summing up 2009

I'm planning to write a piece about the shows I saw this year, 2009. This is not only brought about by the fact that this year is going to end, but also because we're seriously planning to launch the fourth issue of Runthru soon. That 4th issue was supposed to be released late last year, but we just didn't have the funds nor the time to release it. We (my brother Lucas, who is the magazine's art director, and I) agreed to release Issue 4 this year, anytime this year, but real life happened - he became a daddy and I became corporately employed. And, look, it's now December.

The original 4th issue has a Best of 2008 feature in it, and I'm quite proud of the compilation and felt that it was very definitive of the year that was. Now, however, it is time to write something about 2009. And 2009 proved to be more tricky. I ran into several things that seemed to break my spirit and my belief in this art form that I so loved. Last year, the only problem I had was the magazine was losing too much money and not paying for itself, like we thought it would. This year, while I had found the resources that could keep the magazine alive, there were many other challenges that I had to overcome. Some of which I am still overcoming. But that isn't the point of this blog post.

Many people say that 2009 was a very bad year all around. I am inclined to agree, but it wasn't all that bad. I realized a lot of things this year, I was really put into situations where I was to question what I had set out as my life's work, and whether it was worth all the hassle and stress and pain. However, the year wasn't a total loss because there were good parts as well. And through all the misery and disillusionment, I feel that I came out a much better person, that I have better priorities and a better outlook in general. And because of the trials of 2009, I believe that 2010 will be wonderful.

Thank you for reading me and for waiting patiently for Issue 4. It's going to be a goodie.