Plugging Away: Writing, Animation, Podcasts, and Building Creative Momentum

Some days it feels like my brain is running half a dozen creative projects at once. Today is one of those days.

I recently wrapped up a couple of scripts for Rediscovering Recipes, the Brucemore Roots & Recipes series. The latest episodes cover Broth of Red Chickpeas (1475), Liederkranz à la Hoosier (1922), and Bacon Roll Pudding (1852). The verdict? One was delicious, one was surprisingly okay, and one...well...nope.

These scripts become animated shorts that I produce for GMix East. Animation is rewarding work, but it's also incredibly time-consuming. The upside is that every episode expands my growing library of illustrations, graphics, and assets. With each project, the workflow gets a little smoother, and future episodes become easier to produce. Plus it uses one of my favorite characters, Professor Peter Pizzle.

Working on Defining Sleep

I'm also eager to return to another project that's been quietly taking shape: Defining Sleep.

The idea is simple. It's a podcast designed to gently bore listeners to sleep by exploring my favorite words in alphabetical order. Think of it as part etymology, part dictionary, part personal essay, and part ASMR.

The amount of prep work has been staggering, though.

My plan is to begin with six episodes. Each episode explores 26 words in alphabetical order.

• Episode 001: AA, BA, CA...through ZA

• Episode 002: AB, BB, CB...through ZB

• And so on.

Every word receives its full dictionary definition, its etymology, and a few personal observations. Some entries take more than an hour to research and write, so building the series is definitely a long-term project.

Building a Patreon (Without Becoming a Selfshill)

Another project simmering in the background is launching a Patreon.

Self-promotion has never been my favorite part of being a creator. I'd much rather spend my time writing, illustrating, animating, or researching than convincing people they should support my work.

Still, that's part of the creative landscape today.

I'm working on putting together a Patreon that offers something valuable while helping support the time that goes into these projects. Once I figure out what might be worth a few dollars a month to fellow curious minds, I'll finally hit the launch button.

Growing Alberty Creative

In between everything else, I'm continuing to build Alberty Creative.

This blog is part of that effort, giving me a place to share the process behind my work, the ideas I'm exploring, and the occasional rabbit hole I disappear into.

I'm also slowly expanding the storefront with shirts, prints, and assorted tchotchkes featuring artwork, odd phrases, and designs that make me smile.

It's a lot of irons in the fire.

Fortunately, I like pounding iron into interesting tchotchkes.