Those 'Bootleg Blues' Are A-Comin'

Howdy friends.

Sometimes you have to self-motivate to create the world you want to live in and not sit around waiting for opportunities to present themselves. This is a mantra I've operated by for many years, especially in a world where DIY is easier to come by. Sometimes, you have to say "f*ck it" and make art just because. This is one of those times.

I've mentioned Ed Ruscha before, how I've been inspired by his self-published works and handmade books. Books and self-publishing have become more important in my orbit over the last few years, and I've decided to self-publish a new series of art books for the hell of it. I'm introducing the first volume of my "Bootleg Blues" series, a collection of analog collage designs that I've been working on over the last few years. Many of the designs are stand-alone pieces and designes culled from numerous collage notebooks that never see the light of day. For the most part, if I don't share a new collage design on social media, they get thrown into a drawer and forgotten about. "Bootleg Blues" hopes to remedy that situation, as I enjoy sharing the work I create, even if the frequency of that sharing has ebbed and flowed lately (depending on my mood). "Bootleg Blues, Vol.1" will see release early 2023. Vol.2 looks to hit the streets later Summer.

Not only does self-publishing give me the opportunity to share my work, it forces me to put myself back into a creative mindset and make work again. I've mentioned burnout before, too, and I feel like I'm finally in a good place to kick my lack-of-creativity blues. In fact, I made about a dozen new collages over the Thanksgiving holiday, something I hadn't done in months. But, in all fairness, life gets in the way of plans, and you just have to roll with he punches.

Anyhow, despite 2022 being a bit if a lackluster year for me, creatively, I'm thankful for many things and opportunities that have presented themselves, and I'm really looking forward to the possibilities 2023 may bring. In the meantime, I'm gonna keep heading down this positive road and make things happen, regardless.

I'm excited to share "Bootleg Blues, Vol. 1" with y'all soon and hope this is just the beginning in a long run of self-published books. Don't be surprised if you see an obscene amount of books from me in the near future.