Re:Whatever.. sellouts. (Score 1)

The one most important thing I'd like to say about Valdrax's post is that it's one of the very very few that made me actually think about what was said.

I think I'd be lying if I didn't admit to having been quite naive about the entire corporate sponsorship path. I didn't know, and still don't fully understand what happens when one gets involved in this kind of business. However, I'm sure this is not seen as an excuse for those who see UF Media as "selling out."

And to carry that a step further, I confess to feeling uncomfortable about the tone of the corporate site. Of course I accept responsibility for what's there, but having said that, I should also make it known that the more I consider the content of the site, the more I want to change it. Which means that a change will likely occur in the not too distant future.

But I will disagree with anyone who claims that making a living from UF -- or any creative endeavour -- is "selling out." I note that Valdrax made no such claim -- his issues are about creative integrity, which I can address with the fact that regardless of who sponsors UF, they're most emphatically not immune to being barbed in the comic strip. There are other points that surround this, but instead of getting into them one by one, I'm hoping Valdrax et. al. will extend to me the benefit of the doubt and watch for the course adjustments UF makes corporately over time as we feel our way through this.

A fellow webtoonist mentioned to me once that it's strange that when a cartoonist gets syndicated (and has their art/creation plastered all over Hell's half acre in merchandise, sponsorships, endorsements etc.) they're applauded. When a webtoonist builds their own business unit to act as their own syndicate, and do the same things as a syndicate, they're often subjected to a firestorm of criticism that rivals the napalm drops in Viet Nam. I partly understand the reason for this, but not fully. Once again, I'm feeling my way through all of this, and I won't hesitate to admit that trailblazing can be bewildering.

The point to all of this is that I do readily admit to being imperfect and to making mistakes, which I hopefully have learned from. The ultimate goal behind what I'm doing with UF is to prove that yes, anyone with a creative bent can indeed succeed and succeed in a big way without needing to sign on with a syndicate or record label.

And I think that would just be too cool.