Journal Batch 2

 3-27-24

Stryper was a replacement band for Iron Maiden when I became a christian. I want to be that replacement creator for those comic fans who have just given their lives to Christ.

3-29-24 The Purgatory of Being an Artist

I remember in 1992, I was preparing to move to Denver to go to art school. I sat in my house trying to to teach myself how to be a better painter. My friend Jes wanted to hang out with me every minute he could before I left Libby. I was very rude to him on the phone, telling him that I’m trying to paint and to leave me alone. The following statements reflect my experiences, and may not be true for everyone. Artists develop out of a very lonely place. You long for friendship and love. To be with others. When you don’t have that you spend time developing yourself in other areas. Like art. But the need for relationships can become so distracting. It becomes an excuse to procrastinate and not finish projects. It become a type of toxic hell. You have a relationship, but no art is being produced. You have your art and bitter loneliness. If you get too lonely, the art stops. You’re blocked. Then God walked into my life with all the answers. My art and projects transitioned into christian art. All my scattered projects (poetry, writing, comics, photography, sketching and marketing) got funneled into the My Walk comic book series. My need for relationship has been consumed with Christ and my eight year old son. I won’t lie, temptation and lust creep in. But if I stay focused on Jesus and my boy Luke, I stay productive. I have found my happy creative space. God pulled me out of my cycle of creative loneliness and relationship droughts.

3-31-24

Nick Fury, Captain America, the Punisher, Thor, Batman, Magneto, Moon Knight, The Joker, Professor X, Spider-Man, Ra’s al Ghul, Superman, Doomsday, Norman Osborn, Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, Bucky Barnes and Jean Grey are just a handful of comic book characters that came back from the dead. Heroes and villains alike are brought back into the stories after dying. But I think my favorite character of all time, that died in the greatest story ever told, was Jesus Christ. And he came back! The creator of this story, called history, raised His son from the grave to defeat sin and death! The biggest hero of all time, created through His sacrifice a way back to the God we all betrayed. To take on His righteousness while He took on our sins. His sacrifice was brutal, painful and unbearable. And He did it because He loves us. Happy Easter!

4-1-24 AI

Would I ever create using artificial intelligence? I wonder if I create with actual intelligence. Just to be honest. But I am inspired by the original, ultimate creator. He constantly fills me with ideas. (This would make for a great carousel).