun glowed a coral pink (brought on by the California wildfires.)

It's been a pretty great summer, but not one that can last. 

Because eventually one has to commit. And to be honest, the idea really spooks me. I've dreamed up all these big dreams that don't fit neatly into your usual 9-to-5 job, 12-month-lease kind of living - like biking across a state, finishing a much-too-ambitious short film, or staying for a few months in a totally new place. These are the kind of dreams that are easy to make while in school and/or unemployed, which has been the case for most of my life up to this point. Yet the reality of being an adult means that I need to provide myself with food, gas money, and some semblance of stability. 

In addition, I would, you know, like to work in animation which means committing to a season, crew, and studio. Despite there being an allure surrounding the infinite potentials that "Looking for Work" can bring in, I think "Now Making the Work" is the real stuff. Within the next few months, I'll need to decide where I'm going to live, and what work I'm going to do. Two choices that will shape the next year of my life, and possibly much, much longer. I don't think I've made a decision this big since deciding on a college in high school - and it's kind of freaky!

Huge, life-changing doors seem to open and close without my permission. I firmly believe that where there's a will there's a way, but as I look out on my post-college future, some of my biggest decisions appear to be deciding themselves for me. Some might find this to be a relief. Yet as a planner, prone to selfishness, and with a pretty definite (hypothetical) plan for how I thought post-grad was going to look, it's strange to find that I'm not the only author of my future. Covid restrictions, studio needs, pure luck, and ultimately God's hand are all coming together to shape what my story is going to look like. And they all don't seem to ask for my opinion very often. As a Yiddish proverb goes, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.

Some of my older and/or wiser readers may have already figured this out and have been smirkingly shaking their heads at my youthful pride. As you well should. But for me, this has been a summer of realizing that the future refuses to fit neatly into any of my own expectations. I do expect to look back later and find that it was in an unplanned way better that what I had envisioned, but right now I may just need to stop running from it. 

Summer is ending. School is starting. Not for me though, which is so weird. And for the past few weeks I have been paid to draw delightfully wicked animal characters for a show here in Nashville. It may not have been what I expected, but I won't deny that it's good. Or that God is good. Cause He is ;)

I've got a few art-tutorial type posts in the works, and then maybe another life update where I will have made more decisions, finally talk about this studio/job I keep hinting at, and have gone camping or something. Who knows! It's the future. 

Until then,

-dh

Father Thomas McKenzie: In Memoriam

something a little different, and more somber. remembering the life of  father thomas mckenzie, priest of my nashville church.

father mckenzie offering drive-thru communion during the pandemic, no matter the weather

In his Lenten devotional book, Father Thomas McKenzie described people who petitioned the Desert Fathers of the church for a "word" - a proverb, a piece of teaching, an insight. While I never got to know Father McKenzie personally (apart from a singular luncheon at his favorite restaurant, Baja Burrito), I've benefited from being a receiver of his word for nearly my entire college career. 

It was freshman year, and I was seeking a church home in my new town, perhaps the most surprisingly difficult part of college life. After a brief stint attending an Eastern Orthodox church, I returned to Church of the Redeemer, which I had visited a couple years before. Ashamedly, I had first visited in hopes of seeing a certain Nashville celebrity, but what drew me back this time was someone different. I had gone to church my whole life, but only one person had really made me listen. And that person was Father Thomas McKenzie. 

That's because Thomas was a master of sermon form. Every one began with a story from his personal experience. He had the double gift of both remembering large swaths of his life in great detail and pulling insights out of it years later. These stories ranged from wearing mildew-soaked t-shirts, finding a skeleton in a desert wash (at least, I think he did that), to blowing up a gas station (which he definitely did, though accidentally.) These stories were of course a not-so-subtle way of ushering us into his sermon, but as many times as he said "...and to do that, I'll need to tell you a story about..." it never got old. Buoyed by a single glass of water - and no notes - Thomas consistently called the hearts of his parish into God's kingdom every week. He spoke clearly and with conviction - never was it insincere, and his points were organized enough to be evident, yet natural enough to feel like a regular conversation. To me, his most memorable sermon was on Isaiah 42:3, in which he revealed the character of Christ and challenged me to extend more grace to others. I'm not alone in saying this, but he truly was my favorite person to hear the Gospel from. 

Because that was really what it was all about. His conversations, his sermons, his life. No matter whether he was speaking from Ezekiel or John, you could expect each sermon to end in the same place: the Gospel. As a storyteller himself, Father Thomas would trace each idea back to the story he most truly believed in. And by returning to Christ again and again each week, Father Thomas was steadily directing attention away from himself and to the Gospel. Despite writing a definitive book on Anglicanism, despite being the charismatic leader of a healthy church, he somehow kept his head and shunned his pride. 

And beyond that, he just made being a priest cool. He was all in - I think I only saw him once not wearing his white collar, and he could throw Christmas trees into the annual bonfire and make humorous quips with equal ease and charisma. He loved the vastness of the desert and the intricacies of popular movies. He was not a priest sacred and removed from his congregation, but instead one of the most understanding allies willing to go right through the messiness of ordinary life with anyone who asked.

Despite going to a Christian college, Father Thomas and his ministry were my main source of spiritual growth and pretty much the only thing keeping college from being the period of spiritual drought that it often threatened to be. I was always a little disappointed whenever Father Thomas would go on sabbatical since it meant I wouldn't get to hear from him for a while. And as he now enters his Sabbath Rest, it's hard to imagine not receiving more of his bold, witty, and insightful words for the rest of this earthly life. 

if you'd like to know more about father thomas, you can hear one of his best easter sermons here, and the gas station story here.

Goodbye, Lipscomb (Or, Into the Interim)

So this past weekend I graduated from college.

Wow.

It's still taking a while to sink in completely, especially since the transition has been so gradual (and is in fact, still continuing!) There was the last in-person class, last online class, last exam. A goodbye to these friends, those friends, visiting family, and a muted goodbye to those who will be staying in Tennessee with me for the next little while. And throughout it all, there was way too much excellent food, many excuses to dress nice and wear suspenders, and enough beautiful weather for the first in-person graduation since Covid. As the bagpipes processed down the arena floor during commencement, I thought back on unlikely friendships, nights in my oddly nostalgic 1990's era dorm, laughter and struggle and tacos every Monday. 

What an incredible four years. 

It's no understatement to say that Lipscomb built me as an artist. Unless we're counting the influence of Steven Universe or the precious few principles I was able to remember from my single high school art class, I learned everything right there on campus. It's where I discovered (and sometimes met!) my art heroes. It's where I first learned about gesture and design. And most importantly, it's where I found a community of people who care about cartoons (and each other) in a real, inspiring way. I still remember the moment when I knew I was among my people - stepping into the (now repurposed) animation lab in Hughes and seeing Bill Cipher on the whiteboard as Sam and Naomi showed me their work. Grown adults, talking intelligently about cartoons they liked! That was something I never experienced in high school, and a blessing I've been able to share for the past four years. 

lu animation seniors class of 2021

the one and only tom bancroft

My Lipscomb experience has been about more than just animation (insert liberal arts joke here). At Lipscomb I rediscovered a love for nature during an Aaron Blaise talk, Biology & Literature, and Ornithology classes. I learned what empathy really means as an RA. I went to Hutchmoot (two times! snuck in!) and Lightbox Expo. I've been a victim of the overflowing hospitality of the Warren, the Bothy, and Toad Hall (this is why you should name your houses, people). The people I met at Lipscomb number as my dearest friends, closest collaborators, and nearest confidants. 

And now that the fanfare is over, the feasts have been supped, and the celebration subsides, I find myself thinking - what now? In one way, I have a clear answer. My first order of business is to finish Bearpuncher. It's a monster of a project, but it's gotta be done, and be done well. And in a generous display of grace I'll be able to focus on it full time. Because until it's done, it will be hard to feel like I can really move on to the next step (and technically, I'm not graduated until I get summer credit for working on it.) So I'll be doing that.

Yet despite this, I still feel very much un-settled. I don't have a normal job to work at. I'm not in an apartment, or even back home in NC. My Disney mugs are boxed away in a storage unit. And my friends are off in their own homes, miles away. I don't have classes to ground me, a cafeteria to feed me, and a consistent place to stay. It's all those usual summertime feelings except I won't be heading back to campus in the fall. Although it was perhaps unrealistic to think that I would hop straight from college into a new studio, home, and rhythm of life... I still expected it anyways.  It's the end of the era, but the beginning of the next one is murky and uncomfortably gradual. Never have I felt the title of this blog to be more apt - I have entered the Wayfaring Years.

Lipscomb has been such a blessing, and it's hard to think that the future could be just as full of friendship, growth, and good times as the past four years have been. But I know I couldn't have imagined these four years while in high school, so I'm hoping my expectations for post-grad will be delightfully shattered as well. I don't know where my home will be, or what the future is like, but I'm excited to find out.

And while this is a goodbye to my time at Lipscomb, it's not a goodbye to the people I met there, especially my junior friends who are watching all of us old dudes leave. Still trying to figure out how to reconcile that paradox, but you will be the first to know when I do, because we will still be hanging out.

Onward!

your wayfarer-in-chief,

dh

day 1

fin

Fest Zest

fest friends

About a week ago (I am much behind on my blogging!) was the culmination of the Lipscomb Film Calendar, the Five Minute Film Festival. The weeks leading up to the festival were stressful to say the least - even though I knew that Bearpuncher didn't have a chance of being finished in time, I caught a lot of secondhand diligence and anxiety from the Juniors who were working so hard to wrap their films. With the finish line for Bearpuncher being easily 4 months away, it was fun to vicariously have one last go at the finals hustle while also putting in additional hours on BP. The night before the fest I stayed up most of the night with the Juniors, waiting for the moment when we would export the final and celebrate. When that moment did come at 8:30AM, the celebration was postponed in favor of naps. 

But celebrate we did! That evening we gathered the crews of Sketchy Dealings, Home Slice, Chupacabra, and Bearpuncher together for a real good time. (Those films will be linked once public videos go live) Aedan Peterson gave a fantastic Fox-ian toast which really drove home what a blessing it's been to be a part of this community for four years now. The experience was such a shift from last year's festival. Even though it was still livestreamed, our room of excited, over-tired animation students burst forth into raucous applause anytime an animation professor or film appeared on screen. Applause so loud, in fact, that we got a noise complaint halfway through and had to end the evening most quietly. 

Unfortunately the awards announcement was a little more... complicated than last years. With seven animated nominations in the running (the most ever!) competition was at its tightest and some of the judges' choices seemed baffling. But nevertheless Lorna represented the seniors well by being the only one of us to finish (so far!) and by winning first. (An early version of Bearpuncher actually placed second, assuaging some worries about the general weirdness of the story and revealing that I GOT to finish it now)

The evening ended with an unofficial afterparty in the Shinn Center Event Space, karaoke to my new favorite Steve Taylor song, and Joel's legendary piano playing. Altogether an enjoyable evening - 10/10 would fest again. Even though I won't be nominated for future festivals (you know, with not being a student and all) maybe there will still be a chance for more celebration, more film, and more fest.

blessings to ya

-dh

A Full Heart at the End

So yesterday was my last caricature show at Lipscomb. And even though this year has been full of many “lasts,” this one hit me different. The caricature show is one of my favorite events of every year (four years strong!) and as I stand on the far side of my final show, I can’t help but look back with a full heart. The show and the Life Drawing Club have meant so much to me, and I hope to celebrate them richly, before passing them on into the capable hands of the underclassmen.

If it sounds like I’m talking about death, it’s because I am, in a way. Maybe it’s just the timing of this post (Holy Saturday), but I think there’s more here. This year will bring a fitting end to my time at college, and a way of life I’ve practiced for four years. Of course, I expect to see these people and places again, maybe even daily in the coming fall. But my home will be somewhere else, and I will be someone different. And as seniors leave and freshman come, there will be less and less faces at Lipscomb I recognize. It’s already happening now - at every meal, I’m lucky to see even one person in the cafeteria that I know. All year I have used the metaphor of the elves from Lord of the Rings to describe my predicament: although I have dear friends here in Middle Earth, the sea is calling and I dare not tarry longer than I ought. And we’re getting scarily close to the Grey Havens, my friends.

What hit me most was seeing Madi’s wonderful caricatures of the only four seniors to graduate this spring from our program. I could have sworn there were more, and yet here we are. Four graduates who have made it to the end.

Going to college is not a given. And I’m realizing now that graduating from college is not a given either. It’s taken late nights, scrambles for funding, more endurance than we could have thought possible, and yet, we’re here, together.

And that’s why I rejoice. This caricature show was amazing - lively crowd, great drawings, and the first time I’ve seen Jon Densk since the outbreak. It may be the end, but boy is it a happy one. Not all schools are open like Lipscomb, not all hearts are so merry, and not all friends will draw you sporting bright pink or slapping your knees in your apparently iconic laughing pose. 

So as tradition, here’s the caricatures I drew, and those drawn of me. Enjoy!

josie, good friend and bringer of thunder

eric stars, a fantastic teacher and production manager

brandon, always interested in how you are doing, in a genuine way

kaedan, the only person I know who can really rock a raccoon hat

full page of caricatures from rachel, I'm the one in yellow

so nice I had to post this twice (madi's)

me and (my long lost sibling???) josie - who also drew this

gratefully yours,

-dh

What Very Well May Be the Last Snow Day Ever

A Merry Bizzardmas to you, bloggerfolk!

I'm coming at you live from my couch where I am currently wrapped in a blanket, chai in hand, Nintendo winter music in ... ears? Outside the window, bitter drops of ice pretending to be snow are blissfully falling beyond the Christmas lights I have left up (and will continue to leave up, thank you). I have previously embarked on not one, but two walks through the snow. The roads are still totally white and I haven't seen a single plow (except for a bobcat trying its best in the parking lot). 

Today has been a good day. 

Yet despite the high level of coziness I am currently feeling, it saddens me to think that yet another thing Covid has taken away from us is the beloved snow day. I received emails last night delighting in the fact that my school's robust online infrastructure allows "learning to continue during these unforseen circumstances." Also, as I'm essentially a work-from-home-indie-animator right now (since thesis takes up 70% of my school time) it's hard to see why I shouldn't be working on my perfectly available, entirely defrosted Cintiq even if classes were cancelled. 

Are my days of enjoying snow days over? 

Not if I have anything to say about it. Because on some days, you must shake your fist, and in the voice of a disgruntled British office worker exclaim "hang productivity!!" And merrily go tromping off into the frozen wastes. Today I'm letting nature intrude into my daily schedule. The roads are bad, and the trees are pretty. I'm fairly certain between those two reasons everyone is justified to take the day off. Snow days offer us a renewed invitation to delight in our everyday surroundings, AND free up the time for us to do so. We may have lost the second part due to online learning, but I want to hold on to the first. I do hope we won't forget this hallowed tradition anytime soon, and I'll be doing my part to keep these finest days of winter more than just another workday. Come join me (outside, in the snow, rebelliously bucking society's expectations.)

Frost-fully yours,

dh

artsy pics or it didn't happen

PS

I yet again edge ever closer to needing to add a Works Cited to these posts, but if you want to hear someone who agrees with me offer a more logical argument in defense of the Snow Day, look no further.

Break out Even More Root Beer: It's Time for the Best of 2020

Well guys, we did it. 

It's the last day of 2020, and assuming that Chronos will let us move on from this year I'd say it's time for the annual recap! Say what you want about the arbitrariness of calendar years or resolutions, but I always find it nice to remember and recenter around this time, and take a look back on all the things that happened this year in my art and life. So break out the root beer, break out the popcorn, and let's take a precisely 12-month drive down memory lane.

At the beginning of 2020 I chose the word "equipping" to be my theme word for the year. Standing on the precipice of January 2020, what I expected to cultivate this year was a lot of artistic growth and a growing preparedness for my Big Jump into the Real World of Animation in 2021. I hoped to put myself in a great spot to get hired and move out into a life away from dorms and cafeterias and such. Of course, 2020 did not go this way. Despite animation being one of the few industries that has adapted readily to remote work, planning for the future still became more complex. How could I network now? Or stay motivated to put out work for my portfolios? Instead of equipping for the future, the year became more about surviving the present.

So 2020's theme word gradually vanished from my mind, more due to the state of the world rather than my own forgetfulness (which usually is the culprit). However, that's not to say that this year didn't have a theme. As I was forced to stay home and given more time to pursue my own devices, a strong sense of wanderlust grew inside me. It may just have been an equal and opposite reaction to the stay-at-home orders, but it felt timely, giving me the courage to dream big even when plans kept failing. I was now filled with the desire to adventure, and seek new connections and opportunities. I started biking around town. Dreaming about living and working in places even more distant than LA. Although still scary and now more uncertain than ever, the future now held an allure full of potential. Even though I didn't get an internship and feel just barely more equipped than I did last year, I feel like this sense of wanderlust gave me a passion and drive that will help me face the heightened challenges of living and getting hired in a post-2020 world. 

Art-wise, this year was defined by the Character Design Challenge and my two short films. Although I did do some sketches and fanart, most of my non-school artwork this year was concentrated on the eleven entries I made for the CDC. I started in February, when I made a commitment to enter every month for a year. And with only two entries left to finish, I may actually keep that resolution! Although this project hasn't been great for my portfolio (turns out recruiters don't really want to see various unconnected character designs), it's been great for my artistic development and experimentation. With almost every piece I feel like I've been trying something new stylistically, and have developed new techniques, brushes, and insights along the way. While I'm disappointed that these pieces aren't totally portfolio-suitable, I think they've done much in helping me define how I like to draw while adding to a quality body of work. I'm proud of these pieces, and hoping to put them all in a purchase-able book next year.  

Aside from the CDC, most of my time has been focused on the creation of Good Boy Richard in the spring, and now my thesis film in fall. It's required a lot of endurance, as I usually like to dash around to multiple halfway-done projects rather than commit to bringing one to full completion. With each of these films, it's required months of sustained attention to one story and style while ignoring the many fun other ideas that pop up to provide ready ground for my procrastination... I think all this will be good practice for studio work, especially showrunning. I've been thinking a lot about if I'd still like to be a showrunner, especially given my experience on GBR. Even though I really enjoyed directing, it's a lot of pressure and anxiety to bear, even without a network or executives to disappoint! 

My biggest new artistic influence this year was probably Anna Scott. I love the shapes she uses, especially with her human characters. For many of her projects she employs a very organic rendering approach that echos traditional media, since she'll paint over mistakes rather than erase them. It gives the piece an inherently mixed-media feel which I really like, and it can be done using only a few layers. I played around with this approach on my later CDC entries.  I went through a BIG Stasya Sher phase during the summer, and although I haven't referenced her much recently, I wouldn't be surprised if I circle back to her art at some point. And of course, Saira Vargas, Louie Zong, and Nicholas Kole continue to be touchstones that I reference frequently. One thing I'd really like to work on in the new year is drawing inspiration from artists who are not Contemporary Animation Artists, but a little bit farther outside my usual circles. I did a good job balancing my fanart/original art ratio this year (last year's goal), so maybe I'll have some luck finding new (yet chronologically older) influences in 2021!

As to be expected, I can't fit a year's worth of happenings into a few paragraphs, so here's a bullet list that encompasses everything else I forgot to mention! ;) 

• Discovered a core artist community on Discord
• Saw Cory Wong in concert
• Drove to LA on a cross-country roadtrip and
• Saw the Grand Canyon!
• Was able to spend lots of time with family
• Nashville had one of its worst years ever with tornado, covid, tax hike, and a bombing
• The Roost is now two years old
• The Lipscomb Life Drawing Club is still happening and now going into it's third year
• Got hired to storyboard 
• Read more books than usual
• Wore a mask more than usual
• Began work on my thesis film (after a year of light concepting and script-writing)
• Got featured in animation news! (for ASIFA scholarship)
• Won multiple awards at the Five Minute Film Festival
• Got to be a "panel guest" for the first time (at Nashville Film Festival)
• Made it through pretty much an entire semester in person during a pandemic
• REALLY enjoyed autumn this year. Good trees, fine colors *chef's kiss emoji*
• Got to interview with Cartoon Network

And now it's time for my media picks of the year! As usual, these don't have to be released in 2020, but instead are selected for their importance to my life over the course of the year. I heard someone else call this kind of list a "First Watch" list, which seems fitting since this is the year when I "first watched" these things.

Movie of the Year: WolfWalkers

It's no secret that I'm a fan of animal movies, and Cartoon Saloon movies, so it's probably no surprise that this was my favorite movie of the year. It's a bit less melancholy and thoughtful than some of the studio's previous work, but supplemented with a bigger boost of action and adventure. You can read my whole post about it here.

Game of the Year: Night in the Woods

The story and graphics make me feel nostalgic for the 2010s even though I hadn't played it until this year and the 2010s aren't really that far away. This game just has such a nice vibe. For the record, Hades is a close second and has better gameplay, but since it didn't hit me in the feels it's staying in second. Hades also hurts my hands due to its incredibly tense combat, and I don't want to reward that kind of behavior. 

Show of the Year: Taskmaster

Quite possibly the first time a non-animated show has held this position for me! And although I really liked Ducktales (read any post from May 2020 if you don't believe me), inconsistent story quality and soft-soap endings are keeping the ducks from the top spot. Taskmaster deserves the attention for doing the unthinkable: getting me to watch an hour-long, life action show consistently (even avidly!) It's a delight to watch, surprisingly funny, and a defining feature of my television watching this year. I've just made it to season seven and I can confirm that it is the best season. Mainly due to the genius of James Acaster. But season 1 is great too, which is really fortunate since it's a good point to start watching. (You know, being the beginning and all.)

Book of the Year: Lord of the Rings

After a particularly stirring discussion during my regular gathering of pipe-smoking friends, I started reading the Lord of the Rings during fall of 2019. (I was also tired of feeling like a poser while referencing hobbits on this blog.) While this could count as a 2019 book, I wrapped the whole trilogy up just after the first couple weeks of lockdown. And man, I don't think there could have been a better time to pick up this series! It's a lush, masterful tale about endurance in the face of despair. If you've already watched the movies, the books still have so much more to offer. A lot of it are names and histories that I will have no hope of remembering, BUT you get a stronger bromance between Gimili and Legolas, a much more haunting depiction of the Army of the Dead, and more British pastoral goodness than is possible to fit in a two-hour film (or a trilogy of two-hour films). 

* * *

As with anyone, 2020 has been a rough one for me, especially Fall of 2020. So many people who made college special to me either graduated, moved away, or grew more distant. In addition to this lessening of community, I also had my most demanding academic semester between thesis and Philosophy of Religion. And although still being in school has protected me somewhat, Covid has created dozens of lost opportunities and additional challenges, especially when it comes to my career. Yet I'm still grateful for so many things in 2020. I felt like I've had a bunch of wins in my art, from getting features in the CDC and ASIFA to even being contacted by one of my dream studios! And I feel like I grew as a person, now more willing to take risks and live life to the fullest. 

That mindset - a relish for life - was I think the greatest thing I got out of 2020. With so much of the larger world thrown into uncertainty, I found it a lot easier to appreciate the smaller, day-to-day aspects. I gained a greater awareness for the everyday pleasures of good food, good friends, and bike rides. A life-changing Biology and Literature class this spring gave me greater ability to see and enjoy nature. Despite the many frustrations and sadness around, I felt my ability to enjoy life deepen. I don't know, but I guess this year showed just how many good things I take for granted, and so when zoos and movie theaters and tacos with friends returned, I knew just how special they were. And those worthy, little joys of life became the bright spots in an often dark year. I do hope things get better soon, but I don't hope to forget this year. Cause despite it all, God's still been faithful. And we're still here together. 

Wishing all you guys the best in 2021 - Thanks for sticking around :)

-dh

"They say our tree may never grow back, but one day, something will. Yes, these crackles are made of synthetic goose and these giblets come from artificial squab and even these apples look fake - but at least they've got stars on them. I guess my point is, we'll eat tonight, and we'll eat together. And even in this not particularly flattering light, you are without a doubt the five and a half most wonderful wild animals I've ever met in my life. So let's raise our boxes - to our survival."

-Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fall is Here and My Paper has been Written

 Hellooo bloggerfolk!

Been a while, huh? I've been a bit absent for the last few weeks, mainly due to the oppressive dread of having to write a 3000 word paper on religious philosophy. Usually I don't mind the fact that Lipscomb is not an art school, which means I have to take a decent amount of non-animation classes. But this semester I stumbled into senior level philosophy class and it has been a bit much to handle, especially because every minute I spend on it is time I'm not spending on my thesis film... which is pretty frustrating. I also haven't had to write a paper this long since high school, and just like high school the weeks leading up to writing the paper have been filled with procrastination, dread, and what feels like too many things to balance. Not gonna lie - I've had a kinda low last few weeks while I've been trying to get this paper written while still creating new work for thesis, and maintaining a social life. I've tried to make the best of it, using the paper as an excuse for me to read Madeleine L'Engle's Walking on Water (definitely worth a read, by the way!) But I can't escape the fact that it's just a massive amount of work to do for what is my lowest priority class. HOWEVER yesterday I finished the rough draft of this dumb-butt paper and I'm ready to have my life and time back again. And ready to write about things that don't require Chicago-style citations. 

Like Fall! Which is here in Nashville and it is Glorious. I had forgotten the joy of watching maple trees fade in soft gradients of yellow-green to burning orange. Oftentimes you can find me gazing up from beneath their branches and trying to take moody photos with my Iphone camera. As my time spent in the animation lab grows greater I frequently break it up by taking a walk on my traditional loop around Crisman, where most of the best trees are visible (catch me there, Lipscomb friends).

moody

I'm still (just barely) finding time to keep up my CDC contributions - September's was Aztec Warrior and since most of the entries were tending toward the strong, muscle-y, and/or sexy, I decided to go in a direction that was... not any of that. I was also inspired by an illustration of the typical Aztec foot soldier who only wears a padded cloth shirt and loincloth, which seems like not a whole lot of protection. Since I've been studying Anna Scott this past month I tried to channel a bunch of that research into the design, really getting funky with the stylization of the hands and feet (which are probably my favorite part of the piece). As usual, rendering was heck but after SEVERAL failed attempts I got to this place, which I was pretty happy with:

It didn't really make a splash on the Facebook group, but I don't do this for the glory (well not in my better moments, anyways). Next month is Yokai and Kami, which should be an easy one for me, but I'm feeling particularly uninspired after seeing Stasya Sher's entry which is everything I would have wanted to do, and she went ahead and done did it! 

more fall photos as a not so subtle transition into an unrelated topic

On an unrelated note, I've picked back up my hobby of being worried/excited about the future! I had actually kind of put it down for a while following a pretty harsh (yet needed and informative) portfolio review that happened to coincide with a growing sense of general disillusionment. Recently I've just felt a little burned out when it comes to my prospects of getting (and maybe even enjoying) a job at a major studio, and especially the idea of living in LA. And I think I've also grown more comfortable with the idea of doing animation just for the joy of it, and the art of it, rather than as a fanboy doing animation on a specific show/studio that I really love (though honestly that would still be most preferable). I'm also at a time in my art journey where I love to experiment, to do storyboarding AND prop design, and I'm not sure I want to get pigeonholed so quickly into doing only one kind of thing (which is usually the case at a large studio). Funny how as I get closer to working at a studio and actually Doing the Thing my feelings become more complicated and my heart a little more jaded - but I guess that's only to be expected :P I think it's also a result of me looking for work in the wrong places. A recent talk with Max Ulichney in Portfolio Dev class really opened my eyes to the benefits of smaller, less corporate studios which I think could be a good fit for my interests, and offer a greater range of places to live post-grad. In particular, Ludo Studio and Cartoon Saloon have been dazzling me with their recent work (so excited for Wolfwalkers BTW) and would offer the chance to live abroad which I think would be just so cool. And so now I'm excited to apply again! Which is a welcome change of pace since these applications take a lot of energy and time and emotional fortitude as you stare that oncoming wave of rejections in the face. But I shall stare nonetheless. 

I wish I had the time to talk more about art and less about me on this blog (a masterful balance that Nicholas Kole achieves on his blogspot) but honestly this thing is mostly my journal and after a month-long absence I just have some life-stuff I need to log first. This blog helps me remember how I felt at different points in my art journey, and I think it's good for me to remember being a somewhat jaded, rather unsure senior during covid-times. Maybe I'll look back someday and laugh. Hah! 

As always, thanks for reading this blog and staying involved with my art journey - glad to have you along for the ride and I'm excited to see where this crazy thing is gonna go :)

May you continue to weather these times with grace, courage, and creativity!

-dh

Music Recommendation: FALL JAZZ. It's like Christmas music, but for fall. I had no idea there were so many jazz songs about fall. Or that "Autumn Leaves" had lyrics. Good music for warm colors and cold rains. I've been using this playlist here-

Last First Day (of school) Ever!

Hi all!

No art to post today, just wanted to write a little something to mark the occasion - it's my last first day of school ever! Senior year has begun, and I'm off to a roaring start with ... just one class to attend today. Just like everything else this year my class schedule is a bit wonky - with three of my classes meeting only once a week, this semester is gonna require a lot of discipline in order to stay on track and make good use of the numerous and lengthy plots of free time I expect to find dotted across my schedule. 

But I do have art on the way! I've been working on this month's Character Design Challenge while not working move-in shifts and I think she's almost done! The prompt this month was "animal skatepark" - after last month's disappointing/challenging fairy prompt, I felt like they were really throwing me a bone with this one. Speaking of that fairy prompt... I don't think I ever posted it here! So ha - we DO have art to post today!

Anyways, animal characters are much more my cup of tea. I've even been getting some help from John Loren (resident jellybots discord teacher and paint-over master) who helped a ton with my dino rider design a couple months back. Should be good!

So far school's going fine (thanks for asking!) but it's really too early to tell. Unfortunately covid has taken a lot of the oomph out of the celebratory start of the year but we're hanging in there and actually going to class! Which, in this crazy world, is kinda a Big Deal. And in RA meeting tonight we had a words of affirmation session which was just what the doctor ordered after a long and very draining move-in week. So I'm feeling a little warm and fuzzy right now, and full of cheap Monday-night tacos. Not a bad way to start a year! 

To my fellow students, best of luck! May you continue to weather these times with grace, courage, and creativity.

-dh

Checking In with a Troll

 Hi all!

I wanted to make a little post since I recently drew this guy and wanted to share him here:

i just think he's neat

He's my design for a Hilda troll - the show's social media was doing a trolls design challenge and it was the perfect low pressure prompt to fit in while on the many breaks that have been happening during RA training. A combination of mostly online training sessions and a new RHD with a different leadership style have meant that we have a surprising amount of free time (which was NOT the case last year). In reality, there are very few things that are like last year. And it's been tough! Some of my favorite RHDs (RA bosses) quit and moved off campus, my best friend resigned from being an RA and moved off campus, and of course there's loads of covid info and worry to deal with. I'm also adjusting to wearing a mask throughout much of the day which was not the case at home... 

Around this time last year my work involved a lot of furniture moving and physical exhaustion, but this year's burden looks to be more on the emotional and mental side. There have been some tough days, some real downer Zoom training sessions, and it's weird being on campus yet still being so isolated from the other RA teams. It's not going to be like junior year, and that makes me kinda sad. Cause junior year rocked. I got to make a short film, hang out with a large RA community, go to plays and christmas tree lightings and Hutchmoot. And this year just seems ... not like that. 

Funny how all the optimism and gratitude of my previous post would be tested pretty much immediately - I guess it's one thing to be excited about returning to community but then another stay excited when that community is much different or less than you imagined. It's a challenge to be grateful for the food when you're still a little hungry, if you know what I mean. 

Some things are like last year. I've had several long talks with old friends. The girl RAs are putting up with building frustrations and general chaos. Despite being a new hire the the Johnson RHD makes things feel just like they used to be with her overflowing (even if unintentional) sense of humor. And I think as move-in day gets closer, and with it my animation friends, things may start to feel less strange and worrisome. As I watched the animation upperclassman zoom the other night I was reminded that this week of training isn't college. College for me is RAs and animators. And musicians. And everyone else who makes up campus that is not here yet (which this year, will include my brother!) And even those off campus who have made this time feel special. 

This school year is going to be different, and hard. It may not even be all on campus. But it's the year we're given. I'm going to mourn the loss and seek the present joy, strive for contentment and yet avoid apathy. I won't do it perfectly, and I'm really hoping the adventurous and even optimistic attitude I cultivated during the summer won't vanish during this new season. Cause despite it all, I'm still really excited about the future. I still want to get out there, live life, and draw All the Things. It's just difficult to balance that with all the caution (both well-advised and excessive) that's telling me to stay in, lock down, and wait this thing out. 

I'm not going to attempt to resolve that moral quandary now, but will be figuring it out with each new day here on campus - and hopefully there will be many. To my school friends - I'm excited to see you guys soon!

May we continue to weather these times with grace, courage, and creativity.
-dh

Show Recommendation: I've been watching the British comedy game show Taskmaster a TON over the past month. Although the humor may feel a little foreign at times, watching entertaining people finding inventive ways to tackle crazy tasks makes the show a fun watch for anybody! The show's official account has put several seasons on YouTube for free, so you don't need to pay a subscription or resort to piracy to watch it!

The End of the Longest Summer

dino racers - july's CDC

I've now reached the end of what has been my longest and last summer break ever. (And I'm counting March, April, and May as part of this summer, because my mind was totally on summer break the second I was sent home from school.) It was wonderful to spend so much time with my family, work on personal improvement, and play a delightfully large amount of badminton games under the sunset. Of course, Covid sucked, the news was bad, and I've lived in constant threat of my senior year being cancelled. But I'm tried my darnedest to make lemonade out of Covid-lemons. (you should probably not drink that lemonade, by the way.) 

This has actually been one of my most productive summer breaks ever, perhaps because I set weekly and monthly goals rather than summer long ones (which gave me much less time to procrastinate). I had the time to read a few books (last two Lord of the Rings, Adorning the Dark, Desert Solitaire, and the Wind in the Willows). I'm actually quite happy to look back on the three online classes, five character design challenges, sundry fanarts, and various portfolio pieces I was able to do. Maybe I'm becoming more adult? Or better at keeping deadlines? Or maybe it's just the benefit of being given a few extra months and being forced to spend them at home without friends? Who knows. But as someone who places a lot of value on achievement and doing and progression, it's nice to see that I didn't just sit on my bum all this summer.

In fact, I went to the opposite extreme. Being stuck at home produced very strong urge to get OUT and live life in a way that was full, exciting, and fulfilling. This was satisfied in small ways by running and biking and exploring new areas of my rural neighborhood before it becomes fully developed and paved over by actual neighborhoods. And also in big ways, like driving across the United States and seeing the beauty of the desert for the first time. Which, ironically, involved a lot of sitting on my bum. 

It's strange in such a dark time to see so many pinpricks of light. Lots of little wins, and happy days amidst the general chaos and frustration of this present era. I've been featured two more times on the Character Design Challenge site (and once on their Insta!), been offered a freelance story position, won an ASIFA scholarship, and got to try out for a very exciting super secret opportunity! 

I say all this not to brag, but to log God's faithfulness while in the middle of a very dark time. Perhaps I've been able to to see these evidences of God's faithfulness more clearly because the world has felt more crappy recently. Either way, God has been faithful, both in good times and bad. Praise Him! And if/when more bad times come, times when my work is seen by no one or I barely feel like working at all, I'd like to be able to look back at this post, remember, and hope. And rest in the assurance that my worth is not found in how much I do or create or win, but in Christ. Which is something that I tend to forget :P

Cause the future is very uncertain, and success is not guaranteed! I'm about to go into my senior year of school, and as if the question of where I will go after graduation wasn't uncertain enough, now there's Covid-world I have to deal with! But God has been faithful this summer, providing opportunities where there seemingly was none, and I'll have to see what He has in store for this next exciting stage of my life. It's sure to be an adventure, and after this summer, I'm ready for it!

But for the time being, I'm excited to go back to school and attempt to establish some level of community. That's probably what I've missed most about being at Lipscomb. I was thankful to find an online community to be a part of this summer (Nicholas Kole's Jellybots Crew), and would be remiss to end this article without talking about them. They've become my at-home-studio-mates, providing friendly advice and banter, and it's been refreshing to be part of an art community even while so distanced from my physical art community at Lipscomb. I hope to stay a part of this community even while reconnecting with my Lipscomb one. But I'm also very excited to get burgers and see faces and maybe even get a little annoyed when someone plays their music too loud in the art lab - you know, all the good things that come with a physical, in-person community. 

And to that note, I should probably go- I'm moving in today and I'm not going to take even moving boxes in the Nashville heat for granted. If this year is any example, nothing is guaranteed to us except God's grace, so I'm going to try to enjoy every second of it and every bite of cafeteria food. 

May you continue to weather these times with grace, courage, and creativity. Until next time!

-dh 

Music Recommendations: Most of Cory Wong's recent work has been fantastic, but I particularly like Bluebird. If you ever wanted to hear mandolin funk, here it is! I also listened to his breakdown video for the song, where he talks about his reluctance to follow up an incredible mandolin solo with a guitar solo of his own which (tangent time) is really similar to how I felt on my recent storyboarding job! Working alongside Naomi and Tim, both incredible artists and story people, I quickly started feeling like my scratchy, rather off model boards failed to live up to the appeal and charm of the rest of the storyboards. This may have been mostly in my head, since Tim and the director seemed fine with the quality of my boards (hard to tell exactly over email), but I couldn't help but feel a little out of my league. But as Cory says in the video, "it's not a competish." As long as my boards or his solo are contributing successfully to the impact of overall piece, it doesn't really matter whose particular parts looked a little bit better. They're all serving the same goal.

Good Boy Richard

At last year's Five Minute Film Festival I made a public promise that I would return with something, big or small, to show next year. I had no idea what that would be, and despite my grandiose plans for a junior year film (currently not a thing at Lipscomb) I expected to turn in some ramshackle joke of a film animated over a couple weekends. I could not have guessed that it would be my Storyboarding 2 final, brought to life by a team of close friends, with full background art and some of the best animation in the program so far. And I also couldn't have expected that the same festival, with the reserved tables (coveted) and awards speeches (joyous), would be transformed by a global pandemic.

Richard's production cycle has been full of highs and lows, and challenges from an artistic and organizational standpoint. I'm thankful we had so much time to work together in person, yet we did finish this film remotely, from several different states! And now it's out there in the world, on Youtube and Vimeo! I hope it brings you a laugh and smile. And it's an honor to be nominated alongside Sam Abner and Joel Guthrie, two of my biggest friend/mentors and actual geniuses. Whoever wins tonight, it's gonna be a great show.

I'll probably be posting some behind the scenes stuff over the next few weeks but as for now, here's the film! Hope you enjoy it, and please share it if you do! I'm praying that this film will be seen by the right people, and you and your friends may be just that!

Stay safe, and watch out for dogs with knives.

-dh

So Long, Junior Year

hello, summer? weird spring?

So they announced it today - school is cancelled. And not only that, but I've got to move out! And soon! I've been using my RA powers to hide out in my room over break, but Lipscomb's really taking a strict stance (warranted) and they want everybody outta here. And since I don't want to drive 7 hours back to Nash to get my stuff later, I'm just taking it all now.

It's all kinda ironic cause I just got back from a trip with some friends (related blog post coming shortly), had just bought some groceries and was ready to hunker down with some Zelda for the remainder of our Super Break. But this has just been the craziest time and twists like these are probably gonna keep happening until this virus gets the heck outta here.

Of course, school isn't really cancelled - we'll still have online classes. And junior year isn't really over.

But it does kinda feel that way.

I won't have access to lab equipment and software for the rest of the semester, so I don't know how much work I can be asked/expected to do... And I won't be able to hang out with college friends, or perhaps friends in general cause we will all be social distancing. And this will be my last night in my cozy little dorm room underneath my Princess Mononoke poster. I've really liked having a room to myself this year and I'll be very sad to leave this homely place...

But tonight we feast! Eat frozen pizza and drink copious amounts of marble soda! And make mug-cakes! As of now I have packed exactly one box and have already started procrastinating by writing this Roost post and taking pictures of my room. (sorry mom) I'm definitely bummed by the way things have turned out, but I've slowly been making peace and finding moments of joy along the way... Plus this turn of events should give me plenty of time to finish The Two Towers and Breath of the Wild.

Hope to talk to you guys again once I'm back in NC. Also hope Coronavirus will take the hint and realize that we don't want it to stick around anymore.

Stay strong, bloggerfolk -
dh