To Pause, and Breathe
Hello everyone, this is Wally, the author and artist of the comic- earlier I announced a hiatus for the Lamb comic series, and now I’m going deeper into why.
Lamb and Sweet and all the characters I made for the story, they were all made in a very precarious, precious, and specific part of my life when I was coming out and needed to find a source of happiness- and I could find that in them! Coming up with scenarios to draw them in was exciting- it was new uncharted territory for me and i was brimming with inspiration- and that led to the story of them that I’m telling now.
Unfortunately, I’ve been pushing myself so hard, keeping a schedule in unrealistic ways and it’s been negatively affecting my health, both physically and mentally. As soon as the art got more and *more* complex, with artwork taking longer and longer to complete each week, I eventually just hit a wall, and practically- it’s no way to release a comic, it’s unprofessional, and (to be brutally honest) it’s going to eventually kill me, I’ve never been so lethargic in my life. It will take way too long, and that’s not only a disservice to myself- it’s a disservice to all of you who wait patiently while i make a “weekly” update into a de facto bi-weekly one, it’s not fair to you all.
Changing the schedule to make it bi-weekly won’t fix the problem- it just delays it. But there is a more pressing, personal issue at hand- aside from the comic, it’s been leaving my accounts (on here and on Twitter) so stagnant and effectively dead- effectively meaning I no longer draw the characters for fun, or for boosting my mood, it’s become a job that frankly, I’m not even being paid for to begin with- I’m pressuring myself to unreasonable degrees
It’s spiritually draining, and as a result, I’ve become not only emotionally and spiritually detached from my characters i hold dear- I’ve become robotic with my comic, it feels soulless and that in itself is going to become a ticking time bomb in terms of narrative and output.
SO with that all in mind, what am I going to do? Where is the story going? And what’s going to become of the accounts?
I’m not going to stop updating the accounts at all, as a matter of fact, I’m going to do something that has been sorely lacking- while I’m on a comic hiatus, I will be making these….Lamb art accounts!
It helps me get used to them again, give some new ideas and life on these accounts and even may help me get new ideas in the process! Not only that, it may help me foster a more positive connection with followers or any that view it- I’ve unfortunately been dead doing comic only. So, I am excited for this, actually!
As for the comic: I DO want to finish the current issue I’m working on at some point- just to say that I gave it a full shot (plus you all deserve that).
After the comic issue ends though, I have to think it over on *how* to continue the story- whether it should still be told through comic….or something else, something possibly better even! (special illustrated novel perhaps?…)
Whatever it may be, this story is a burning passion from within me, i NEED to tell it- but I’m only human, a flawed being on a flawed world, and i can’t do it at the expense of you, my connections with others, and my own health.
So, keeping that all in mind, I thank you for any patience I’ve received over the years, and instead of apologizing, I now need to move forward in a smarter, more emotionally, spiritually connected & healthier way, not just with my story, but for how I do art, and writing in general (as well as for my own personal life as well). And while I navigate through it all, I hope the stories of Lamb, Sweet, Coco and the others bring you as much joy as they did (and continue to do) for me.
With lots of love -Wally
