11 Things
I'm Thankful For...
Hey there -
It’s Thanksgiving week, and I’ve been on a relentless promotional cycle, so I thought I’d give that a rest (mostly) and give some thanks.
Here are 11 things I’m Thankful For:
11. Perspective
Writer Rich Douek recently wrote a brilliant post on weathering the ups and downs of a creative career. This is the mantra I try to live by, but it’s nice to have a reminder every now and then:
10. Old Friends — And Reasons to Celebrate
I’ve been a fan of Ruth McKee’s work since I first met her my freshman year at NYU. Her latest post is a beautiful piece of writing that reminds us that a) every day is worth celebrating, and b) thirty years later, I’m still jealous of her ability to put together a sentence:
9. History
I recently picked up Rue Morgue’s Blood in Four Colors, an excellent history of horror comics, and not only is it informative, it’s a great advertisement for the medium and the genre (i.e., I’m buying waaaaay too many horror comics right now):
8. Comic Book Sales
Directly related to #9, I’m grateful that Amazon is having their 3-for-2 deal right now, which includes several volumes of DC Finest, such as their stellar collection of 70’s horror, The Devils Doorway:
7. Great Collaborators…and Backers!
Truly, I work with some amazing people, and I’m enormously grateful not only for them, but for the backers who come out to support each and every campaign. I say it in the first update of every campaign, but the best part of Kickstarter is the people.
6. Conventions
As I put together my con schedule for next year, I’m enormously grateful that these things exist so everyone in our weird little corners of fandom can celebrate. If I met you at a con, or you invited me to be a part of one, thank you!
5. Movies
The Mrs. and I have been faithfully trekking to the movie theater every Thursday for the last month, and these date nights are a highlight of my week. Watching a movie on the small screen doesn’t compare to the experience of seeing it in a packed theater.
This last month, we saw ROOFMAN, BUGONIA, FRANKENSTEIN, and WICKED: FOR GOOD. All solid choices for a night out.
And if you know me, you know I can’t wait to catch this one soon:
4. Priorities
A long time ago, I made the difficult decision to prioritize my mental and physical health over my career. It went against everything we’re taught about “hustle culture” and probably cost me a few opportunities…but it was 100% the right decision for me.
Former AJC Braves’ Beat writer Justin Toscano put it best in a recent post:
3. The Creative Community
OK, I know I said I wasn’t going to promote, but bear with me…
Indie comics is a great place to work, and it works best when you’re also promoting each other.
Our friends Kat Calamia and Phil Falco are live with “The Witches of Oz #1-3: IN KANSAS?! A Mature Sapphic Fantasy“!
We’ve partnered with Kat and Phil to offer an EXCLUSIVE CROSSOVER ART PRINT to anyone who supports both of our live campaigns at a Physical level (having some rewards shipped to you)!
This art by Alessandro Canzanella sees Carmilla with Glinda and the Wicked Witch in front of a Christmas tree and presents.
THE WITCHES OF OZ - “Glinda & the Wicked Witch are stranded in KANSAS! Can the two find Dorothy - and navigate their growing romantic feelings for one another - in a world without magic? Mature 18+”
So go support both campaigns at a Physical Pledge Level (having some rewards shipped to you).
And be sure to comment on the Witches of Oz campaign saying: “Carmilla sent me!”
CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE WITCHES OF OZ
And if you want Carmilla’s roundup of secret links again:
All secret tiers will appear as the first tier you see, marked “secret.”
For our discounted Mexifunk SFW tier…
For our discounted Flops SFW tier…
For our discounted Mexifunk NSFW tier…
For our discounted Flops NSFW tier, click here:
Promo over! See, it wasn’t so bad.
2. Kate
Enormously grateful doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel for my movie date/fellow baseball fanatic, who is more supportive of my strange little career than I could ever dream.
It’s been a while since I shared, so here’s her Ted Talk on Larger than Life Lessons from Soap Operas (now nearing 2 million plays on Ted.com!):
1. You
Thanks for letting me invade your inbox a few times a month. Without you, none of my comics would exist, and I’m forever grateful for your support.
Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone.
-Clay
Aw, I’m thankful for you!
Thankful to have you as a cool pal, Clay! Really enjoy seeing what you're working on and how creative your approach to horror comics is. Have a great holiday!