Eight Years
July's Pugsteady Update!
Hey all! Today marks the end of eight full years since the creation of Pugsteady, and eight full years as a full-time freelancer! dance
The More Things Change
In some ways, things are pretty similar to the way they were when I started working for myself full-time. I’ve been lucky enough to have an office space the entire time, and some of the things in my office have been with me the whole trip. But the desk, chair, computer, monitor, bookcase, and so on — none of it is the same as it was when I started. And since I had no money to start and ended up getting a used desk, monitor, and computer from CCP when the offices shut down, that’s all probably for the best.
I’m also a different person now. This past week my family decided it was time to seriously declutter our house, so we pulled out only the books we absolutely wanted to keep from our joint library, and I’ve been making regular trips to Half-Price Books to sell off crates of our old books. Some books I had been saving because I worked on them I’m shipping to my mom, as she’ll appreciate having copies of those. That’s all a far cry from the guy who hung on to every book “just in case.”
However, it’s interesting how going through this process has revealed parts of myself I’ve forgotten. For example, I’ve been getting back in buying DVDs. Back in 2014, I used to own a lot of them because they were really the only way I could watch some of the things I enjoyed. Now, with an abundance of streaming services, I steadily got rid of most of them. But then I discovered that streaming services are not forever, and there’s always a chance that a show I want to watch might not be available, or be part of a service I don’t have. So I’ve been buying back DVDs (or DRM-free video files, in some cases) to make sure I always have access to them.
I admit, I’m focused on media because this decluttering has me focused on that, but it’s more esoteric, too. I’ve been getting back into the groove of my workflow, but it’s not the same workflow I had when I started in 2014. I basically started by grabbing any opportunity I could to make money or advance my career, but now I’m more inclined to pass on projects that aren’t a good fit for me. I also don’t spend 60 hours a week trying to hit tight deadlines as a result, because less work means I have more time to do the work I have. And, frankly, the idea that “less work” isn’t scary is a huge change. That doesn’t mean I’m not always hustling to get more work, of course — it just means I have a stable base to draw from, so I can pick and choose what I want to work on.
And that’s the theme, I think. Whether it’s office furnishing, books, DVDs, or work projects, I’m happier when I can pick what I want to keep, and get rid of the rest. Here’s hoping all this means I can sustain my chosen career path for another eight years!
News Roundup!
One thing I’m not getting rid of is the regular update of things happening here at Pugsteady!
I’ll be appearing on a panel at next weekend’s Virtual Horror Con! I’ll be talking about Horror Along the Onyx Path. That’s Friday, July 8th, at 11am EST. Check out Virtual Horror Con for more information! I’ll also be appearing on some panels for Gen Con Online — more information when I have it!
A while back I mentioned that Onyx Path had purchased ad space in the upcoming season of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. The first of the ads they created for us is now online! I’m still super excited to see this become a reality!
Speaking of Onyx Path, last month was the third Onyx Path Con! I had a lot of fun with it this year, including running a short game of Squeaks in the Deep. This game featured some material coming up in the Squeaks in the Deep Companion, so if you want a taste of some new Pugmire material, this is a great video to watch!
Outside of Onyx Path, I also appeared on the Ghost Show to talk about my upcoming essay on Blade Runner, along with the inestimable Colm Lundberg and Matthew Dawkins. I also got a chance to appear on the Me and Steve Talk RPGs podcast to discuss some of the design and thought behind Pugmire!
My Media
I had planned to talk about my current readthrough of the One Piece manga, but really the thing that’s blowing my mind is discovering Love and Rockets. It’s an indie comic that’s been around since 1981, with issues still being put out today. And it’s kind of hard to describe. It’s kind of an anthology title, with one chunk of stories featuring Latinx friends/lovers Maggie and Hopey and their punk scene adventures, and another chunk following the inhabitants of the fictional Latin American town of Palomar as a kind of soap opera/family drama thing. And some just exist.
It’s one of those comics that I knew existed, and people told me I should read, but I never really read any until literally the day before I wrote this. And man, I really should have been reading this comic earlier. It’s sci-fi punk melodrama featuring characters of color with complex interior lives and some gorgeous black-and-white art.
Related, I’ve also started watching the docudrama series Pistol, covering the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols from the perspective of Steve Jones. It’s heavy on style and light on substance, but that actually feels accurate for a show about a punk band. That isn’t to say there isn’t any substance — just that it’s not exactly full of twists and turns.
Huh. Remember when I talked about re-examining parts of my life that I haven’t touched on in a while? I guess my old punk roots are showing. Maybe I should wrap this up before I end up going to a show and hurting myself in the mosh pit. See you next month!
