I’ve been thinking a lot about Family this weekend, as I just spent a weekend with Dawna’s clan in Tucson.
So, I spend an awful lot of time on creating this comic, and making stuff for Steam Crow, and planning conventions, and doing marketing stuff, and posting on Twitter, doing taxes, and all of that. And yeah, combined with my full-time job, I’m basically working just about every moment which I’m awake.
Some might think it’s because I’d like to get away from my family (wrong) or that I’m some kind of sup-par father (certainly my deepest fear, but hopefully not true.) But really, it’s for something/one entirely else:
My family.
Perhaps it’s because I don’t want to be seen as “lazy” by my hard working mom or (ghost) father, or maybe it’s because I really want my son to have a legacy of artifacts and stories to explore over and over, when I myself am a ghost. God knows that the relics and stories of past generations are amazingly easy to lose track of.
I do know that my love for my wife/son/mom/Clan Lamfers drives me to create, and that it’s the foundation to what keeps me going. And I want nothing more than to not disappoint them.
One idea behind all of this is that maybe someday I won’t have to work 2 fulltime jobs (day/Steam) and then I can simply work 1.5 jobs and have more time for them. (And a much happier Daniel at that!)
Anyway, I was just thinking about all of this, and thought that I’d blurt it out.
Why do you do what you do?
I don’t “do” anything, I have no family left above ground to try to impress,not that I would worry about it if I did.
I have no kids that I know of to leave anything for, so no worries there.
My only real goal these days is to outlive every one that’s ever pissed me off, so I’ll most likely never die.
There’s something to be said for sheer bloodymindedness.
Sure. That works too.
I’d just gotten off of the phone last night with my ma when I wrote that, and she was sounding a bit sad. Some of that transferred to me and made my guts squishy.
I figure it is all about the relationships. I enjoy the people that I work with and most of our clients. I have a great family, a small be fine group of close friends, and a much larger group of general friends and acquaintances. The trick seems to be balancing how much I invest in each group and making the most of each interaction, even if it is as simple as a comment to a company associated only by a common interest in a wondrous story and its author. Props to Daniel for his creation and this burgeoning community.
Starting in July I will be working as a volunteer for Americorps with a local program that is reaching out to the local refuge/immigrant/under paid population with young children who are ready to enter kindergarten. The goal is to help parents prepare their children for the experience. I’ll be working on a communications and partner plan to help get the word out.
It will be a year of living at poverty level, but hopefully the beginning of more volunteer service in my life.
And maybe some good connections with the state education department.
I do what I do because some day I want to hear someone else say that I helped them achieve a goal. Working in retail and trying to write part-time isn’t helping me reach my own goal.
Other than that I make time for my family now. Later is too tenuous.
L
Ljlucy, That sounds awesome, what a great opportunity to have an impact on the world. I hope it goes well for you.
Nice work. I’m sure you’re going to help/effect more people than you realize.