As I get back in the swing of things I realized it was time for an update. I usually try to update once a week, but I haven't had much to say... or at least I didn't figure out how to say it at the time. I guess the best way to break it down is, I got swamped! My Ko-Fi followers know I'm currently working on art for a new museum installation and that I plan on having an art table at a local convention in the late summer/early fall. I've been trying to make progress on both of those and it has taken away from my time to work on the comic. Things are easing up, so I want to devote more time to it, but I'm starting to realize I have to allow myself breaks.

The main thing I'm worried about is that if I don't update enough, people will lose interest. That causes me to get overly worried and then my brain shuts down and I can't do anything. I've been brainstorming on how I could get around this and I think I came to a conclusion.

I have a lot of stories in my mind. Most of them, I don't see me ever being able to make into comics. I mean, look how long Mixten Genetics is taking, but I still want to tell them. So, that in mind, I tried my hand at simply writing some down. Once they started flowing, I think they came out pretty well. Most of them are going to be set in the Mixten Genetics universe, primarily to flesh out some aspects of the world that I think would be too difficult to wedge in to a comic. I guess you could consider them extra lore. Going forward, I'm going to try to get out three Mixten Genetics episodes a month, maybe two in a busy month, but also put out one short story a month during the off time. I think by shifting between drawing and writing projects I can improve skills in both. Also, it's easier to sit down and write sometimes than it is to draw. Framing scenes is probably the toughest thing, as I'll lay out a scene and then change my mind meaning I have to start over. At least by having the comic AND my extended lore stories, I can keep content coming for my subscribers.

As for the stories, the first batch I'm putting out is meant to give a little insight into the group that is financing the Mixten Genetics lab. It's a darker story, but it is meant to show exactly what the stakes are. Something that won't become evident to Olivia for a while. I feel it gives insight into the events through two very different lenses, Olivia's which is more positive and defiant given she is just now finding herself in her weird circumstances.

The short story that is currently ongoing is "Fourth Chimera" and is following someone that, unlike Olivia, has been dealing with the trauma of her circumstances for years. You can read the story on Ko-Fi and eventually, I will probably find a place to host on the site as well at some point. 

It's been a slow road acclimating back to drawing. I alternate between being really busy and being crippled by art block. All day I'll be like, "when I get a chance, I'm gonna draw" then I sit for hours paralyzed. It's not like I don't know what I need to draw. I've written the pages, I've storyboarded 'em too, it's just when I get to the point of actually working on sketching I just get intimidated. I can feel myself worrying about everything, even though I have done the best I can to get myself into a mindset of "it's done when you're happy with it."

I think the biggest hurdle I have yet to be able to overcome is how excited I am for things that come down the line. There's so many things that happen in my story that I love so much, but I have to get to them and it feels like I never will. It just feels so far off and being a production crew of one is daunting. This is a big project, as some of my backers who've read ahead can attest to.

Don't worry though, I may be slow, but I'm not going to give up! I want this story to happen! I want these characters to get their time. It's weird to think about, but at this point they feel really real to me and it's up to me to make sure their story gets told. I'm doing this as much for them and what they represent as I am doing it for myself.

After spending way too much time on Twitter, I was made aware of another platform for hosting webcomics, NamiComi. I went through and added the back episodes of Mixten Genetics to the platform as, unlike Webtoon or Tapas, NamiComi has a section on the front page for "Recently Updated." I think that's awesome because that means I'll get a little promotion every time I post a new episode. Besides, it's not like it hurts to be even more widely available.

As I've added Mixten Genetics to the various other platforms, I've begun to question the point of also having it natively on my main site. I don't think it hurts, but I also think of the places one could read it, the main site is probably the least user friendly (with the exception of maybe DeviantArt). Part of that lies with the host I use and partially the fact that the various webtoon platform's image requirements don't translate great to my site. I may have to make some adjustments, but I'll keep brain storming on that. Again, I'd prefer to have the comic available across multiple platforms I just need to find a good common ground so all platforms can shine.

I will say, I REALLY like how NamiComi breaks up their arcs/volumes/etc. It's still in beta, but honestly, if I had known about it sooner it probably would have been the first outside platform I would have used.