Sensitivity Vs Productivity
One of the big things I have struggled with as a creator during the global Covid-19 pandemic is finding a balance between socially responsible marketing, and holding deadlines. More lucky than most, living in Ontario, Canada, I have not been witness to the horror of Covid like the USA and parts of Europe and China have. But to that end, I am also sympathetic to the idea that promoting my art and comics while people are in survival mode may come off as callus or socially inept from a privileged vantage point. I know the world is on fire. I know that we will go back to "business as usual" at some point. I know that keeping myself relevant in an always dynamic digital landscape of creativity is a chore on most good days. In the spirit of positivity, I have tried to keep my shameless self promotion to a minimum, and keep my content uplifting, but waving the happiness flag is still a very heavy lift these days.
Timing is everything
The other big struggle is holding the artists I work with to a scheduled deadline. While each country suffers during Covid differently, and the lovely ol' internet has made collaboration with other creatives a world wide landscape, holding deadlines is somewhere I have personally faltered since March. Even local artists that aren't suffering the physical impacts of the pandemic are going through the mental trauma of the global phenomenon and are struggling in their own way. Without conventions and with printings and events suspended for an unknown length of time, holding people that are already coping with many things unknown seems like an extra nail in the coffin of good writer/artist pairings.
The Show Must Go on
Writing and making books doesn't just stop while the world tries to heal from this, but compassion, understanding and flexibility (where able) is something we can all stand to benefit from. To that end, here are some wonderful people that I have had the honest pleasure of working with during this crazy time on upcoming books written by Allison Danger.
Variant Cover Artist for
Panel Artist for
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Theres a Tweet Storm Coming
Continue to follow local talent that would have been at this years Toronto Comic Arts Festival by following the hashtag #TCAF2020 on May 9-10 for the creator and festival tweet storm of many indie creators and books that are available online.