October
Days blurred so much that I completely forgot it was October. I don't care about the Inktober brand other than it being a nice shorthand for "the month where we make things and share with friends", so it suits me just fine if folks want to use any other name. We can always make things all year long anyway, a designated time just makes it easy for people who want to feel a bit of festival cheer.
Anyway. I forgot it was October already, but I more-or-less kept up with painting something every day. My original plan was to actually try doing the whole month in ink, but eh. The ink was never the point, I guess. Draw with abandon. Draw because you like it. While you still can.
Since we're getting nearer to the largest annual convention of the year and with mounting frustration over the current economy, I keep seeing the old debate creeping up more often. It used to be where I would meet people and chat, check out what people have been making. Now it's a hotbed of kitschy trinkets, groups forming specifically to farm after the largest trendy fandom. If you're not there to shop, shop, shop till drop, better not make the trip. Ain't getting any convo in with that crowd.
Someone asked people if they weren't there for profits, why would they even be there at all? Too much free time? I don't know man, maybe I just like to make my stupid things to find the 4 people in the country who could recognize the thing I was referencing? Maybe I like hanging around the same dozen circles who just appeared in every event? But they were right, I had stopped attending. Someone said they did fanworks to build an audience for their original works. Which is valid perhaps, but it saddened me still.
I don't like being in a world where making stuff just because is a privilege. I don't like being in a world where sharing things for free is a privilege, or even a cause to fight against because apparently it ruins the market for other people.
I do believe the illness of "the creative industry" is deeply tied to the world economy as a whole. You can afford to have hobbies you don't monetize if your usual job provides for you and isn't actively killing you. The anger percolating in the comments isn't exclusively anger towards people's stances, you could smell the desperation from miles away. People are suffocating and they need to justify it somehow.
On a brighter note, I got the opportunity to watch Suikoden's stage play. Whoever did it know the thing. They really tried. It wasn't the fanciest of shows, it was clear they had tight budget to work with, but no one could accuse them for being soulless. I cried. That I was able to see it come into fruition, that it was something people rallied for, that we could (in this day and age) have a show this earnest... That I, in the depth of my heart, still want to believe people can set aside their differences to work towards something together.
It's difficult to talk about this as an aside, as the importance of Genso Suikoden in my life cannot be overstated.
With both the stage play and anime premiere, my internet space is filled with artworks celebrating the series. It's a welcome respite from all the drama.