Tag: my art

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No Watching YouTube for 31 Days

I’m going to try a personal challenge – no watching YouTube for the next 31 days.

That’s right. For the month of May, I’m going to make the effort to NOT watch YouTube. (This likely means no new YouTube videos on my channel, either. Apologies in advance to my YouTube channel subscribers. I will, however, be doing workshops with the Cartoonist Co-op as part of Nib and Ink Fest, and those workshops will be up on their YouTube channel. I’ll post links to those workshops in the next few days.)

“But WHY?” You might ask. “YouTube is everywhere! How can you possibly do no YouTube for the month of May?!”

So, before I get into the How, let me tell you the Why.

Why #1 – May is a BUSY month for me.

I mentioned the workshops I’m doing with the Cartoonist Co-op as part of Nib and Ink Fest. I will also be packing up and preparing to move to a new apartment before the end of the month.

“You could just put YouTube on in the background – “

No. That’s part of my next Why.

Why #2 – YouTube is More Distraction Than Helpful.

I need to keep my hands busy, usually with making comics and art, or packing my apartment up for the move. I can’t be distracted with shiny visuals. Also, I have caught myself – multiple times – scrolling YouTube to try to find *something* to turn on, but realizing that nothing is catching my interest.

This leads me to…

Why #3 – YouTube isn’t FUN anymore.

collage of my frustrations with YouTube as a platform

I made this collage yesterday to make art out of my frustration with YouTube. Because YouTube used to be fun.

Used to be.

Now, because of its algorithms prioritizing the same content delivered in roughly 1700 different ways (seriously, HOW MANY videos are there talking about “productivity” or “things I do to stop doomscrolling” – on a platform formulated for doomscrolling). There’s also the sponsors who are 99% of the time scams, the ads, and my once-favorite YouTube creators no longer being favorites…

Well, it’s time that I take a break from YouTube.

So, HOW am I not going to watch YouTube?

How #1 – the Unhook extension.

The Unhook extension built for Firefox has commands for when you *do* end up on YouTube. Unhook does things like turning off Shorts, bringing you to your subscription feed instead of the front page, turning off the comments section, and other quality of life fixes.

I’m leaving this extension on in case I have a moment of weakness and end up on YouTube. That way, Unhook makes sure I only see what’s in my subscription feed. Which, right now, is looking slim, since I unsubscribed from a lot of people who stopped being fun for me to watch.

How #2 – audiobooks.

I have a long-ass TBR list of audiobooks on hoopla, an app available from my public library. It’s basically free Audible (so stop paying for Audible. You literally get hoopla and Libby – two audiobook apps – free thanks to your tax dollars). So instead of turning on YouTube, I’ll turn on an audiobook.

OR, I’ll turn on…

How #3 – podcasts.

This one might be trickier for me, as I’m trying to cut down on the number of apps on my phone. Podcast apps are freaking storage hogs. Also, as it turns out, a lot of podcasts I listen to don’t have episodes available on their websites. Their websites are basically place holders to tell people, “Listen to us on Spotify!” Which does nothing to help me.

Still, some podcasts have their episodes on their websites, and those will be super helpful this month. I also have some of my favorite episodes downloaded onto my laptop, which I don’t mind listening to The Dollop talking about the 1904 New York to Paris Car Race for the 17th time.

How #4 – music.

Y’all. My music playlist on my hard drive is entirely too big and I don’t play it enough. I gotta turn on some tunes!

Also, my library offers an app called Freegal, where you can download 5 songs a month – for free – that you can keep forever on your devices. Freegal’s music library is a little tricksy to navigate, and they don’t have everything. Still, I like that they have some of my favorite bands on there.

If Freegal’s not your speed, hoopla also has music. Hoopla has a lot of songs that Freegal does not, like Chapelle Roan.

So here’s something I’d love to hear from you: how do you listen to podcasts? Let me know in the comments, because I really want to listen to more podcasts!

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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The Membership Drive Have Slowed. Will It Pick Back Up?

Things have really slowed down in the Ko-fi Membership Drive. Will things pick back up?

Here’s what we’ve got so far:

  • We made it to 10 total members on my page! Which means all members will get a Little Caticorn mini-print mailed out to them after Jan 31.
  • At 12 members, all members will get that mini-print PLUS a Caticorns pocket zine mailed to them.
  • That Caticorns zine got drawn live on YouTube! You can catch the replay here.
  • We still need to hit the 12 member threshold for folks to get this zine. Which means we just need two more people to join the club!

So if you have the means, consider joining as a Ko-fi Member on my page!

If you are broke, do not stress about it. Seriously. The two best things you can do to support this drive if you’re broke as heck are:

  • Spread the word to the folks in your life who like comics about genderqueer pirates, caticorns, dragons, and adventure! Use the link ko-fi.com/kelcidcrawford
  • Subscribe to my YouTube channel. My other goal this year is to get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube before the end of the year. It’s free and you get to see my art process in my livestreams!

That’s all I’ve got for now. Spread the word and get some zines!

Thank you for your support.

You. Are. Awesome.

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What’s This? A New Goal?

We’re on Week 2 of the Ko-fi Membership Drive. Since things have been quiet and there haven’t been new signups this week, I want to announce a new goal.

At 12 members, all members will get a pocket zine full of caticorn sketches!

(We’re keeping the theme going, since we unlocked the 10-member goal of The Little Caticorn mini-print.)

The other goals are the same – at 15 members, all members will get the 4×6-inch mini-print of the Forest Spirit. And at 20 members, all members will get the 4×6-inch mini-print of Prince Odinon.

But can we make it to 12 members? We’re already at 10, we just need two more folks who believe in dragons, pirates, and caticorns!

As a reminder, Ko-fi members get early access to webcomic updates, including Vanita and the Demon King, which is coming back from hiatus this week! Members also get exclusive discount codes for the Ko-fi shop and commissions, and high-tier members get pocket zines and 4×6-inch mini-prints.

To learn more, head to the Ko-fi Membership page and pick what works for your budget!

OR… you can give just once by leaving a tip, or browsing my Ko-fi shop. I’ll let y’all know that there’s only 1 physical copy left of Thoughtful Dinosaur, so someone should nab that ASAP.

If you’re broke, but still want to support, spread the word of the Membership drive, and head over to my YouTube channel and subscribe. My goal is to reach 1,000 subs before the end of the year! (Also, I’m streaming live this Saturday at 6 pm EDT, if you want to watch.)

That’s all for now. Thank you for your support!

You. Are. Awesome.

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It’s a Ko-fi Membership Drive!

It’s time for a Ko-fi Membership Drive!

WHAT?

This is a drive to get more memberships on my Ko-fi page, whether you give just once, or you join with a monthly membership. (Though there are definitely more perks if you join the monthly membership, more info below).

As of right now, we have 8 active Ko-fi members. If we can make these following benchmarks, we can unlock the following goals:

  • At 10 active members, all members (one-off and monthly) will get a 4×6-inch Little Caticorn mini-print!
  • At 15 members, all members (one-off and monthly) will get that PLUS a 4×6-inch Forest Spirit mini-print!
  • At 20 members, all members (one-off and monthly) will get these PLUS a 4×6-inch Prince Odinon mini-print!
  • At 25 members, all members (one-off and monthly) will get these PLUS a 4×6-inch mini-print of The Two Sisters – a watercolor painting from the 2022 Columbus, OH show, Comics vs Art!

More rewards will be announced as more goals are unlocked!

WHY

2025 is going to be an uncertain year for a lot of folks for many different reasons. For me, 2025 will be risky because of book bans and their challenges (I’m a genderqueer comic artist who makes comics about LGBTQ+ characters). Plus, for 2025 I’m *only* going to zine fests and shows in the Toledo, OH area. For one, those shows are friendlier to comics like The Legend of Jamie Roberts. Also, the proposed tariffs are affecting many artists’ ability to afford merchandise stock like keychains and books. This isn’t even mentioning that comicons and pop culture cons are too expensive to go to as a vendor, even with splitting tables with friends.

Because of these impacts, that leaves us with a question: how can comics like The Legend of Jamie Roberts, Vanita and the Demon King, and so many zines and minicomics happen with these challenges ahead? How can we solve at least one part of this puzzle?

That’s where Ko-fi Memberships come in.

Ko-fi Memberships are an easy way to get cool and custom rewards *and* support to keep making comics like The Legend of Jamie Roberts. The more supporters there are, the more comics and art that can be made and shared with more and more readers!

I want comics like The Legend of Jamie Roberts to keep going. More importantly, *the readers* want comics like The Legend to keep going. This comic especially is written with teens and young adults in mind, who, like me, struggle with gender identity and their place in the world. Stories like this cannot exist in a vacuum, and need support from readers like you to continue.

HOW

Ko-fi Memberships come in two flavors – one-time donations and monthly memberships.

If you give just a one-time donation during this Membership Drive, you get…

  • Ko-fi shop discount codes,
  • First dibs when I’m available for commissions,

If you join any of my monthly memberships – the Digital Club, the Zine + Sticker Club, the Art Club, you get all of that PLUS…

  • Webcomic updates two days earlier than the rest of the internet,
  • Sneak peeks at how comic pages are made,
  • Access to comic scripts,
  • Shout-outs on YouTube,
  • Member-exclusive zines and stickers (for Zine + Sticker Club and Art Club members),
  • Exclusive 4 x 6 inch mini-prints (Art Club members),
  • AND members-only rewards if you back a KickStarter or Crowdfundr campaign.

To get these rewards, head to my Ko-fi page and click “Memberships” to join monthly, or “Shop” to get some goodies. Spending $3 or more in the shop gets you the one-time rewards. You can also get one-time rewards by leaving a tip of $3 or more on the main Ko-fi page.

Keep in mind, too, that you can cancel monthly memberships anytime, no questions asked.

These are options IF you have the budget for it. If you are broke or struggling, absolutely *do not* feel pressured to join. Like I mentioned up top, I understand that 2025 will be a tough year for all of us. So if you are broke, share this campaign with other folks who love genderqueer pirates, trans girls, demon kings, dragons, fantasy malarkey, and supporting queer creators. Sharing is caring and helps spread the word that this campaign and these comics are even happening.

WHEN

This Ko-fi Membership Drive will run UNTIL JAN 31, 2025. I will be updating you once a week on Tuesdays to let you know how the campaign is going. Rewards will ship out after Feb 1.

That’s all for now. If you have any questions or anything, please let me know!

Thank you so much for your support.

You. Are. Awesome.

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LIVE STREAM – Holiday Art-Making Stream

Today at 6 pm, it’s time for a Holiday Art-Making Stream! Let’s draw some comics and art. (Feel free to lurk while I work, either here or on YouTube.)

Be sure to check out the LIVE STREAM BINGO CARDS, which are available for free download.

⭐ Join my email newsletter to get the ROXIE Christmas special in your inbox!

💜 Leave a tip on Ko-fi!

🖌️ I’m available for commissions. Check this board for more info.

🎨 Tools Used:

Music: Kevin MacLeod, Louie Zong, and Streamyard

Streaming – Streamyard

Mic – Blue Snowball

Drawing – Clip Studio Paint

👏 THANK YOU TO MY CLUB SUBSCRIBERS! 👏

To get your name added to this list, join one of my clubs on Ko-fi.

  • magicalgirlkyra
  • All Unka
  • Raiden
  • Ella Q
  • Andrew Balch
  • Adam Vazquez
  • Maya Smith
  • Pat Jade
  • JessicaMcIntosh
  • RPZ
  • Bryce Bargar
  • Heidi Allison
  • Saphronia Maple
  • Cakes

And thank YOU for watching!

You. Are. Awesome.