A Look Back
Taking a look in the rear view.
2022 was a year of subtle shifts for Ennead: The Rule of Nine.
And for me too of course. The image above is a result of the first shifts. The decision to get the entire series colored after the completion of Volume 1 gave me an opportunity to rethink some things.
The most important, and the second shift, was the decision to stop releasing single issues on Kickstarter. Planning, launching, running, and fulfilling a Kickstarter is a lot of work. The bigger they get, the truer that statement becomes. My last campaign, the one that funded the coloring of Volume 1, is still technically not completed. I’m waiting on the color books to ship and as a result am a few weeks behind in the final leg of fulfillment.
That said, I’m pushing back the launch date of this one by a few weeks. Don’t worry though, it’s going to be worth the wait. I’m really excited to put out the first of many special editions of Ennead. Inahtuu is first up to bat, but I have a good idea about who is on deck.
When Volume 1’s colors became the primary focus of the year I found myself with a lot more “free time” than I had in the previous two. I was managing fewer Ennead shaped plates in the air than I had been since the projects inception so I decided try and build my audience. While I focused on increasing engagement on platforms like IG and Twitter I also decided to create this publication. The series of weekly posts for six or seven months led me to the third shift: to start writing prose.
The decision to write, publish, and distribute my own comic series was wild enough, but traditional novels? Had you asked me three years ago what I’d be doing I would not have guessed all of this. C’est la vie.
The only way to get to where you’re going is to know where you’ve been.
To take the time to tell you how much I’ve grown as a writer in 2022 would be pointless because most of you watched it play out in real time, and those of you who haven’t, spend some time bouncing around this Substack to find out. One of the coolest things about this journey is that I’m not taking it alone.
I cannot thank those of you who subscribe to and read my Substack, those who support my work on Kickstarter, and the absolute saints who do both. I wouldn’t be here, on the cusp of a brand new leg of my journey into self-publishing without you. I’ll continue to push myself to be better because that’s just who I am, but if I were doing this in an “empty room” I don’t know how far I’d get.
Knowing that I’ve been able to build with many of you since that first Kickstarter campaign back in the fall of 2020 gives me confidence in these subtle shifts and my ability to make more in the future. And while I don’t know what they (all) are just yet I am excited to continue to share them with you.
If you’re the resolution making type, don’t wait until 2023 to start.
Pro-tip: Make and start your resolution now. In 21 days it’ll be January 3rd and your new routine will already be set in stone. While millions of folks are still shaking that New Year’s Eve hangover you can already be well on your way to making 2023 your year of subtle shifts.
Start small. Gain momentum. Surpass your own expectations.
JL
For a guy starting small, you sure did a lot this year! Looking forward to 2023, my friend.