Drocan

Hello again.

My last entry was two years ago. Guess I dropped the ball on that one. Looks like this site hasn’t been at the front of my attention but I thought it deserved an update.

That job I mentioned last time was fantastic. I got to live and breath medieval history every day. I put myself in the shoes of the people who lived in 14th century Europe. (Literally - I worked as a shoemaker.) It was a great chance to expand my leatherwork from masks into just about everything else. Period leathercraft is a fascinating area of study - Shoes, water bottles, sheaths and scabbards, belts and pouches. I learned a lot more about stitching and construction than when I was just doing masks. I did some modern stuff, too. Phone cases, holsters, wallets, quivers… with plenty more on the to-do list still! I also started filling in as a backup blacksmith for when our main one was out, which ended up being most of the time. So that took off. I’m not very confident yet after only a few years of regular self teaching but it was a skill I never even expected to go into and it was great to have access to the tools. Then it was mentioned that our cider press has been inoperable for the last two years before Is showed up, so a few more weeks of research and equipment maintenance and now I’ve got several gallons of period-brewed cider aging in my pantry. And some timber framing and mortise and tenon construction, and armored martial demonstration and classes in the German and Italian styles.

I love learning new things and working with my hands, so being able to work at a living history museum was really a kid in a candy store lifestyle. Which is nice, because I needed the distraction. I had an amazing time in the monasteries of Japan, and finishing up college, but I entered the next step in my life in some financial straights. I know there are opportunities like Peace Corps or teaching abroad and the like, but I can’t bring my leather tools or my armor around the world. I don’t have access to a forge, or sparring partners. I don’t like travel because I get to go around and look at stuff. I like it because the world has so much to teach me. Even when I am just looking it’s typically through a camera lens so even the tourist parts of a trip are still helping me improve on a skill. And there is so much I want to learn from other countries and cultures and people. But there are other things I want to learn that require me to come a step closer to the idea of settling down than I used to be comfortable with. And I have been feeling a little sedentary. I guess there would be a few background regrets either way.

I’ve had a lot of amazing opportunities. After two years at the museum I finally shifted to volunteer status to pursue other paths. I still visit very regularly but I used my time teaching the construction and use of the English Longbow to get a summer job as a youth archery instructor, which a few months later turned into another full time job as an archery and firearms technician at an outdoor outfitter. Just today that also landed me a part time position as an archery consultant for a local director in one of his upcoming fantasy films. I see your silly capitalist concept of supply and demand and I raise you four paid regular archery jobs.I can make it in this rough modern world as an archer, and there’s something to be said for that. I won’t pretend I’m not proud.

I know of at least one person who’s reading this, but after my inactivity here I don’t know if my audience extends much past that. That’s okay - it allows me to make the monologue a bit more internal versus some sort of public announcement. It’s kind of a sad update but I guess that’s not really the intention here. More like an open letter to someone who may have some catching up to do.

It might be about time to hang up the towel here. I’m going to be performing a bit of an art dump just to keep it as updated as I can before I slip back into obscurity so forgive me for that. This place has been absolutely instrumental to my growth as a multimedia artist and I’m sorry the moment of spreading my wings and leaving the nest went pretty much without pomp.

Thanks for the trip everyone! I might be around again but don't wait up. Either way I'll never stop creating and I want to thank everyone who's befriended me here for providing critique and encouragement to keep pushing myself and trying new things.

Cheers!

I know it's been a while, ladies and gentlemen, although I imagine at this point my sporadic attendance has become more or less accepted.
I hope you are well. I have been keeping fairly busy myself. I know I'm not churning out art too regularly here. I have been very active with my leatherwork, although photography has slowed down since travel has always been my greatest muse and finances are just not in the place they need to be for that to be in the cards at the moment. There are cheaper solutions of course, like Peace Corps, but I have a new job I absolutely love so I'm going to hold off on making that sort of serious commitment for at least another year or two. Honestly, this is the most "settled down" I think I've been in my life, and while I'm not entirely happy about it, I'm 24 with many years ahead of me so I'm not worried about getting stuck in some sort of static, white-picket-fence rut.
Oh, the job? I'm so glad you asked.
I am working at a Living History Museum, which is like a museum in its educational mission, except rather than preserving artifacts we preserve cultures and lifestyles. In our case, the culture is that of England in 1376. The United States has a few  living history museums that operate like ours (albeit on a much higher budget) portraying the late 17th and the 18th centuries in the form of Colonial Williamsburg and Plymouth Plantation on the East Coast. But the basic principal in all cases is that we rebuild a town to period specifications and then fill it with actors portraying the locals. We're in an unusual position in that we bare a lot of surface similarity to ren-fairs, except that our focus is on accuracy and education versus entertainment (although we hope our visitors enjoy themselves as well!). My specific job is... well... not very specific. During the off season I have been doing site maintenance and historical research, but this summer I will be one of the actors, portraying the roles of leather worker and cider-maker, as well as giving archery and longsword demonstrations. I am also training as the backup blacksmith in case our primary one can't make it that day. As I continue I will start training new actors and become the volunteer coordinator. I'm also the PR and Marketing Director, so I'll be doing photography and advertising, as well as an eventual web overhaul.
So like I said, I keep busy.
Part of that advertising bit involves a goal to start doing commercials, documentaries and maybe some how-tos on various medieval crafts. In order to make that happen, I sold my trusty Canon Rebel XSi and just ordered a Canon 60D. I've been a long way with my entry-level DSLR, and I have nothing but good things to say, but I think it's finally time to move on. Especially if I have ambitions of shooting video. I know dA isn't the best place for video hosting, but if that goes well I hope to share my upcoming projects with you as well as some portraits of medieval life if I manage to abandon my six other job responsibilities for a minute.
So there you have it. A sparse update for such a long hiatus, but at least it's something. I have been avoiding spamming you guys with my leather projects and historical essays since I know most of you came to watch me because of my photography. Of course I'm far from giving up taking artistic pictures, but maybe instead of assuming, I should just ask. Would you mind if my gallery became more of a leather project one for a while (maybe a year or two until my next big trip) or should I post it elsewhere?
Thanks, and safe travels.
Drocan

Hello all,

I wanted to stop by briefly and give any interested parties a chance to keep up with my latest creative endeavors. My artwork has been progressing nicely since graduation, and what better place to share those milestones than the site that helped kickstart it all?

Photography
As I mentioned in an earlier journal, that photo contest for Albion Swords ended up going very well. I won first place for this photo: fav.me/d5fcquj and had a beautiful sword shipped to me from Europe as a prize. (I did some test cutting with both my new Chevalier and my Crecy on some post-halloween pumpkins and they both handle like a dream.)
Last week I also had the chance to head down to Olympia, our state's capitol, to serve as the event photographer for a State Parks fundraiser at the governor's mansion. The governor herself was scheduled to attend but had to cancel last minute due to the birth of her granddaughter. However, the event itself was still severely classy.
I am also in the process of applying for an internship as a photojournalist for a local magazine, but since I haven't formally submitted my resume at this time there's not much else to report.

Leatherwork
The Evergreen State College asked me to teach an art class on maksmaking a few days ago. I admit I did not have much of a lesson plan, but the event ended up going very well and opened the door for more similar event in the future. It was a great networking opportunity and just a ton of fun to boot. I ended up sticking around long after my commissioned time ended to toss in some more advanced pointers for most engaged students, and would love to do that sort of thing again.
A local bookstore recently proposed a partnership where they would display and sell my masks. They get free decoration, and I get an expanded market and a physical storefront. It will mean a lot of work for me since I'll have to essentially double my supply to keep this from draining the stock of my online store, but I'd say it's well worth the energy.
I also had a conversation with a gallery director and was able to show him a brief portfolio of my work. I haven't followed up on it yet, but he seemed interested in considering me for a future gallery showing. Which would be awesome.
Halloween saw a huge bump in sales at my etsy store, as well as two international orders (Sweden and Australia) which is always exciting. On that note, I have come to realize how quickly my leather hobby has grown and turned into a profitable business. At this point I have invested absolutely no time or money into advertising. I put up my etsy store and just let people come to me. I am starting to think, though, that a little initiative might be what it takes to really push this to a new level as an independent artist. It's an exciting thought, but also a big step in terms of making a real commitment to my work.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter, and I also wanted to thank all of my more regular watchers for the continued support I have received. I have worried about falling into a bit of an artistic slump since I haven't been able to do any major travel for almost a year now, but this site has been a big part of encouraging me to stay active and keep producing new material.

Regards,
Quinn

Hello again, everyone.

Yes, this is in fact another minor plug of sorts. I realize I have basically turned my journals into a personal advertising medium, but this one is pertinent, I promise! Because what I am selling today is the opportunity to read stuff from me in which I do not try to sell anything! Go wrap your head around that.

The short version: I am starting a blog about travel and global citizenship, and if you're interested I encourage you to check it out!

I haven't taken any big international trips since those few months in Asia, but still, travel remains a major part of my life and I have a lot to talk about. Since I returned I focused on finishing my last two quarters at Western Washington University, and have since graduated with a degree in history. I then returned home and am currently training to become a bartender. I would like to return to school to get my PhD and become a teacher eventually, but I'm not quite ready to settle down just yet. As a self-proclaimed adventurer I still have a lot of exciting things I want to do.

I have been fortunate to have so many opportunities to travel, and I'm not about to stop any time soon. With those opportunities, though, has come a broadened perspective and an appreciation for the amazing variation in people and ways of life. Each has a lesson to teach and I have done my best to learn and shape myself into a better human being. As the world becomes more and more connected, I feel compelled to do my best to make a positive impact not just on my community or country, but on the world as a whole. I don't know how to do that just yet, but a great way to start is to share my thoughts and eagerly take in any that come back to me.
To do this, I'm rolling with the idea of interconnectedness and switching from a journal-type email and into a public blog that will operate on a more focused level. I am also teaming up with my good friend from college, who is currently an intern at the World Affairs Council in Seattle and has done a lot of research and fieldwork on HIV/AIDS and health treatment in Africa.

The theme of this blog will be travel-oriented, with the purpose of using international travel as a means to become a better, more active global citizen. We will give tips on how take those travel dreams and turn them into a reality regardless of budget, and how to make the most out of your experience while you are there. We will also be sharing our own experiences and talking about what the world has to teach us about our role in it. For a more exhaustive explanation of what we're all about, go visit the blog and read our opening post to find out for yourself! The blog is called The Passport Epilogues and can be found here - www.passportepilogues.wordpres…

So go visit the site, and if you like what you see, hit the subscribe version and punch in your email. If you want to continue to keep up, (and I hope you do), then I look forward to keeping you tuned into any new adventures I have.

Regards,

Quinn

www. passportepilogues. wordpress.com

P.S. I just bought the canon 50mm prime (f/1.4) and it's awesome. If you haven't done so yet and are a DSLR photographer, get a prime lens. They are a bundle of fun and give you crazy quality for the price. Looking forward to sharing the results of my new toy soon.

UPDATE:
I know two times isn't enough to establish a trend, but were I the superstitious sort I would think that asking for help on photo contests via dA journals is good luck.
A while back I asked for a few ideas for entries to a photo contest hosted by one of my absolute favorite reproduction companies, the top notch Albion Swords Ltd. (European Branch) The company was looking for images to use in promotional materials such as brochures, downloadable computer backgrounds, etc. Well, I gave it a shot and I just got the email back today saying I had won!
I want to extend my thanks to everyone who offered suggestions and support, as well as Albion Europe for hosting such a fun and open-ended contest and putting up such generous prizes!
Again, contest details are here for those interested: www.albion-europe.com/news-arc….
Thanks again, everyone! I'll have to put another photoshoot together when the newest member of the sharp/pointy family arrives.
All the best,
Drocan

Original Journal:

Hello again.

There is another photo contest I caught wind of that I could use your help with. The last one went very well as I said in my previous journal, and so I turn to this supportive community once more! This time, however, I don't need votes or anything like that, but rather some ideas from the many talented photographers I know here.
As most of you well know, I am a very avid historian and do a bit of medieval reenacting with as much emphasis on authenticity as possible. In fact, I just graduated from college this week with a degree in medieval history. (Wohoo!) As a very generous graduation gift, my parents got me an item I have been oogling for nearly five years: a sword by Albion, arguably the single best company for high-end historical reproduction swords. I am in no position to spend that sort of money while I still have college loans to pay off, but my family figured it would be a morale booster for me to celebrate my graduation with at least one luxury as I work my way out of the financial red-zone.
Anyway, no sooner does this happen when the company announces a photo contest.
The rules are simple: Take a photo (up to 3) featuring one of Albion's products that they can use in promotional material and the like. The prize is another one of their swords - a beautiful crusader-era reproduction.
The contest link is here, but there's not much to it beyond what I described:
www.albion-europe.com/news-arc…
As a photographer myself I feel like I could do a pretty decent job, but since I really want to stand a good chance of winning this one, I wanted to ask you all if you have any ideas for a standout photo featuring a sword.
So let's brainstorm!
The sword in question is featured in my latest deviation here: drocan.deviantart.com/art/Lega…
Armor I have available to me can be seen in my current devID.

(Also, as a photographer I realize how much value an artist's ideas hold, and that some people don't like handing out their creativity. For that reason, while I certainly appreciate charity, if you feel like you should be compensated in some way if your idea contributes to a winning photo, send me a PM and I'm sure we can work something out.)