State of the Doodledom Address 2018

 Holy smokes. We did it! I can’t believe how far we’ve come! Last week marked five years of Doodle for Food. The site started as a class assignment and quickly morphed into the collection of comics and doodles it is today. 

So many exciting things happened these past five years. I attended conventions, worked on fun projects, met readers, and befriended other webcomic creators. I launched new comic series on Webtoon and Patreon, opened an online shop, and joined a D&D podcast with other cartoonists. There were puns, evil chickens and dog reporters along the way, and I enjoyed making each and every one.

Outside of art, the past two years were difficult. I finished school, moved five times, battled burnout, anxiety, and depression. I left my full-time job to invest more time into my growing business. It was a long adjustment period, but things are slowly getting better. I’m in a new place, I have two lovely dogs to look after, and I’m surrounded by tons of awesome friends and family. Those years shaped me into a stronger and more confident person and cartoonist.

Though I survived the personal hardships, I feel the comic suffered as a result. There were inconsistent updates, random hiatuses, and just 'meh' work throughout that time. It's a huge source of guilt and regret for me as a creator. However, instead of continuing to punish myself for those bumps in the road, I've decided to put that energy to better use: drawing more of the things I love. 

2018 is going to be a big year. I'll be travelling to more conventions, attending an art fellowship in Finland, and working on more personal projects here and there. I'm really excited with how things are going so far this year, and I feel like that excitement is going to help me produce some really fun things.

I’m thankful to everyone for reading my work and sending encouragement via tweets, emails, fan art, and streams. I’m grateful for the people who continue to show up and read what I make and support me in any way they can. In particular, I’d like to give a shout out to my patrons, who help me keep the lights on and are some of the most generous and supportive folks I know. My experience in comics has been overwhelmingly positive and fulfilling. Despite the chaos of the last two years, you guys stuck with me. Thank you.

This year marks Doodle for Food’s 5th anniversary. Here’s to the next 5.