the Fame Game

So, it’s interesting to find myself touted as “famous” in various venues lately.  I suppose it’s so in a limited sense.  I have got 30+ years of credits in comic books and illustration, true.  I can generally go to almost any comicbook convention and ask for guest status (I may not get it, but I can ask without massive shame).

“Guest Status” is a variable term.  Minimally that means I can either get a guest pass for free.  For San Diego, I have gotten a free pass, rather than paying the $150 or whatever they charge people in general, a.k.a. “fans”.  At other shows I can expect a pass and a table space for free.  This is helpful when trying to make money selling prints, contributor copies of books I’ve drawn, character sketches, and original art.  Still other shows guest status means that they’ll pay for a hotel room, table space, and a free pass–to do all of the above without losing money on anything but gas and food for the weekend.

The latter version of the term has been (thankfully) happening more lately.  Still not making that much money.

There’s a better version of “guest status”, wherein they fly you to the show, pay you to be there, give you hotel, table, food, etc.  I have yet to attain such status, and have my doubts that I ever will.  But I’ve been surprised before, so who knows?

I’ve done several shows with guest status lately.  Lost money on one show, did okay on another (didn’t lose money, maybe made a little).  

 

But now we get into the strange area that is the past several weeks and the next few coming.  I’ve been asked to participate in the local “artists invitational” show held by my hometown arts council.  It’s a true honor to be asked and I’ve got 6 pages of comics hanging in a show that includes all sorts of locals, both native and retirees to the area.  So if you find yourself in Waynesville, NC tomorrow evening (or over the next couple of weeks) Gallery 86 on Main Street is hosting the event–and the reception is tomorrow night 6-9 pm.  I’ll be there attempting to look cool, but frankly, it’s really not my element.  Comics is a strange hybrid–to commercial artists it’s kind of a fine arts thing, while fine artists look at it as terribly commercial.  So even getting wall space at this event is a moral victory of sorts.  

(I will say that the artists who set up the show are not snobbish at all, great folks, but there’s no telling what kind of crowd will show up for the reception.  There may be all sorts of pretentiousness, there may not–we’ll see).

As if that were not enough to potentially swell the head, I’ve been asked to come to Knoxville on Saturday and kick off the start of their local cartoonists group.  I’ve been pushing for this to happen for years, but it’s finally coming together and I consider it one of my crowning achievements since taking over the chairmanship of the Southeast Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society.  I was just going to show up but they gave me star billing along with Charlie Daniel who draws for the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

I’m really not a big shot.  I don’t consider myself a big shot.  I’ll begin to believe that perhaps I am a big shot when I can pay my smart phone bill without breaking a sweat.  No, check that, when I can book a flight to an important event and not have to put my entire life in hock to do so.

So, it is possible that fame is not all it’s cracked up to be.  It hasn’t yet made my bills any easier to pay–in fact it often takes bread OFF my table.  I keep hearing that it’s all part of the process, but really haven’t seen the results yet.  Just keep praying I’ll be able to play this game and remain humble and helpful to others.  I soooo do not want to get a swelled head, I just want the money 😉

Yow! Am I overexposed yet?

I did this program on comics and graphic novels for a local arts group last night.  While those in attendance were perhaps few,  the local press seems to have taken the story and run with it.  I keep getting people telling me that they saw me in the paper–students of my wife, people from our church, etc.  Seems that nearly all the local papers picked up the story.

Which brings up the subject of fame.

I’m not particularly interested in fame in and of itself.  That’s not say that it’s not flattering to have people ask for an autograph–but as for fame itself, let’s just say I can see how misleading it can be.

So what’s it good for?  Hopefully it’s good for promoting my abilities as an artist.  I’m interested in it to the point that it provides me with the ability to do the kind of work I want to do and be able to pay the bills.

This past week has been a good bit of sweating bills: county taxes, federal self-employment taxes are coming up, and we have phone bills, power bills, medical bills and many other debts to pay.

If my debts went away and I could get hired to do the sort of jobs I love without any sort of promotional considerations, then there wouldn’t be much point in the thing called “fame”.

However, the program went well last night and I’ve been asked if I’d like to do a retrospective show of my works at the same venue (Swain County Center for the Arts) and maybe have my band play there.  This is the sort of fame that I like–the kind that opens doors to more opportunities.

As my resolution for the New Year is to do everything I can to make a better living (as long as it’s not immoral or illegal), this sort of attention seems to be pointing in the right direction.  Just have to keep my head on straight and remember what fame is for (however localized it may be).