I consider myself a very lucky person in that so many of my friends are exceptional artists. I’m doubly lucky because I was able to commission a piece from one of them based on The Korinniad. Tonenina, a friend I’ve had since I was 13 (that’s almost 20 years!), crafted this amazing piece for me based on Korinna and Nikeros, and I could not be more pleased:
First of all, just look at it: IT’S ADORABLE. It’s got all the whimsy and fun of the book while also being totally its own thing, mixing an awesome Disney-esque Hercules style with the artist’s personality. Go show Tonenina some love and follow her everywhere:
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
Ko-Fi
So many cool things came out of this commission process. I got to talk about my work with someone who offered a fresh new outlook on character creation and style, I got to watch art evolve in neat updates from her throughout the process, just fucking cool as shit stuff I’ve never seen before, I got to watch her have really exciting moments that just filled me with so much joy, and most importantly, I got to really reconnect with someone who I love so damn much. I hope she’s okay with me saying that because it’s true, and I’m not letting her see this post before it goes live (haha), but it really is true: Tonenina was there for me at a time when no one else was, and even after all this time, she still is, and it’s amazing.
I also wanted to talk just very quickly about how supporting other artists can really only help yourself and the community as a whole. Too often we’re asked to give away our art for free or for very little (but my feelings on the 99 cent novel and the necessity of a loss leader are worthy of their own blog), so when you have a little spare cash, consider that art, while not a necessity, actually sort of is. Sure, you could go out for lunch for the third time this week, or you could pack once or twice and go pick up someone’s ebook or order an enamel pin or just go buy someone a coffee.
It’s weird how much we prioritize entertainment, and yet expect it to all be free. There’s a problem, of course, with huge corporations like Disney and, uh, well, Disney commodifying art leading to piracy, which I will admit I support to a certain extent (all of these streaming services shouldn’t exist, and if you do pay for one you certainly shouldn’t also have to watch commercials), but I think somehow we’ve devalued art to the point we think it should be free, especially if someone created it in their “spare time” and enjoyed doing it. And if we keep doing that, the only access to art you’ll have will be mega corporations that are not producing quality stories anyway.
I said quickly, though, didn’t I? So, that’s all I’ll say about that.
So go follow Tonenina and keep up with the awesomeness she has planned for the future, and check back in here too as Camp NaNo is right around the corner, and we’ve got some prepping to do for that word frenzy. I think you’ll be pleased if you were ever a fan of Vacancy!
A.K. Caggiano 