Shy Animator Writes Press Release!

This is me trying to write a press release. I am in hell. Here's the first line:

"MONTREAL (insert date), 2013 – TV creator/director JC Little introduces PickleWeasel..."

Yawn. That's pretty damn boring JC. Spice it up and don't forget to plug yourself.

"Established animation director, cartoon gangsta and social media sensation JC Little brings her humor and creative talents to a new audience with the launch of her comic & drawing app - "

Too long, didn't read.

"Creative genius launches - "

Wait what? No, no, no you can't call yourself a genius, it's tacky and egotistical. Everyone will hate you.

"Animation industry veteran - "

Seriously? How old are you?

"Animation industry survivor - "

Too negative. 

"Animation industry fossil - "

Funny... but still too negative.

"Animation industry stalwart and cartoon blogger JC Little introduces PickleWeasel, a comic and drawing app, now available for iPad on the App Store."

What the hell is a "stalwart"? Meh. It's still not right - you actually suck at this. 

Let's have a look at the headline now. A good headline will catch the media's eye so they'll want to do a story on the app. Your app is unique - but you're not allowed to use the word 'unique'. Don't forget you hafta make it all SEO magical too - ram those keywords in there!  

"Animated series creator JC Little launches comic and drawing app "PickleWeasel" available for iPad on the App Store."

"TV series director kicks the iPad's ass with mojo-vational PickleWeasel app! Available for iPad on the App Store."

"PickleWeasel abandons blog post to go mobile - Comic & drawing app available for iPad on the App Store."

"Suspicious green cartoon escapes animator's blog! "PickleWeasel" available for iPad on the App Store."

"Audacious toon stars in mojo-boosting app "PickleWeasel"

"Mysterious brine found leaking out of the App Store! "

"PickleWeasel claims responsibility for sudden App Store crunch!"

"Vinegar Aroma baffles Apple!"

"The only app with a PickleWeasel in it!"

"Fossilized animator launches hybrid cartoon character into the mobile world!"

 "Star-crossed PickleWeasel set free by Insane Creative Genius!"

"PickleWeasel : There can be ONLY ONE."

...eh bugger it. Just do a drawing.

Hyper-creative human makes a PickleWeasel app for fun and scribbles on the iPad.

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The Life Path.

I'm usually focused on making good things. I make them for their own sake and most people think I'm nuts for this.

Them: "You spend a lot of time drawing for your blog - how do you make money from that?

Me: "I don't."

I don't do it for money. My work doesn't even reach that many people and I used to wonder about that, but I always came to the conclusion that it's not what really matters. What matters is that I do it. I make stuff.

But lately I've had some doubt. I question the choices I've made; where I put my energy, my time, my creative heart. Did I make the best use of my talents? Did I waste my gifts?

Did I make the world a better place? I don't know...

And so I'm feeling a tiny bit sad. I'm sure it'll lift soon. I guess we all could do with a little self doubt here and there. It forces us to re-examine our path.

For what is a life but the path between two points? I'm prolly just choosing my path.

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My new BABY.

Meet my new baby! PickleWeasel is now live on the App Store.

It's a single-frame comic and drawing app, featuring the unique and irrepressible PickleWeasel.

Get it NOW $1.99

Works with iPad; iPhone and Android versions coming soon.
Follow Twitter @PickleWeaselApp - Facebook PickleWeaselApp.

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Cutest baby ever! I will sleep now.

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My NEW invention - Tooth POPS!

I always have my best ideas in the bath…it’s not very relaxing, but I’m getting used to it.

So anyways, there I am, soaking away, when my gaze falls upon the toothpaste tube on the shelf. It's all twisted up, squeezed out, with dried toothpaste all over it and the lid is even on crooked. Gross!

Also, I’m thinking, that poor tube of toothpaste will just end up in the landfill with all the other empty twisted crusty old used tubes of toothpaste. No one recycles them. What a waste!

And then it struck me – why not invent toothpaste that doesn’t come in tubes? Toothpaste is basically a mixture of goop set to foam up in your mouth, that helps clean your teeth and mouth interior, right? Who says it has to be a paste? So here I am inventing …TOOTH POPS!

A Tooth POP will be star-shaped (cuz it’s awesome) and hard, like a small candy. It’s packed with toothpaste like ingredients AND ...the fizzy stuff they put in Pop Rocks.

You simply place the Tooth POP into your toothbrush...

...and add a splash of water.

Whereupon it begins to fizz and foam!

Then you brush like normal. Tell me kids won't love this, amiright?  I bet the Tooth Fairy herself would approve. The truly cool part is that you don’t have to package these in tubes. They can be sold in little boxes or airtight baggies like candy.

Ta-daaa! I can finally relax knowing I have made the world a better place with my latest invention.

I am smart. You’re welcome.

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Backing up.

When we first got our own computer, back in....1996? A long time ago. The Huz set me up with Word so I could write a story or a letter or something, and I just took off. I'd learned how to type with ten fingers when I was 12 in summer school in Hong Kong (the HK equivalent of summer camp yao!) - (and btw I'm allowed to make sino jokes cuz I'm one quarter Chinee*) *fact

So there I was, typing away, when suddenly the screen went black. The Huz said that was normal, computers crashed from time to time. I blinked furiously in my attempt to fully grasp that everything I'd typed for the past hour had been lost. Forever. It was... GONE.

What do you mean "gone"? Wasn't there something you could do to prevent this horrifying evaporation of creativity? 

"Well yeah," said The Huz. "You can 'save'."

SAVE?? What is this SAVE???? You didn't tell me about SAVE!?!!

I finally understood that the precious combination of 1's and 0's I'd given birth to were lost forever. I just about had a heart attack.

And so it was that I learned the auto-reflexive art of Ctrl S. I hit that suckah every few letters, or every few seconds, whichever comes first.

Over the years, I've gambled here and there that a hard drive will last a little longer till I back it up. I got screwed only once, about 7 years ago, when one of my drives died with everything on it.  It was 500 gigs of animation and images and I actually genuflected and prayed to every deity I could think of when The Huz sent it away to be drilled down and restored by some Hard Drive Geniuses somewhere. It cost a summer vacation, but it was worth it.

So as I do my latest sporadic backup, I resolve that I should do them more often and maybe so should some of you.

Think of it like fitness. One full back-up per week. Prevent a heart-attack!

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PickleWeasel PROMO!

So they say that if you're releasing an app, you should really do a teaser promo to show it off and get some buzz going a couple weeks prior to the release. Lucky for me, I'm an animator!

Here's the PickleWeasel promo. It's kind of a boy meets girl story. With a PickleWeasel in it.
 

I'm surrounded by fabulous voice and musical talent. Props go to my 15 year old daughter and her friend Nat voicing this "boy meets girl" story. And The HUZ with his unforgettable tunifications. *applause*

Fun-Fact: The Guess-Games in the app were drawn in DrawSomething. I put PickleWeasel in all my drawsomes; 500 drawings later...you get the picture.

We're planning on launching the iPad version on January 21st from the App Store, and iPhone/Android will follow in the spring. Lots of fun stuff to come including a launch party, the chance to be drawn into the upcoming PickleWeasel music video, and an iPad Mini giveaway. I'll keep you posted here but you can always find out more about the app at PickleWeasel.com.

Don't be stingy with the sharing now. Go forth and make buzz.

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