[2019 Patreon intro] Nice to meet you!

[This is how I introduced myself when I created my Patreon back in 2019. I'm including it here just for the sake of fully migrating my old Patreon onto this blog.]

Hello there! I'm Vance, and I'm so happy you're here! Here's a little more about me. I'd love to hear a little about you, too!

I'm 27, living in Pittsburgh, got a degree in chemistry a couple years ago. I'm non-binary (they/them pronouns) and transmasc, currently in my first year of HRT; I'm also pan and in general feel pretty tied to the queer community. I mainly work as a bookkeeper for the time being, just trying to do what I can to pay my student loans and such. As I alluded to in my bio, I have depression, anxiety, and some impaired concentration; thanks to that, dealing with daily life and self-care kind of consumes most of my energy. So I only work on art stuff here and there when I get the chance, in whichever form captivates me at the moment--drawing, designing patterns and stickers and planner spreads, writing fiction and nonfiction, collage, crafting with whatever I happen to have around. I'm also working on learning computer science; coding feels to me like another form of art. I've been making art, in one way or another, for as long as I've had fine motor control. I'm also a journal and planner enthusiast, a tea snob, a fan of 90's rock and contemporary Vocaloid, an errant D&D player, an acolyte of entropy. I love stories, but don't read or watch very much these days; when I do, I lean toward animation, fantasy, soft sci-fi, philosophizing, and heavy character development. All the advice for artists and entrepreneurs alike says to find your niche and throw yourself into it wholeheartedly, but it's variety, discovery, and novelty that bring me the most joy. I aspire to be capable in as many fields as I find interesting, rather than an expert in any particular thing. I couldn't possibly choose one or two. I make art because I have to, because the ideas and curiosity won't leave me alone until I pull them out from inside me. I make art to bring me peace or to make friends smile; I make art so that the me of the future remembers who I was. And sometimes I make art because I just need to use it for something.

The world is a tangle of stories told and untold, and I take inspiration from whatever I can tease out. Much of it is a transformation of stories I absorbed years ago, maybe some I don't even consciously remember. I'm inspired by everything unusual or out of place, by things half-seen and anecdotes from strangers. I take inspiration from my friends and communities too (trans, queer, mentally ill, millenial), our struggles and triumphs and longings. I'm fascinated by the ambiguities of words and meaning and perception, and the ways that individuals make sense of the world. In visual arts, I gather ideas and imagery from clouds and trees, silhouettes and shadows, objects and ephemera and clutter, strange colors in the sky. I'm fascinated by spaces; I love illustrations of cluttered rooms, of places that feel alive, of life-as-it-is. I like art styles that are soft, cute, and stylized as well grandiose, dramatic styles; my "typical" art falls somewhere in the middle but I want to work in both extremes too. I like deliberately messy styles, asymmetry, and visual complexity (though I've also been trying some very clean and regular vector work!). In writing, you can probably tell that I lean a bit purple prose-y. Presently, my original fiction tends to be related to Dungeons & Dragons. When it comes to crafting, I'm usually inspired by brainstorming how to use materials that I scavenge, or how to DIY something I can't buy.

So that's a whole lot of words about me. I would love to hear about you too, if you care to introduce yourself! I'd be very happy for this to feel more community-like and get to know the folks who are supporting me. If you make stuff yourself, I would love to hear about that or take a look at your work as well! And I'm curious to know, what kinds of art are you interested in, and what would you like to see here? Any particular reason you decided to pledge? Much love and thanks, everyone! <3