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Carrion
Critters and places made of squares.

Captain Carrion @Carrion

Age 31, Male

pixel artist

デジタルワールド

Joined on 4/16/11

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New Year, New Projects.

Posted by Carrion - January 3rd, 2016


First and foremost, happy new year to all of my wonderful followers watching this. I hope you had a good one.

2015 was an eventful year for me, for better or worse.

Around this time last year I was given less than a months notice that I needed to find a new place to live. At the moment I was unemployed, rather depressed, and had been dragging myself through one of the worst artistic dry spells i've ever experienced. 

I packed my stuff up in my car, went to the cafe, opened up my laptop, and started drawing like my life depended on it. I made a massive amount of design mockups in order to put together a portfolio, hoping that i may be able to get a graphic design gig somewhere to make some quick cash. Unfortunately I was turned down by the firms I applied to. Rejection after rejection I was told that my work wasn't well suit for design, that it's too cartoonish or fantasy-like.

I had been up for four days straight, had only eaten a few lousy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches over the course of a week, and was feeling particularly useless. In a desperate attempt to crawl my way out of an art block, I created a picture called Unrest. This picture captured exactly what I was feeling in that moment. I felt engulfed by a fire perpetuated by misfortune that I brought onto myself. A flame composed of an anger towards my own laziness, apathy, and comfort. I was plagued by a fear of opportunity, and now only the ashes of that fear remain.

I promised myself that I would never compromise my integrity for petty comfort again. To never give up on my dreams because of the wishes of shitty family members, shitty friends, or my own shitty insecurities. When opportunity came to me, I wouldnt run and hide.

Shortly after that, some amazing people came through and helped me out greatly. I found a new place to live and started working my ass off. As luck would have it that next day I was approached with a massive opportunity, and I took it. Funny enough, I was offered a gig after the person running it saw the same design portfolio that was turned down by all the other clients I reached out to.

I spent the following months doing all of the art for a music festival. Going from a period of doing no art at all to assuming workload of an entire team seems insane but it was what I needed to pull me from the depths of unproductivity that I had sunken to. It was crazy. I hardly slept, learned practically everything as I went, and did things I didn't even know I was capable of.

The festival was great, and is still the funnest and most succesful project Ive ever worked on.

2015 didn't come without its own grievances though. I've struggled with my living conditions month to month, watched my closest sister go through cancer, and was continuously forced to put personal work to the side in order to pay a mountain of medical bills. Hard drives crashed, computers broke, and my sketchbook was stolen, setting my personal projects back by an abysmal scale.

I'd be lying if I said this year didn't completely wear me down a few times, but we are better for the moments we endure. 

The quality of my life is different now. I'm more productive, more outgoing, and as creative as I've ever been. Though there's still a mountain before me, a colossal pile of unfinished projects and half dreamt worlds, and my ascent has just begun.

I spent the last year working hard on other people's projects and learned a lot from it. This year I think it's time to work on my own project. Its finally time to turn those little worlds I've shared through the art portal into living, breathing games.

This is the year...

3732160_145185762192_whats-left.png

~Carrion <3


Comments

Great read and inspiring.
"never compromise my integrity for petty comfort again"
And I shall do the same.
Just have to Carry On

I hope everything works out for you. That's a lot of stuff to happen in one year, but as long as you're better now, that's the important thing. Your art is really cool. I can see a lot of it having beautiful, subdued animation for it. Also, your designs are very interesting, and I love all of them :)

I can't really support in any way besides rating and favoriting, but just know that I would consider myself a fan. I appreciate what you do.

Good luck! I'm looking forward to your future uploads.

Awesome! This is the year where it aaall happens.

Good luck with your projects!

And if you ever need a programmer, my english is not good, but I had grown as programmer (My last flash game: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/656303 and a 3D game I am currently working on as programmer: https://www.facebook.com/WitchcraftVideogame/) and I would love to work this 2016 in a flash game.

Anyway, if it can't be, hope you the best for the future!

Here, have this full bag of compassion and respect. You deserve it.

I can see myself in a lot of your words, as many will do i can assure you. Thank you.

A lot happened to you it seems, but very glad to hear things worked out in the end. Good luck with your future projects, I'm sure they'll be awesome :D

Great Wall art! Looks good.

This site background is dope beyond compare

Never give up buddy :) I just recently discovered you and I have to say that you have some amazing talent! Before I discovered you I had recently played this indie game with beautiful pixel art. When I saw your work it reminded me of the game. You could always send your portfolio out to indie game studios if game development is something you would love doing ^_^ Here is the game I'm talking about: http://store.steampowered.com/app/368230/

I'm a bit late on this since I've haven't been around but hey better late than never.

Lemme say Unrest looks pretty awesome. Sorry to hear about your living situation you sure have had some bum ass luck last year. I was just about to email you actually since I haven't seen you around sleepycabin in a long time! Hey but keep up the hard work dude, It's only going to get better. Your art work isn't mundane like a lot of those firms want. You just gotta find the right people can can appreciate It's exotic nature.

Hey well now I realize what this is as the site background. Pretty sick dude It's there for thousands to see now! Hey hopefully I'll catch you around on sleepy cabin chat or something. Keep up the good work.