Book's Done(ish), Let's Party!
Whereabouts book release party, the home stretch, and working on a project for John Oliver.
Happy spooky season everyone! Hello from a drizzly, crisp Brooklyn. This update is coming in a bit late (sorry!) but I just wanted to wait a bit until we had more to talk about, and boy we do!
The last few weeks has been a frenzy between attending book fairs, juggling work, as well as printing, collating and now binding the big Whereabouts book. As of today we finally have some bound copies, so here’s a sneak peek!
So, when is it coming out?
Well! Next Friday, I’ll be throwing a book release party. Just a little bash to thank all the artists who worked on it and finally catch up with my friends. There will be a private screening of Whereabouts along with some copies of the book. Come stop by and grab a drink.
This event is limited to 50 guests! RSVP here ⭐
If you can’t make it out to the party, the book will be available at firstholdstudio.com on 10/27, 12pm EST~
How was the rest of the month?
One highlight is that I was lucky enough to work on another episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. I’ve worked The Void on and off since 2021, and it’s always a joy to animate such a fun and expressive character. The cherry on top is that I get to work with the folks at Nathan Love, so it’s just one of those unicorn jobs that don’t feel like work: great client, great project, and a great team!
The Void character is already so fun to draw, but this time, our producer snagged tickets for us to attend the taping for the episode we worked on. Thank you Allison!
It was surreal to see John perform live, and the episode we were a part of was the week Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off the air. It is one of the few times where I could clearly see the impact of something I’ve worked on, and it was powerful to witness.
In contrast, the weeks to follow have been a struggle. Whereabouts has been weighing on me mentally. I am wondering if all the hard work is worth it, especially when it feels like the festival circuit isn’t going well, and so much time, labor, and money is being poured into this story… It also still blows my mind that this has been my single personal project all year.
I’m definitely getting burnt out, and given everything going on with the Trump administration, it’s been hard to feel excited or optimistic about things. Life still feels so uncertain. And rejection can only be taken so personally; regardless of how good/bad my work is, there are always circumstances beyond my control.
However, I am feeling relieved that I’ve made significant progress lately, and that the book is ending up exactly how I imagined. Huge thank you to Kris, Yejee, Isabel, Laura for helping me collate, and Sabii for helping me jog + cut paper the other day! I still got my work cut out for me, but we might not have a copy bound by now if it weren’t for these lovely folks.💖
Whereabouts will also be in two screenings in November: Malt Adult #33 (Chicago) and The TAIS Animation Showcase (Toronto). It’s an honor to be a part of these programs, and this news is a bit of encouragement I needed this month! Still waiting to hear back about a few things, but I hope I can make it out to the TAIS screening. More concrete dates will be listed below.
For now, I am focused on binding the book, prepping for the party, and trying to rest a bit so I can properly celebrate next week! I’m also just trying to be better about asking for help… we all have our weaknesses, haha.😅
Upcoming Events:
November 6 - The TAIS Animation Showcase
November 15-16 - Weekend at the RisoLAB: RISO Animation Workshop
November 16 - Malt Adult #33 (Will not be there in person)
September Favorites:
Hollow Knight: Silksong - Need I say more? It is THE best game of the year.
Woodworking Workshop at Recess Grove - A couple friends and I tried their weekend workshop and I had so much fun!
California Dirt Pop-Up - A jewelry brand I’ve been eyeing made their way over to NYC. I love seeing artists who excel in multiple mediums 💅🏻
As always, thanks for reading! Hope you have a good Halloween. ‘Til next time! 🎃