Some things about the stories I make

Some of the ideas are less applicable to tools and software.

Ghosts and Computers.

I like writing about ghosts and computers.

Computers because I work with computers. I understand them better than most, I like them probably better than most. They are a pain in the neck, in that they will do exactly what you tell them to do, and not what you want.

Ghosts because they fascinate me. They’re things that linger, things that we remember but don’t see. They reflect the past, and tell us a bit about what we think of the future.

They are alike in many ways.

I work with images and text.

I write long. I will always favor writing too much and exploring in depth what the image in my mind is trying to say, rather than writing too little and relying on context to do the work. Not everyone will have that needed context.

I think in images. Translating to text is difficult, but often necessary. When possible, I communicate in visuals, in gesture, in animation.

I have found that I am not that interested in creating things that are text only. In text, there is nothing that is simultaneous. Every line has to go one by one. Trying to translate every thought into word is sometimes painful.

I have found that I have trouble creating things that are image only. Some things are only possible with prose, some language has elegance that translates poorly to lines and color. Comics and animation take a patience and care to drawn craft that I haven’t quite developed.

I am not certain enough of my relationship with sound to know how it colors my work.

Interaction is optional. I started with games. I do not need to end with games. But I’ve made a lot of games, and I will likely continue to make them.

On sincerity

I take pride in my sincerity.

I would much rather take things too seriously than not seriously enough. The most ridiculous-sounding thing to me can be serious to someone. Life can be pretty ridiculous as a whole.

I admire those works where enthusiasm pour through them. Even the tragic and painful parts can be made with love and respect. Such care is more important to me than technical perfection and polish.

Everything that is edgy / cheesy / overblown / cartoony - they all have their place. There is something of love within them all, and they are sincere.

Do note - sincerity does not imply happy or light. I frequently explore various darknesses in my work, and I enjoy tragedy.

On normalcy

I am fascinated by norms. Those who are normal never have to examine that normalcy. Those who are not are confined by it. When you examine the norms, you examine where the power lies.

Norms are what allows a community to judge ‘good people’ and ‘bad people’.

Good things can happen to ‘bad’ people. Bad things can happen to ‘good’ people.

People and ideas are always influenced by the world around them. People’s imaginations are limited by their surroundings and experiences.

I like exploring the normalcy, the power, in worlds that aren’t our own.

The voice in my gut, that tells me to tear everything apart? To create something painful and weird and raw? Listen to it. It’s a scary voice, but it too is a sincere voice. That voice was suppressed for too long.

Sometimes there just isn’t enough time.

There is not enough time to fix everything. I try to create perfection, and fail. The flaws are where my character seeps through. It’s worth celebrating.

There is not enough time to flesh out everything. It is enough to do what I can and let the world know that I cared

Ideas I’m still striving towards

There’s nothing to apologize for.

I will not be sorry for making things.

I am proud of what I do: Even the broken things. Even the things I leave behind

They are all imbued with slivers of my self

To dismiss them would be wounding myself. To apologize for them would be unfair to what I’ve made.

I must present everything, without polluting them with my fears. I must believe in that which I pour into the world.

If I express hatred, then the work becomes something that expects to be hated.

Celebrate.

All work is thrown out into the void

It’s easy for me to forget them once they’re there

There is nothing wrong with talking about something made in the past I would have forgotten making them, yet they are still mine

Someone once told me that if you only talk about something once, the world will forget you

Twice, and someone might notice

You have to do it again and again so that people finally understand what it is you are trying to say.