I can only really approach this all from the perspective of my work on 365 as it stands, so here goes:
Before I launched this series, I was an absolute nervous wreck about it. When you're writing anthropomorphic anything, you already have decades-long preconceptions creeping up on you, but I was also doing this out of the clear blue. No one saw me as a writer. A filmmaker and composer, yes, but not a writer. The jitters got so bad that (and it's still the funniest/dumbest thing that's ever happened to me) I saw the trailer for a Dreamworks family flick, "The Bad Guys," and upon seeing image of a Don Johnsonesque white-suited Wolf rocking a souped-up Camaro, basically had the "I'm ruined!" moment before either the series (or that film) had released lol.
Cut to post-launch me and I'm riding high as a kite. I just published five stories of exceptional quality, I'm slowly gaining readership. And then the Iron Age is given its moniker in July.
It could not have happened to me at a better time. The title itself sat so staggeringly snug with my vision of the series. It was metallic, it was mighty; it was perfect. Why? Because it gave the epoch a powerful name.
My biggest gripe with the inner circle approach (your Comicsgate/PulpRev/etc.) was the fact that you have nine tetrillion pint-sized divisions that are all so preoccupied with the act of writing/creating/drama (that last one's CG more than anyone else), that you couldn't really find the audience. It was like being at a convention with no fans and tables full of authors, merch, and celebrities. It wasn't clout, permission, or legitimacy I was searching for. I wanted to find the fans. And the problem is that there was nothing for the audience to collectively wrap their hands around, especially in an age as decentralized as the one we live in.
The Iron Age is that "thing" for the folks out there in Videoland to grab hold of and say "this is what we want." Nothing before or hence has given them that banner. And I fear gatekeeping on the macro level is exactly what will rip it away. I'm not saying let shit behavior slip out of fear of "breaking the line," I'm saying take things on a case-by-case basis. And perhaps it's my youth that has made me more forgiving as well, more welcoming, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Because 365 is for everyone. Everyone who loves old school speculative fiction, vintage pulp, and heavy rock are bound to find something enjoyable in 365. And I want to be here for them and for fellow creatives. Because the generosity and kindness I've been shown over the past half-year has touched me in a way I've never known. And I want to pass that on to all who come after.
I can only really approach this all from the perspective of my work on 365 as it stands, so here goes:
Before I launched this series, I was an absolute nervous wreck about it. When you're writing anthropomorphic anything, you already have decades-long preconceptions creeping up on you, but I was also doing this out of the clear blue. No one saw me as a writer. A filmmaker and composer, yes, but not a writer. The jitters got so bad that (and it's still the funniest/dumbest thing that's ever happened to me) I saw the trailer for a Dreamworks family flick, "The Bad Guys," and upon seeing image of a Don Johnsonesque white-suited Wolf rocking a souped-up Camaro, basically had the "I'm ruined!" moment before either the series (or that film) had released lol.
Cut to post-launch me and I'm riding high as a kite. I just published five stories of exceptional quality, I'm slowly gaining readership. And then the Iron Age is given its moniker in July.
It could not have happened to me at a better time. The title itself sat so staggeringly snug with my vision of the series. It was metallic, it was mighty; it was perfect. Why? Because it gave the epoch a powerful name.
My biggest gripe with the inner circle approach (your Comicsgate/PulpRev/etc.) was the fact that you have nine tetrillion pint-sized divisions that are all so preoccupied with the act of writing/creating/drama (that last one's CG more than anyone else), that you couldn't really find the audience. It was like being at a convention with no fans and tables full of authors, merch, and celebrities. It wasn't clout, permission, or legitimacy I was searching for. I wanted to find the fans. And the problem is that there was nothing for the audience to collectively wrap their hands around, especially in an age as decentralized as the one we live in.
The Iron Age is that "thing" for the folks out there in Videoland to grab hold of and say "this is what we want." Nothing before or hence has given them that banner. And I fear gatekeeping on the macro level is exactly what will rip it away. I'm not saying let shit behavior slip out of fear of "breaking the line," I'm saying take things on a case-by-case basis. And perhaps it's my youth that has made me more forgiving as well, more welcoming, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Because 365 is for everyone. Everyone who loves old school speculative fiction, vintage pulp, and heavy rock are bound to find something enjoyable in 365. And I want to be here for them and for fellow creatives. Because the generosity and kindness I've been shown over the past half-year has touched me in a way I've never known. And I want to pass that on to all who come after.