Good morning. How are you! Did you miss me? It feels strange not to post a new monster every night, stranger still not to read your new comments every day. But I was so happy about all the great stories and lovely messages you put up in response to Monster 100. Some of you made me laugh, some of you actually got me a little bit misty! Thank you very, very much! You are a brilliant group of people.
Of course, just because I didn't film new monsters, doesn't mean I've been idle. For one thing, I'm talking to a new publisher about putting out the 100 DAILY MONSTERS book. So far it's looking good. I've known the editor there for a few years and she's a good egg. Keep your fingers crossed. Of course, if that doesn't work out, I'm still set to print the thing myself. I got a great contact in Kentucky that can produce the book beautifully in China. Either way, I'm chomping at the bit to show you the cover I've designed.
Oh...
Nuts!
Why wait...
Check it out!
This is what the book will look like if I produce it myself. (The format is 9"x7", by the way.) If I go with a publisher that puts it into bookstores, we can't have the paper band, because they tear too easily on the shelves and get returned as damaged. So in that case I'll have to think up something else. But I thought I'd let you have a look at this design anyway. It's going to be a book by you and about you. It'll be your book. So I hope you like it!
In the meantime, I'm also getting my e-commerce on. Thanks to my great and brilliant friends at FWIS, I'm very, very close to launching the 344 Monster Store. All that's missing now is my permit from the State Board of Equalization. Give it another two weeks or so and I'll have posters, prints and all kinds of little goodies for you! This is going to mark a new phase in the 344 Invasion! It'll be an experiment to see if I can actually make a living producing cool stuff for you without going through a client. I think it's possible and I'm excited to see if it's true!
You haven't been idle, either! A bunch of you sent great monsters in response to the 1st Open Source Monster Blot Challenge! Please check out the gallery! If you think that's inspiring, also check out Steve G's movie response. It's very cool, if also a little bit disturbing. :^) After that, why not download Open Source Blot 02? I can't wait to see what you do with it!
Lastly, I'm off to the East Coast to judge the BoNE Show for AIGA Boston this week. They asked me to donate one of the monsters for their Meet The Judges fundraiser.
I decided to give them a new one:
BoNE Show! Get it? (Listen... I'm not above the occasional pun---especially for a good cause.) My understanding is that they'll raffle off the drawing at the event, so if you're in the Boston area, please come by and say Hello. Maybe you'll get to take home an original monster at the end of the night!
For now, I hope that you'll have a great weekend and a brilliant week ahead! I hope to return from my travels with lots of new ideas and some fun images for you! Please stay safe and have fun with the monsters, old and new! Even from the road, you can bet your bottom dollar that 344 LOVES YOU
