p̵i̷x̸e̶l̶ ̵o̶c̶c̸u̴l̷t̴ @PixelOccult@witches.town

Hey pals, what with all the drama going down and the impending implosion of witches.town, I'll be relocating over to @PixelOccult

Find me there if you'd like!

Hi! I make things that I want to exist.

I made this tarot deck
http://www.neonmoontarot.com
and this one
http://www.sinkingwastelandtarot.com
Made some comics
https://medium.com/@pixeloccult

Also I'm on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/PIxelOccult

Some samples of my art:

6/ I had savings to coast on. I was supremely privileged to be able to work in tech and get paid well and have supportive coworkers. So with those savings I got to making a dent in my wish list of things I wanted to do for myself. A tarot deck. My comic.

The comic never did well but it gave me the practice I needed to pull off what I did with my tarot deck. And when I returned focus to the comic, I still had difficulty. Comics are hard. Never take comic creators for granted, friends. They are amazing for doing what they do!

5/ But a more important lesson - the best employees who were happy to teach also tended to be the best developers/coworkers.

Those gatekeeping coworkers and managers who wouldn't give me a chance ultimately hurt their groups on a larger scale than just me. And I had the knowledge sharing coworkers who lifted their company up in ways that wouldn't show up on a spreadsheet at end of year.

OK let's table that for a sec too. I got myself out of a small town, paid rent, saved up, and survived acquisitions only to watch companies I worked for turn into death march hellscapes. The last one that happened to, I noped out and started drawing full time. Two years ago

4/ If I ever got in over my head, and I did, then I simply crashed and burned until someone more senior could help me out of the mess. And that was the worst position in the world for me to be in.

The senior coworkers were a mix. Some were upset to have to take time out of their day to help a new guy, others were enthusiastic to teach me. But I found something valuable out - There were senior guys who knew less than I did and had confidence to carry them through.

So this was an important lesson - not everyone is a rockstar all the time, your heroes are human and flawed, we're all fumbling our way, etc etc.

3/ I have it BAD. In everything I do, at all times, I assume I'm doing it wrong. I didn't go to art school, it just wasn't an option for me. I had to dig my way out of my small town and working in tech was how I did that. College was my vehicle into that world.

I enjoy programming, I enjoy sysadmin work, I like working with computers. And I've been doing that since middle school. And even as I got jobs and did well in them, at no point did I feel like I belonged with my peers. And this ATE at my career.

Doubt meant that I came across as incompetent until I had a way to prove otherwise.

2/ I've been working on that comic around work and other projects for 4 years. I care about the characters and their arcs in the story.

But every project I work on is ultimately me being a hedge witch of the art world - I'm trying to teach myself as I work on something fun. And in doing so, I stumbled over some learning curves and blocks. Comics involve -s o m u c h- and I hit a lot of notes that I wanted to.

That said, there are warts in my comic. The story, the art, everything could be done better, and it's hard to develop the skills to pull it off while working on other stuff. So, shelve that for now while I go into a bit of imposter syndrome.

I'm going to steal a thread from my twitter for you pals here. I'd like to type some thoughts out as I reflect on 2017, a year that was full of personal achievements. I want to be transparent about some of the difficulties behind whatever success I had this year.

I started the year deciding between focusing on my tarot deck, finalizing a second volume of my webcomic, or trying to find a way back to working in tech and being a responsible adult. 2016 gave TSW tarot so much acceptance that it was hard not to prioritize it.

But I opted to give some time and attention to my webcomic, The Happiness Agent, wrapping up Volume 2.

‪New Year's Eve tarot draw - The Magician from The Sinking Wasteland Tarot. ‬
‪"The Magician suggests that you may have a new goal, and that your skills are appropriately matched to take it on. Success follows your skill and optimism in this new endeavor. Channel your focus, talent, and creativity into this project. "‬

‪http://www.sinkingwastelandtarot.com/The%20Magician.html‬
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#Tarot #illustration #occult #art

Of course I still need to ink and color the remaining cards but sketching is the hardest part for me so it's all fun from here!

I've finished sketching the last of the cards for the Neon Moon Tarot. That means this train's got no brakes and we're in the final stretch. Choo Choo!

‪Today's tarot draw - The Inverted Empress from The Sinking Wasteland Tarot. ‬
‪"You may be losing some of yourself by neglecting your needs in favor of nurturing someone else. You may be having trouble connecting with others or expressing yourself creatively "‬

‪http://www.sinkingwastelandtarot.com/The%20Empress.html‬
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#Tarot #art #illustration #occult

‪Today's tarot draw - The King of Swords from The Sinking Wasteland Tarot. ‬
‪"The King of Swords is logical, fair, just, and stern. He is detached and objective, holding law to the highest regard and as such is incorruptible. His appearance in a reading suggests that you remain emotionally detached so that you may make the most of your logic and intellect. "‬

‪http://www.sinkingwastelandtarot.com/Minor%20Arcana/King%20of%20Swords.html‬
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#Tarot #art #illustration #occult

Doc Flamingo is ready to operate

My beautiful creature got cold

‪Today's tarot draw - The Lovers from The Sinking Wasteland Tarot. ‬
‪"The Lovers represent harmony, love, desire, and intimacy. This card encourages you to consider carefully the current choices you are making, as they are going to be significant ones. You should be very mindful of the long term consequences of your decisions because deciding poorly could take you down a negative road. "‬

‪http://www.sinkingwastelandtarot.com/The%20Lovers.html‬
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#Tarot #art #illustration #occult

‪Today's tarot draw - The Two of Wands from The Sinking Wasteland Tarot. ‬
‪"You have started on a journey and now need to scout and plan the route forward. It's time to step outside of your comfort zone and begin to find your way in new and uncharted territory. Keep your thoughts on your goal and keep moving towards it. "‬

‪http://www.sinkingwastelandtarot.com/Minor%20Arcana/Two%20of%20Wands.html‬
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#Tarot #occult #illustration #art

Still cranking away on the cyberpunk tarot deck but I don't like sharing sketches and right now I'm trying to finish sketching the rest of the deck. There will be more progress photos Soon™