NYT Tackles the Creative Economy

This article was sent to me by my friend Jack, with the promise that it was worth its reading time. It's a good look at the creative culture of today, examining income statistics and sales rates to determine if the outlook is bleak or bright for people who create and produce art and entertainment for a living.

Illustration by Andrew Rae

The Creative Apocalypse That Wasn't, by Steven Johnson

The answer, of course, is complicated. My TL;DR synopsis is that technology and the internet have made it both easier and harder for creatives. Yay! Sort of.

But two things give me heart: firstly, the fact that, even in the digital age, consumers still appreciate and seek out handmade things and tactile, real-world experiences. As James Gurney said, "Other humans will always enjoy works that are filtered through the human consciousness and the human hand." And secondly, Johnson's observation that "The profound change lies at the boundaries of professionalism. It has never been easier to start making money from creative work, for your passion to undertake that critical leap from pure hobby to part-time income source." 

Whatever the outcome, I believe that easier and more affordable avenues that pave the way for more creative people to do what they love will never be a bad thing.

© Gina Florio 2015

Drunk Literature: "Game of Thrones"

One of the many benefits to not posting for almost a year is that I now have a nice buildup of my own work to post!

For realsies, though, I'm sorry for my absence, but this year has been certifiably insane. In a good way. But still insane. I'm happy to report that our wedding was great, A++, 5 star experience, would get married again. Also very happy that life is finally starting to resemble normalcy now.

Right after CTNx last year, my friend Ellen (who blogs for Garlic, My Soul, among others) contacted me to see if I would be interested in working with her fiancé Aaron, a DreamWorks TV writer, on one of his side projects, a 'Drunk History' spinoff called Drunk Literature. They'd done a full first season on YouTube that included The Catcher in the Rye, Hamlet, and 50 Shades of Grey, and they were gearing up for season 2. They had me in mind for their epic 'A Song of Ice and Fire' (aka Game of Thrones) episode. Being a huge fan of the book series and the show, I couldn't say no.

Clocking in at almost 8 minutes, it was their longest episode yet, covering the first three books in the series, which meant there was a lot of drawing to do (and there would be no time for polishing). I definitely utilized my skills from my Intro to Storyboarding class with Louie del Carmen here, especially when it came to the animation effects that I wanted to achieve.

Obviously, spoilers for Game of Thrones abound below.

© Gina Florio 2015