New News and Old News.
Greetings all.
The first big news is that the “Buy Stuff” page on this site finally has some options!
Here is what has been happening:
We continue to search for new ways to finance our projects and ideas in an environment that is currently so fiscally difficult that even our most humble plans and ideas often seem out-of-reach. We have met and “gone down the road” a bit with a couple of potential sponsors, which is always a nice idea at first… until the “conditions” start rolling in; things like editorial restrictions and/or script pre-approval requirements etc. It is one thing to sell-out for big $$, but to have to potentially compromise an idea, even before it has really started to turn into something, for such small potatoes financial assistance, just isn’t worth it.
As we’ve mentioned in this space before: a Patreon page might make good sense, but only after we’ve launched the podcast and proven that we can create (and continue to consistently create) something of value for supporters. I don’t want people to have to “take our word for it.” I want them to be able to hear what we’re doing and then decide if it is something they want to support.
It might seem like we’re getting things a bit backward here, but we are starting to sell MERCH to support a project [specifically the Blunt Farce Podcast] that does not yet exist in the wild, although it does currently exist in the form of several test episodes on my hard drive. The idea is to give people something of value now (ie: a T-shirt) for their support now. Later? Who knows?
For now, nothing beats the low-overhead of Merch for Amazon. I do the designs THEY deal with the printing, shipping and most crucially: payments. Whether you trust me or not, you know purchases on AMAZON are always seamless and relatively safe.
So click over to the BUY STUFF page and check it all out.
Thank you !
Bud Fallbrook Lives !
Nothing like closing out a long, weird and often difficult year (for everyone) with some good news:
Bud Fallbrook Lives!!
Think of it as Bud 2.0. Starting in 2018 we’ll finally be cranking out regular episodes in a new format, with a new look, and with an actual distributor. A big thanks to our new partners who helped (with encouragement and with $) to resurrect Bud in his new form. … and an even bigger thanks to the many Bud fans who have been so supportive and who missed Bud.
More details to follow of course, but for now, enjoy your Holidays and enjoy (and share) the new clip:
…meanwhile, we’re still too broke to launch the podcast, but things are definitely looking up, so who knows what other good news 2018 will bring?
Stay Strong Everyone!
Be the weird you want to see in the world.
Please allow me to (re)introduce myself…
Had a (Skype) meeting with a potential sponsor earlier this week. After 15 minutes of introductions and linking him to some past work etc., I played some sample (still unreleased) episodes of the podcast for him. As I started laying out what the whole thing will be about going forward, he put the brakes on everything by saying:
“…but your name doesn’t match the content.“
At first thought it was an annoying comment: He has an Associates Degree in “Marketing” and, as far as I could tell, not much else by way of experience in actual creative work, but I am a professional, and I know how to take a “note.” …it also made me realize that maybe I haven’t explained it clearly enough to anyone, you included, so I’ve posted the quote that started it all.
I don’t think 17 words can really be called a “manifesto,” but it is certainly a good starting point, and at least the hint of an explanation to the why and what of the weird. The truth is, I’m still figuring out what I want it to be, and even then – I know it will likely morph into something else, into whatever it wants to be. All of it. Not just the podcast.
If I knew exactly what this was going to turn into, what would be the point of doing it?
…and yes, I know that is a tough sell to most potential sponsors. The key will be finding the person/company/organization who gets it, and isn’t afraid of a little unquantifiable grey area in their lives. Meanwhile, I’ve been researching everything from Patreon to Ebay, trying to figure out how to defray some costs.
Stay tuned & Stay Strong!
We are not dead. Just challenged.
It is looking more and more like 2017 is a wash. We continue to scrub the internet for under-used Public Domain audio, video and visual weirdness, work on the podcast (any aspects that only cost us time, not money) and continue to support our artistic friends in person, on the web and of course on twitter, but finances have been crushing lately and we will NOT set up a patreon page etc. until we have proven that we can make something artful, interesting and worthwhile to other people.
These are tough and tricky times for (nearly) everyone. We hope your creative endeavors are going well.
Stay Strong! Stay Strange!
BE the weird you want to see in the world.
March Something-ness
I know that, as usual, it looks like nothing much is happening Blunt Farce-wise, but I can promise you the wheels are still turning. Basically doing all I can that doesn’t cost $$ I don’t have. So that means experimenting and recording podcast episodes, learning some new skills and, of course, pulling together social media etc. …which brings me to the reason for today’s post.
While BF has had a twitter feed since Day One, it has been fairly dormant because it wasn’t the twitter name I really wanted… but now, thanks to some kindness and square dealing with a new friend (thanks Marcel!) I’m happy to say that I’ll now start focusing on getting twitter traction, so please – if you’re a tweeter, jump on board. Click the image below to jump to twitter.
Experiments Continue
Get busy. Stay Busy.
Keep trying to find it.
It wants to be found.
Money is mostly a memory these days,
but that is no excuse.
Never has been.
We’re all counting on you.
Dreams, Reality and the Equinox
It has been a while since I’ve written here. Yes, I said “I’ve” …dropping for today the device of writing “we” here at BluntFarce. It has always been “I” and that includes “the guys at Evil Twine” too. All me. It was never an attempt to sound bigger than I actually am, it was always about not wanting to appear to be a control freak or egomaniac. I am neither.
What I mostly am is someone who has amassed a collection of skills (mixed with admittedly varying degrees of talent) and I’m also a person who hates asking friends/people for favors. I never expect people to work for free, but it has been a long time since I’ve been in a position to pay anyone what they’re really worth. The DIY ethos is also central to who I am – I like doing things by myself, I like the challenge and the pressure; and in spite of my collaborative nature, when it comes to some creative things, I would rather shoulder all the blame or glory – whichever comes – myself for the things I do/create/make.
I have been dealing with some difficult realities for a while now, and they took their toll not just on my time and budget, but on my creative spirit. That is why this website has been little more than a placeholder for the past year+. Those realities aren’t unusual for a creative person in America in the second decade of the still-new century. I’ve been dealing with financial problems brought on by changes in my chosen field; longer than usual stretches of unemployment and working longer hours for less money when work is available.
I know I’m not alone in this struggle, most people I know are battling the same things, but still we isolate and remove ourselves from our creative circles and conversations until it really starts to feel like a solo trip through purgatory. I’ve had to relocate. I’ve had to sell prized possessions. I’ve had to recalibrate my plans/hopes, and yes, dreams for the future. These sorts of things make it difficult to feel peace or joy of any sort, so freeing the mind and getting into a creative headspace feels both impossible and, at times, frivolous. ….then not creating anything leads to feeling even worse, and then watching the things you were proud & excited about crumble makes everything seem even more exhausting and futile.
There have been losses…
Bud Fallbrook is dead.
Oh, he still lives on with four solid episodes on the BluntFarce YouTube Channel, but In spite of 100,000+ youtube views, and 3000 Facebook friends, he couldn’t survive these lean times. I created him using an online animation suite that recently decided to raise its prices from $8/month to $39/month (actually $59/month for the plan/options I would have needed.) …yes, more per month than the entire Adobe Creative Suite costs. An extra $40-60 a month might not have been a big deal a few years ago, but these days, it was a deal breaker.
Bud faced other obstacles too: If you scroll back through old posts here, you’ll see a loooong lull and nearly a year of radio silence on the subject of ‘new episodes.’ The truth (which I can finally talk about) is that the project did actually generate some interest from a production company. I was as cautious and professional as possible, but it didn’t matter: In the end, they tied up the project for nearly 18 months. In spite of their early enthusiasms, once they “had” the project they lost interest and then refused to either move the cartoon further, OR release it back to me. So, I had to let poor ol’ Bud sit and rot while waiting for the clock to run out on their option. …and then when it did, the animation website raised their prices and so it was curtains for Bud & his friends. I realize this is a pretty typical Hollywood story. We’re not supposed to take these things personally, but how can you not?
…and this was only one setback. I’ll spare you the others as I know these are all 1st world problems as the world seems to be spinning off it’s axis, and pretty much all forms of “entertainment” or, at the risk of sounding pretentious “art,” seem pretty frivolous and useless. Hmmmm, “art” does sound pretentious; let’s say “creativity” instead.
So I lost some spirit. I lost some hope. I shut down. It isn’t “writer’s block” if you just don’t give a damn anymore… It is the clash of reality and dreams and it makes a racket in your head, especially at 3:30am on yet another sleepless night. Stare at the ceiling all you want, you won’t find any answers there. Believe me, I’ve tried.
I’ve filled the creative void with some photo manipulation and hints of a “new podcast” …but even that wasn’t really going anywhere. I do have the skills and (most of) the equipment necessary to create a pretty kickass podcast, but no $$ to pay for a monthly audio hosting plan, no heart to write scripts, and no spirit to enjoy the maaaany hours of hands-on work it would take to bring a podcast to life – never mind the follow-on bazillions of hours it would take to promote the podcast to get it heard and seen.
Nearly 900 words into this post, so why am I writing all this now? Because whether I like it or not, whether I have hope or not, the truth is, not doing these things is going to kill me faster than anything else. I can’t help it.
Yesterday was the Autumnal Equinox and, while I’m no Druid or anything, I am one of those guys who has always known when the next full moon is, and when the next Equinox or Solstice is scheduled to happen. It isn’t religious exactly, but it has always been privately important to me. I’ve always imagined that, for most of human history (and pre-history) people divided their lives into the 28 day cycles of the moon, and the yearly tilts of the Earth’s axis – even though, for most of that history, humans didn’t know Earth had an axis… but you know what I mean. I’ve now re-committed to thinking in terms of “what can I get accomplished before the next full moon?” … I make to-do lists accordingly and, as hokey as this sounds, on the nights of the full moon, I go through my lists and see where I stand. This is something most of my friends/family don’t know about me. …and since none of them ever visits my various websites including this one, I’m guessing they’ll never find out.
…so I’ve been digging myself out of this hole – creatively and spiritually, if not yet financially, and I’ve forced myself to re-focus on what I can manage to do given my current standing, and I can get to work on a few things.
I’ve been cleaning up my YouTube channel and taking a deep dive into the many features YouTube now has to increase exposure and help creators get seen. Am I going to try to become one of those fresh-faced “Hiiiii Guys !!” shouting YouTubers? GOOD GOD! OF COURSE NOT… I am not delusional about my on-camera appeal, nor my likely demographic appeal either… but I am determined to push on.
My goal now is to start writing, recording and producing a Podcast to eventually put up on iTunes… so that when I CAN finally afford an audio hosting plan, I’ll have material ready to go… and I plan to augment that material with stuff on the youtube channel. What kind of stuff? Honestly, I have no idea. Yet.
I just know I have to do something.
So hey: why not Subscribe to my YouTube channel now? It can’t hurt. Same goes for BluntFarce on Twitter.
That’s all I got today. 1200+ words of, I don’t know… apology? whining? written mostly for myself, to myself.
Stay strong, everyone.
…oh, and the next full moon is October 16th. So let’s all get to work.
