Cool Projects I Want to Try

Any artist would know the struggle of getting more ideas or inspirations than they know what to do with. Sometimes they will see a new form, witness how cool it is, and go: "I want to try that." Will they actually try half of these things? No. Sometimes they are too busy, or they got a lifetime of other endeavors to work on. There are several things I wish to try someday, but I'm unable to for different reasons.

So, here are some things I would love to do and why I haven't done them yet.

Drag Performance

When I saw my first drag show, it was something glorious. The flashy costumes, the amazing dance moves. It was all awe-inspiring. I instantly knew I would one day do it at least one time. I even have come up with a stage name and general vibe. Unfortunately, I live in a car-dependent area without a car, and they often start after dark, so it's not like I can go to any shows even if I wanted to at this time.

Plus, performers often need things such as an online presence, and I am in the United States. While there normally is risk when posting your face online, it is extra dangerous thanks to the current administration. Even making social media accounts, and I can't become a Bedroom King unless I wish to risk being targeted by the federal government should they decide to escalate everything further. I made a post about a unique piece of clothing I'm working on, and that is already dangerous enough! So, it's not worth putting myself in danger for something I never even tried doing and don't know if I would even stick with it.

Perhaps one day circumstances will change, and I can give this a shot.

Update: Technically fulfilled?

Creating CDs

There are quite a few indie artists I enjoy, and would love to have in my physical collection, but they aren't selling physical copies of their music for one reason or another. Plus, many shows are digital-only, or only release physical copies in limited runs that quickly enter triple digits in value once the production run is over. Thankfully, burning CDs is something most people can do, but there is no reason to stop there.

There is so much more that can be come with them, creating the cases and putting on the album art at the top, faux CDs can be their own form of art that seems like it would be fun to do. I can be accurate to the original artist, or get creative and do my own take. For obvious reasons, this type of project would purely be for the fun of it. 

Right now, I don't have blank CDs or a CD burner, so this idea is simply in my head for now.

Update: Guess what I got to do? Turns out Windows 10 and 11 come with CD burning capabilities built in, and I got my hands on some blanks. I enjoyed the process so much, I already burned through my supply. I have so many more albums I wish to add to my collection that is either difficult or impossible to get legitimately, so I will definitely have to do it again. Only thing I haven't done was decorate these CDs and turn them into fan work. I still definitely should do that!

Zines

Zines are a type of media that have captured the attention of so many people, and to know that there is an independent variant of them is something fascinating. I admit I am yet to have the chance to come across one that interests me, it still looks like it could be a fun thing to try out. Either it be a new type of art to get into, or a way to expand my business just a little bit more. I am growing a collection of creations I can repurpose for a zine, and know quite a few great creators that would be great to include. Although, expanding to include other artists may have to wait until I'm a little more comfortable with the business side of my art and feel ready to pay royalties.

Zines are simply not on the priority list right now. I have a mountain of other things I want to do before making a zine will be considered, but perhaps they will pop up when I'm trying to procrastinate.

Update: I did make a zine! It is a simple six-page booklet that is just a poem. As of writing this update, it only has written words. It doesn't have illustrations beyond the cover pages, More minimalist zines will likely be made and offered as freebies for monetized projects such as my shop.

Creating an ARG

Alternate Reality Games, or ARGs, are such a cool method of storytelling. They take advantage of the internet as a format, crafting stories that people can explore and interact with, forming theories as the game goes on until it reaches its conclusion. And even then, it may still remain mysterious. It simply looks like a fun thing to do. But, just like with zines, ARGs are simply not something I will be working on any time soon with other projects being in the way.

Video Game Development

Finally, there is the most involved of them all: creating a video game. Even if it's a small game, it would be really neat to make such a complex project and see all the skills I'm picking up come together to make something truly special. In a way, I am currently working on it, as I study programming from time to time and I fiddle with micro-projects with Java. Small pieces of software that teaches me how to use the language, utilizing a variety of learning tools so I can look back at them in the future when I wish to know how to achieve something once again.

This one, I am glad that other projects are in the way. It gives me time to learn Java as I cycle through active projects. I will be ready when it is time for me to finally create a game. Hopefully it will be as great as I imagine it being.

Conclusion

These are far from the only things I would love to do. Many creatives would know that this blog post can go on for far longer if I wanted it to, but then this article would go on for forever and would never be finished. So, I will leave it with these five things for now.

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