Springtime Update!

It's been a long time since my last post and a lot has happened in that time! Notably, the snow has melted and the trees have leaves again. I'm also pretty close to having my second book finished and preparing for its release this fall. My life has been a balancing act between the very solitary act of drawing at a desk and the ultra social aspects of performing improv and attending comic festivals. I've also got a pretty steady routine (which I enjoy very much and miss when I'm traveling,) that consists of teaching a weekly improv class and taking aerial silks and contortion classes 2-3 times a week at a circus studio in my neighbourhood. I've been running a lot as well and I'm training for a 10km race at the end of June.

Aerial silks and my improv students back in February.

 In April I went with Conundrum Press to NYC for MoCCA (the Museum of Cartoon and Comic Arts Festival.) It was great to see some American pals there, and make new friends. I bought a ton of books, though not as many as usual because the exchange rate was super bad. Still, I had some good reading material for the train ride back to Montreal. 

MoCCA Day 1 at the Conundrum Press table, photo by Publisher's Weekly.

MoCCA Day 2 at the Conundrum Press table.

While there I stayed with my friend from the photobooth community, David Greg Harth in Brooklyn. My trip to NYC was very brief but Harth made sure I still used a chemical photobooth during my visit. He and I used this booth together, it's in a restaurant, The Smith, in the basement in the middle of the washroom. Our presence may have unsettled some bathroom-goers.

Almost two weeks ago now was, of course, TCAF (the Toronto Comics Arts Festival!) I knew this TCAF would feel different for me because I didn't have a debuting book but I did still feel that I had a good reason to be there because Photobooth: A Biography was nominated for a Doug Wright Spotlight Award. The real highlight for me this year was the number of new friends I made. I got to know some folks whose work I've admired for a while and got to connect again with friends from afar.  I feel super lucky to be part of this very supportive and friendly community.

TCAF Day 1 at the Conundrum Press table.

TCAF Day 2 after a panel on History Comics, photo by Jody Culkin from Publisher's Weekly.

Publisher, Andy Brown and I, photo by Christy Ann Conlin.

To my delight and amazement, I won the Doug Wright Spotlight Award, also known as "The Nipper." The award recognizes a work deserving of wider recognition and usually goes to an artist for their first or second book. The best about getting the award was probably all the silly and kind things that Seth (the cartoonist) whispered to me as we awkwardly arranged the physical award on stage. He's one of my art idols and it's surreal to me that he even read my book. On my way back to my seat, the legendary Lynda Barry squeezed my arm and congratulated me. (That woman just radiates joy.) All the nominees in the category were entirely deserving of the award and at the end of the day it comes down to the preference of the three-person jury (which changes every year.) I'm most happy that this means the book will reach a greater audience and more people will learn the story of the photobooth!

This week I'm off to perform in the Combustion Improv Festival in Toronto! I took a three and a half year hiatus from improv, and though I've been performing regularly for the last 16 months, I haven't played with these old friends. I've got butterflies in my tummy about it, good butterflies.

I've got a summer filled with more comics and more improv. Boy oh boy, I'm excited!

The Merry Month of May

Along with the flowers, arts events seem to be sprouting up everywhere this month. Two weekends ago was the lovely Halifax Crafters Spring Event. I purchased a few nice trinkets for myself and as gifts. Last weekend was Free Comicbook Day hosted by Strange Adventures. Myself and hundreds of other stubborn fans waited in line for two hours to get 20 free comics and other geeky miscellaneous items. And next weekend is the Halifax Circus’s Cabaret, I’ve been training in the gym while the performers are rehearsing and I’m very excited for it.

I’ve also been in good spirits lately because every day of this week I’ve received wonderful things in the mail. Belated birthday gifts are still arriving (hooray!) and lots of photobooth pictures for my ongoing Photobooth Drawing Swap (where I trade drawings/little art for (non-digital) photobooth pictures). I also bought some vintage United Nations Air Mail envelopes on ebay that arrived yesterday. I can’t stop swooning at their beauty. And with my love of the postal system, good design and astrology, I couldn’t resist buying these limited edition Taurus stamps. Amazing!

I’ve recently added a few new pen pals to my roster and I’m looking for a few more regular or one time trades if anyone is up for it!

April’s Showers Bring May’s Flowers

It’s true that it has been raining quite a bit here in Halifax, but I mean the title of this post a bit more metaphorically. I’ve been investing a lot of time into some endeavours that will hopefully pay off. I’ve also taken a two week vacation from the FOUND Photobooth series as I’ve been applying for grants and planning parties. Here’s what I’ve been up to…

Firstly, I’ve been taking acrobatics classes through the Halifax Circus and just love it to bits. I’m astonished at the muscle mass, flexibility and new friends I’ve gained in such a short period of time! The acrobatics, combined with doing yoga daily have revived a connection that I lost with my body during my student and traveling years. Anyway, I’ve been dedicating a lot of time to working out and soon as I master the perfect backhand-spring, I’ll post video here.

Secondly, it’s my birthday in a few days and I’ve decided to throw myself a Wes Anderson themed birthday! I’ve been sitting at my sewing machine working on my costume and some decorations. Here’s the invite I made to mimic Eric Anderson’s drawing style on the dvd cases. I’ll share some photos of the party here.

Thirdly, this past Wednesday I was running some errands and decided to pop into an intriguing antique shop I’d never been in before. I didn’t really know what I was looking for and generally speaking this is a high risk situation for me and my wallet. I got chatting with the owner about British Royal Family tins (which I collect), and she told me how the CBC had called that morning, looking to do a story on young people’s interest in the Royal Family, which she was convinced, there was none. Lone behold on my out of the shop I bump into said CBC crew and they decide to showcase me in the story. We filmed in the shop and I shared my knowledge of Royal Family memorabilia. (The expression “bull in a china shop” could just as easily be “camera guy in an antique shop”). When we finished they asked if they could come home with me to see the rest of my collection, I said yes of course and thanked a higher power for sending me the impulse to clean my bedroom that morning. Long story short, the bit will air nationally during the dinner hour and all throughout the day on the CBC 24h News Channel on Wednesday the 27th.

Lastly, my friend Becky Johnson, who is incredible in a spectrum of ways does a craft tour across North America every summer but this year her beloved car died. She is raising money so that the trip is still possible and she offers many sweet deals for your dough. The fundraiser only lasts another 5 days, visit here to learn more about it and to donate!