Less Work, More Art

Ah, great. Work hours have been woefully cut...yet again. These days, I'm reduced to one day a week. They're awfully short shifts, too: only five hours. That doesn't help when you've got bills to pay, or in my case, student loans.

I'd lose a lot more sleep over this if my mom wasn't nice enough to let me live with her. Heck, I'd be completely sunk if I was on my own with an income like this. I couldn't pay for groceries, a car, rent, or medical insurance, to say nothing of college debts. The good news is that I am making good progress with my college debt, but my whole family had to chip in for my most recent payment. Probably a good thing that I'm still single because I can hardly provide for myself, let alone a family of my own.

My job is nice, with nice benefits and all...but I'm starting to think they're picking on me. I've been there the longest and they tell me I'm doing great, but everyone else has more hours than me. And yet they claim we still have too many hours; we still need to cut back.

I wonder if they're praising me just to keep my morale up.

When I mentioned this (more than once) to my other coworkers, they told me that the boss keeps promising more hours, but so far it's nothing but talk. I'd quit right now if I could, except I don't have another job to fall back on and I'm not ready to relinquish my benefits. No point in rocking any boats or burning any bridges.

So I guess the only thing to do is try to make the most of the few hours I do have, and keep my eyes peeled for other job openings. I did fill out an application the other day, but we all know there's a world of difference between applying for a job and actually getting one; it took me at least a year to get the job I have now.

Yeah, growing up sucks.

Trying to make a decent living sucks.

I know I'm better off than most people, but what I've got isn't really worth bragging about.

Well, on the plus side, I have plenty of time to work on my art and writing. I did finish a short story; it still needs a ton of editing but you can read it from start to finish (it's not just a bunch of random paragraphs), and I hope to see it in official print soon, if I can make up my mind on how I want to publish this thing. I don't expect it to be a huge hit but I would like to get it to as many readers as possible and make at least a few bucks off it. Something to "introduce" me, if you will.

Only time will tell.

And then there's my art. I'm still cranking out a steady stream of basic sketches, and this time I managed to actually color a few pieces.

You know, a lot of ideas for my story come from these illustrations. A scenario pops in my head, I draw it, and I decide, "That's a keeper!"

So, here you are!

Plus, I've received a few more lovely commissions! I feel these people do my characters much more justice than I do.

And this is an extra-special commission, an extra-special present for my mom. A little expensive (even without my meager funds), but well worth every penny.