So, It was 1997 and I quit my job at the bicycle factory and has gotten what I thought was a great opportunity to become a digitizer at an embroidery company in South Seattle. I was still new with computers in particularly Photoshop but I had worked my way into a position through my enthusiasm. It didn't pay much but I saw this as the ultimate opportunity to develop my skills with computer graphics. this in turn may help me develop discipline with my artwork.
There was a problem. I had to learn a complicated program called Compucon (sp?) that was the Photoshop of digitizing. The boss knew I didn't know it and I was supposed to be trained by the guy I was replacing. the guy didn't see that as his mission and left before training me. This left me to train myself and since no one else at the place knew anything about it, I was left to my own devices.
One of my duties included working the embroidery machines whenever the morning embroiderer was out with the "Brown Bottle Flu" which turned out to be quite often. I had to learn this skill on the fly too. Needless to say I never was able to balance this out successfully enough to satisfy the owner, Who knew next to nothing about the actual workings of the operation he ran. The one skill he had in spades was knowing how much money he was spending for an in house digitizer and felt it wasn't worth it. So, after a mere three months I was out the door and out of luck.
That would continue to be the trend with Pipe Dreams. I was starting to use my computer to work on my corrections and coloring my work. It was fun but my putting it on the internet wasn't getting the results I was hoping. I still was submitting it to the syndicates. I was getting more personal replies but none that would say that I was to be the next comic strip sensation.
My work was starting to be less "Gen X" and more gag oriented. I was thinking about giving up. I hadn't thought of any other "killer" idea and after getting fired from another job my self esteem was low and I desperately was looking for a job, any job.
I got that job. a job I should have tried for three years before. It was at a restaurant called Billy McHales. The pay was quite good, It was close to home and I was able to leave my work behind when I got home.
Back to Pipe Dreams. I didn't change it much with this current set of strips. It was a little less sloppy than the previous set. However it was lacking some spark. I was now 30 and I didn't achieve my goal in getting syndicated by that age. My relationship with my girlfriend was entering its 5th year and I needed to do right by her. She was experiencing her own job troubles herself which I used as an excuse to delay marriage or breakup.
Treading water, The story of my life.
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