Hello, Everyone!

I know you likely have many questions like "When's that one book I can't name supposed to come out?" or "Where have you been?" Hopefully, by the end of this post, I will have answered any questions you may have about me, my work, or the status of my projects. 

PROJECTS

First, I have kept both of my ongoing projects. The Bearcat project had to undergo a massive rewrite, and most artists I began with left the project. How to Draw Black People Volume 1 was released on 02/29/24. Yes, I am very late on these projects. It's never my intention to miss a release date or need to push things back. Making these books is what I do, and I feel most at home behind my Cintiq and writing about the world as I see it. Still, I got hit by a car, my face was fractured, and I needed time to heal physically and mentally.

I have a child and a co-parent for whom I am responsible. While I love what I do, I love my kid more and have no support circle. No caregivers. I'm also no longer a 25yr old able to grind into the late hours. I can no longer drink caffeine and'll be 40 later this year. So, even under the best circumstances, I need more help than I have to turn around a book in a year. I am not under the best circumstances; thus, finishing up will take me much longer than usual. I am also being evicted and still determining how or where I'll live in the next few months. Despite all that, I want you to know two things. 

1. If I go through the trouble of announcing a project, I finish it. I don't quit on things or people unless I must. 

2. My fundraising method is to only raise a fraction of the funds I need to make a project work and supply whatever I need independently. 

When I do a cost analysis at the beginning of a project, I look at how much the entire project would cost to achieve a specific goal. However, I am one person and cannot handle the demands of thousands of preorders, so the scope of my projects is capped by what I can physically and mentally contribute. If I were after profits primarily, I would approach things differently, as I have in the past. That's part of the reason I am so burned out these days. I do this to keep the cost of the books as low as possible but also so that I can handle my workload. Ordinarily, I would be using rideshare to make up the difference. Still, due to my injuries and other issues in my home, I can't return to that type of work. I am looking for freelance and regular jobs, but the process has been arduous, to say the least. Bearcat Wright & The Kayfable Chronicles is not canceled, and it will take me longer than expected to complete it. The new working title is "The Kayfable Chronicles," I'll share more about it once there is more news. Currently, I have things going on that require my attention and focus. I'm dedicated to seeing things through as I have done in the past but facing problems I've never had to deal with on my own.

If you lose faith in my ability to finish a project, I can't do anything about it. If you want a refund, I will do my best to make that happen as soon as I can consistently return to my creative projects. Right now, I can only grab an hour or two here and there before I'm pulled away from my work. 

All I ask is for your patience if you can spare it. Once I am in a stable position, I can show up where I am most needed.  

ME

So, when I started this project, I was conflicted between an Afro-centric cyberpunk epic and what would eventually become "The Kayfable Chronicles." I chose the route that brought me here because since I was a child, I was told he was my grandfather. My family and I are estranged for the most part. It's not an angry or spiteful separation. However, I experienced a lot of trauma going up, and those people represent a lot of harm I still struggle to accept I lived with. 

I was adopted by my family at a young age, and I don't know how official my adoption was. I was born in 1984, as far as I've found. Many kids were shuffled back then around families, households, cities, and state lines. If there was ever any official paperwork, I would never have seen it. However, I wouldn't expect anyone who hasn't lived in specific spaces in Black communities. Black Muslim families do not always operate on the books, especially during the eras that preceded and succeeded my birth. So, exactly how I came to be in possession of my adoptive mother is knowledge only she knows and is likely unwilling to part with. I've tried asking her several times over the years, and she sticks to the story she told me when I was a child despite all the terrible holes. I have given up on getting honesty from her, nor do I wish to have any from her in the future. We had our time together and it is what it was. If that sounds bitter, I accept it. Some things are painful, and nothing else can be said about it. 

I don't know who my biological parents are. Still, I have reasons to believe that my mother is one of the daughters of Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X. I am so sure of this that I decided to take up Bearcat as my grandfather, hoping that, in the process, I could prove it to be true. I found more questions that didn't add up or feel right emotionally. Every day I promoted my Kickstarter, I felt wrapped up in a delusion I was writing about myself. When I was run down by a negligent driver near my home, I broke down mentally. The thought of dying the way I was injured and leaving behind a project glorifying the grandfather of the family that traumatized me felt like a sick joke I wanted to wake up from. 

I did wish to deceive people. I wanted to separate myself from Malcolm X because I believed I had embarrassed him and his legacy while living in ignorance of my heritage and my identity. I also wanted to avoid the idolatry I've seen others practice around his name. It took me a long time to feel I had a right to exist even as a genetic offspring, if not a family. I do not wish to intercede upon his legacy or rewrite history to benefit myself. His is a life I was drawn outside of, and I don't have any faith in the idea that there is a place for me now. 

What I want you to know unequivocally is that yes, Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz are my grandparents; no, I cannot explain to you how I know; yes, I am okay if you do not believe me; no, I do not wish to replace Malcolm or speak for him from beyond the grave. I apologize for acting incongruent to my character in the belief that a greater good be accomplished. I was wrong.

Beyond that? I don't have any connection with the Shabazz estate. If they know about me, they've never attempted to speak directly to me. I'm okay with that. I have no ill will toward anyone who knew me before I knew myself. 

Regardless, I am unwilling to tiptoe around my DNA moving forward. I don't believe being genetically related to Malcolm and Betty makes me above or below anyone. Still, it's vital to my understanding of myself to acknowledge this part that has been kept from me for most of my life. 

My Work

Lastly, I want to discuss How to Draw Black People in Volume 1, 2nd Edition. 

I have been working on this off and on for the last year. It's finally complete, and I am very proud of it more than the original. Everything I could not add to the first book because I rushed the release has been entered into this edition. The language has been cleaned up, so it's easier to read, and the new size makes it more portable. There are two versions of the book. The standard edition is the original price of the first edition when it was released (if you buy it on my website). Still, I strongly suggest the deluxe edition if you want a high-quality version. Thinker paper, hardcover, more vibrant colors, etc. If the book's quality is most important, get the deluxe edition. 

The digital version of the 2nd edition is only available in my shop as well. So, you can get the digital, the physical, and the deluxe edition of How to Draw Black People Volume 1 today in my shop. 

You can also find it on Amazon, but it costs more there. 

CLOSING

I appreciate everyone who continues to believe in the importance of my work; even if you want to support an artist of your choice, I am thankful you chose me. The next few months may be rough for me so please keep me in your thoughts. I hope you enjoy this book as I envisioned it to be. Most importantly, I hope you learn something about yourself or the people around you that you may not have considered before. 

Until then.