behind the scenes· ·3 min read
A few things
Excited to share this almost-done version of "Tryhard," a song that Lex and I created together:
I wrote the original melody and lyrics; he tweaked the melody, pushed me to write another verse, and did all the production. That guitar solo? 100% Lex. I am so lucky that he wants to collaborate and mentor me.
The album is progressing slowly, in fits and starts. I don't know when any of it will be ready for public release. But I'm happy that we're moving forward!
I uploaded October happy mail. Here is a list of all the 2022 PDFs so far:
Not including November since it hasn't been mailed out yet, nor December because I haven't compiled it yet! November's edition will be on the way this week. (Btw, you can find 2021 happy mail PDFs here + PDF version of "Completing a Creative Project.")
A dilemma: I'm increasingly fed up with the casual-printout format. Zines are typically ephemeral, but this school-handout style is too fragile. On the one hand, I hope you can readily discard the printouts instead of feeling obligated to stockpile them. But if you do want to keep them, the total lack of durability isn't ideal. Neither is it aesthetically satisfying.
I'm considering — keyword considering — upgrading to regular booklets, using hemp paper or similar for the covers. However, I'm wary of increasing the hand-labor involved. I would need to staple each zine myself (versus the copy shop automatically putting in corner staples) and figure out how to decorate the covers. Is that a wise idea, when I'm already challenged by the monthly deadline? We'll see. I might test it out in December.
Following up on a gripe from the last BTS note: To my astonishment, Okro came through! I'd become convinced that I got ripped off, but apparently they were genuinely taking a very long time to complete the commission. In fact, it's still not fully done, but these preliminary illustrations were delivered (might take a sec to load, large files):
Quite fun to examine full-size, there are lots of tiny details! Right-click + open image in new tab.
Not sure what I'm going to do with these. Okro plans make two or three finished drawings, but who knows when those will be ready.
That's a wrap for today. Complaints, suggestions, miscellaneous feedback? Hit reply and let me know. As always, I appreciate your support, financial and otherwise.
😘🐰
Birdies by Theodor Kittelsen, via Twitter (per usual).