We're Only Making Plans For NUNA

Hullo,

As you may have heard, I am now the indigenous artist in residence at Kwantlen Polytehnic here in Vancouver.

This is what an artist wears to the first day of work. I think.

After years of working on my game alone while juggling a dayjob and single fatherhood, it is a relief to have access to great creative young minds who want to collaborate with me and a vindication of my artistic choices.

Thanks to YOU readers for all the support! You kept me going.

So what is the plan?

As an artist, I plan to learn the biz (tax breaks, government grants, networking and events) while retraining myself in art technically (starting digital watercolors now).

As a game designer, NUNA needs a rewrite to make it simpler and more appealing, then relaunch on Kickstarter at year's end.

As an academic, I am happy to step away from the grind of teaching. Also nice to be an artist on campus rather than academic or professor as Canadian higher ed has been DECIMATED by cuts in international student enrollment and positions are still being axed left and right.

Otherwise, going to get myself back in shape by daily exercise (calisthenics and martial arts), practice art and writing daily, and give workshops on my interests at the university.

Here are the topics I suggested:

Escaping the Dungeon - Roleplaying games as decolonial practice and space for the arts vs corporate money sink.

Creating Labrador - The imaginarium of The Big Land in literature and art

AlternNative Visions - The anticolonial and  postcolonial worlds of Coyote & Crow and NUNA RPG

What I Learned From (failing) Kickstarter - Crowdfunding for Creatives

Blogging here will slow down as I immerse myself in giving NUNA a true sendoff into the world.

Nekkumek!

PS Sonny is quitting school again, so that complicates things but no big deal. I was raised in my Nan's kitchen as she painted, and I found one of her paintings on the wall of the Ambassador's Residence for the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. I can do no worse than she did.

Also, an an indigenous person I know exactly how jarring our colonial education system can be and that it has little relation to my son's learning and growth.