Morning Coffee

April is going to be a weird month here in the puppet mines. Weirder than usual, that is. I’m actually going to be on vacation for part of it (first actual vacation since 2019) and with various long weekends and some mild dental torture today (don’t ask), I only have one full work week in the entire month.

That creates a bit of a problem for a small business that relies on steady output. I sat down on Saturday to do my usual build schedule for the month and tried to work out something that would allow for both all the time off and also get at least close to my usual build quota. I did it, and immediately regretted it. It was a bit hair-shirt and would probably result in generating more stress than the actual time off would compensate for.

I’m also feeling a wee bit of what I suppose could be described as “creator burnout” – nothing serious so don’t panic, but as a result I believe that I’m going to simply throw out the plans and wing it for April. Build what I want, when I can, and let natural momentum (or lack thereof) see where it takes me. Recharge the batteries a bit, which I believe is the whole point of a vacation.

There’s still plenty of puppety fun just out or coming. On Friday we released the latest episode of The Oracle featuring an old (un)familiar face. There will still be two episodes of Pixels and Puppets podcast out but to accommodate schedules we’ve just shifted them around a bit, so the next episode won’t be this weekend, it’ll be next. Perfect time to catch up on all SIX (actually seven) exciting episodes!

And there will be the usual Wednesday build streams (Wednesdays 11am ET on Twitch and YouTube). This week we will be starting a new build based on The Creature Works Studios new free pattern The Smally.  And of course pics of ongoing builds on all the socials and the usual gang of weirdos on the Discord.

And now the sun is up, it’s already THREE whole degrees and spring is in the air. Time for, that’s right, coffee.

See? Told you there would still be blogs. 

There’s been a fair amount of discussion lately on the Operation: Puppet Discord server (join the Discord) about puppet performance tips and techniques. I have a very old couple of videos about it that were intended to develop into a longer series, but then of course things got real busy with the shop. I do hope to make more of them, which will look a bit odd with a 2 year and 60 pound difference between them. 

I first got into the puppet space as an adult intending to be an amateur performer. Even when I started building, my original intention was to build characters for my show(s) and hadn’t even considered I’d ever be good enough at it to open my own shop.  

I still love performing, but I don’t get a chance to do it as often as I’d like these days. Puppet performing is like riding half a bike. You do develop some instincts that never leave you, but you also need to practice regularly, or you get rusty. That’s where I am at the moment. 

All this was inspired by the recent tested.com video featuring the wonderful Donna Kimball and John Tartaglia of Fraggle Rock. If you’re at all interested in puppet performance, please do watch this video, it’s a masterclass. Plus I highly advise following my pal Sarah Berman’s Instagram account for amazing and inspiring behind-the-scenes pics from her various puppety adventures. Sarah is a real inspiration and the logo for today’s post.   

It’s all a bit late for me to ever consider even attempting to do it professionally. I suffer from a degenerative condition called Being Old, and have a touch of arthritis or tendinitis or some-kinda-itis in my joints that means I can’t perform for more than about 10 minutes at a time before it becomes just too painful. This is why I love having The Oracle to act as my performance outlet. I can shoot it when I have the time and perform it at a pace that suits me. I love my characters and feel incredibly close to them, which I hope comes across in the series. I’ll never be good enough or fit enough to do it professionally, but the pure love of the art form keeps me in the game. 

In that spirit today I am prepping to shoot another episode of The Oracle. It’s always like coming home and visiting old friends, and I hope the audience feels the same. 

Puppets later. Coffee first. 

The blog has been a part of the site from day 1. Before that, even, as the first post was actually a transfer from the old Operation: P.U.G. site, promoting The Oracle as coming soon and directing people to the new YouTube page for Operation: Puppet. Way back in the halcyon days of 2019.

It was infrequently updated as, like most others, most of my blog-like activity was on big social media platforms. Blogs were, for all intents and purposes, a dead end. Old news.

Skip ahead to 2022 and The Muskpocalypse. This gave many, myself included, the push we needed to get off predatory corporate social media. While I still maintain a presence on Instagram, my sole social outlets are now Mastodon and of course the O:P Discord server, and I couldn’t be happier. There has been a notable improvement in my mental health since leaving Twitter and Facebook, and it sincerely makes me sad so many are stuck in a Stockholm Syndrome with Musk’s ever-degrading trash fire. Lord Vetinari was right. “The people” don’t necessarily want a better tomorrow, they just want tomorrow to be the same as today.

Nevertheless, doing this blog was one of the ways of taking personal control of my social media output, and I’m pleased with how it’s gone. I know folks on Mastodon particularly have found O:P via the daily coffee blogs, and of course it gives our own dear Scarlet something to spell check, for which I am very grateful.

Yesterday on the Discord I wanted to refer to something I knew I blogged about, and there were so many posts (often with ambiguous titles) that I had to hunt around for the one I wanted (note to self: start using Tags). It was then I realized that the blog had grown into a rather sizable body of archival material, not just a daily throwaway post. Felt good.

I’m at the point now where I think I need to ease up on the pedal a bit. I always strive to favour quality over quantity in everything I do with O:P, and the blog is no different. As time progresses, I’m finding I’m occasionally repeating myself or referring back to older posts. And honestly some mornings I just don’t have anything at the tip of my brain. Sometimes I haven’t slept well or just need to get on with the day’s work. Some days are just days, y’know?

As a result, I’m moving the blog from a strict daily cadence to something more casual. I will blog when I have something to blog about. There is no shortage of topics and more coming all the time, but I’m taking the pressure off myself to try and get one out every single weekday. The end result will be a happier me, and a better blog. I suspect they’ll still be mostly daily, but I’m going to let the Brain Monkeys decide. By all means, hit me up if you have questions or something you’d like a blog post about. That always helps spur the Brain Monkeys.

And now the Brain Monkeys want one thing. I wonder what that might be?

Consider this one a follow-up to the recent episode of Pixels and Puppets, with, as usual, a higher pixel:puppet ratio.

It’s build stream day! (11am ET  Wednesdays on Twitch and YouTube) As planned there is a new Neef taking shape in the studio and this week we’ll be doing… almost exactly what we did last week, i.e., finishing the eye shells and adding lids. This one is the first live hands Neef and if you’ve been on the Discord (join the Discord) you’ve seen these are definitely… uh… special. I’m really leaning in to the “weird and creepy” size of it with Neefs and, well, let’s just say mission accomplished.

Now that Jamie is back and we have confirmed that he listens to the podcast even when he’s not on it, I can confirm that I did indeed receive my Steam Deck. I really wasn’t sure what to expect as my use-case for handhelds is kinda nonexistent. I don’t commute and rarely leave the apartment unless a puppet needs to be taken to the post office, and I have several (too many in fact) consoles and game-capable PCs and streaming devices throughout.

But as mentioned on the pod, the PC hardware upgrade cycle has finally generated enough centrifugal force in the “double the power double the cost” loop that it has flung me out into the “I can’t afford this anymore” wilds, and as Steam has indicated that this model will be the one for at least a couple of years, I thought I might as well get on board now.

Pleasantly surprised with this little beast. Valve has certainly put a lot of thought into it, and taken lessons from previous attempts to break into hardware spaces. While of course it can’t generate the visual fidelity of a full gaming rig, the fact that it can even run current triple A titles is worthy of attention.

The most surprising thing to me is just how comfy it is. I mean, the other day I had some downtime so I flopped on the couch to play some No Man’s Sky. I have a big 4k TV with a capable PC right there and I opted instead to play it on the Deck. That’s a bit bonkers, and I realized there’s something about the ‘holistic’ nature of the Deck that makes it appealing. It’s one thing, self-contained. Instead of turning on the TV, making sure it’s on the right input, making sure the controller is connecting, etc, I can just pick up the Deck and go.

I think Valve has really started something interesting with the Deck, and its popularity is key. It’s not just about portability, it’s what it can do, which is a lot. Maybe not the best, but definitely the most.

Anyway, coffee.

If you’ve listened to Episode Zero of Pixels and Puppets, you probably know that I’ve wanted to be in some form of entertainment media production ever since I was a kid. After you’d stopped laughing because of the hilarious opening skit, of course (shoutout Scarlet).

O:P is the first of many projects that has actually found an audience, but through every project (ask me about both the Star Wars and Star Trek fan films some time) I’ve often joked that I’m basically the Kermit of the group. As Operation: Puppet grows, that’s truer now more than ever.

If we think about Kermit’s role in The Muppets, while he’s the driving force and organizer, he’s not necessarily the most interesting or dynamic or even talented one. The Muppets are a rag-tag group of eccentrics and weirdos, all bringing something different to the table, all with their own drives and motivations. It’s Kermit’s job to organize and motivate them. Kermit doesn’t even often perform himself, he’s the host, introducing the performers.

Kermit is essentially an administrator. The reason we think of Kermit as a “leader” isn’t because he’s issuing orders (although ‘organizing’ sometimes means handing out assignments), it’s because he’s the North Star everyone is navigating by. He’s a fixed and known entity, always there, always dependable, always with an answer. He’s a cohesive force, bringing together a disparate group and motivating them into producing things.

It’s a lovely position to be in, and people in such positions are often driven by things we can’t explain. I honestly don’t know why I’ve always wanted to make entertainment media, other than I want to bring something to people’s lives that puts a smile on their face. It’s not entirely altruistic either, it genuinely feels great to make people happy. That’s something that the anti-empathy, tough guy toxic bro culture just doesn’t understand.

And yet, there is a flipside. It can be quite lonely being The Kermit. Everyone turns to Kermit, but who can Kermit turn to? Sometimes, in the midst of a crowd of people he’s brought together, Kermit is still in some way alone.

I don’t want to seem like I’m trying to start a pity party, and the fact is Kermit has put himself in this position. It’s part of the deal, part of the mechanics that makes the whole machine run. But as more folks come on board O:P I’m keenly aware that I need to sometimes just take a step back and either have me time, or work time, and that means just unplugging and focusing. I’ve developed a couple of tools to help me manage that and I’m being quite open with the community when I need that.

In the end, it’s all worth it. I’m proud of what O:P has become and is continuing to become. It’s still just beginning, and I’m bound to make mistakes, but I plan to be your Kermit for as long as you want me to be.

“Yeah, well, I’ve got a dream too, but it’s about singing and dancing and making people happy. That’s the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with.” – Kermit the Frog

Coffee. But in a teacup that says “Kermit”.

After almost a week of decent sleep and good productivity the Insomnia Monster finally found me again last night so let’s see what croutons of wisdom we can mine from today’s word salad.

– Today’s logo is your first glimpse (second if you’re on the Discord) of a new model for the shop, the Neef! I absolutely love it. It was a real “not-sure-where-this-is-going” design process, but it all came together in something unexpected and delightful. A bit of a design departure for me but I like it so much I think next week I’m going to do another. This one is a rod arm version and will be getting listed on the Etsy shop, whereas next week will be a live hands version and be listed on the direct shop.

– Speaking of the Discord, over the past couple days we’ve had a notable spike in new folks joining. Welcome! Not quite sure why, although we do often see a couple of new folks about build streams, this is more than that. Well however you found us, I hope you’ll enjoy this silly, chill, friendly space. There’s lots of things we talk about, puppets is just the common denominator. Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of Scarlet and my in-jokes quickly enough.

– Podcast recording day tomorrow! Jamie is off on a super secret mission for a shadowy mystical secret society and so won’t be joining us, but such is the life of an agent of The Council of Wizards, sworn to protect the world from ancient demons or something. I’ve probably said too much. If you haven’t listened to the last episode yet, there’s still one Neverwinter Nights key up for grabs. Contest ends when the next episode comes out on Sunday, so you know what to do!

– Speaking of the Neverwinter server, the road map for testing release is done and on the podcast I’ll be talking about how you can connect to it. I’ll eventually do a new player guide and such but for the moment it’s a bit unpolished. Need to find and squash the bugs before any of that.

Okay Friday, let’s do this. After coffee. A lot. Of. Coffee.

Another fun stream yesterday, leaving me quite enthusiastic about the current build. Lil’ preview in today’s logo.

What’s funny is the thing I’m exited about is this build is something a bit new from the shop. I do try to add new models when I can, but prototyping is a lengthy process that I try to save for holiday breaks. It’s just so happened to work out that I’ve had a bit of time for small, iterative prototyping – some built on older work – over the past few weeks. The results have been some of my favourite builds ever.

And the thing about that is it’s pretty much the opposite to what I had planned for this year. Every year I try to get a sense of what’s happening and where I should focus my efforts for O:P. Looking at the dismal economy going into 2023 and seeing how slow late 2022 was, I assumed that this was going to be a very lean year as folks trim sails in hard times. Puppets tend to be a luxury item.

I can ride out a few phases like that so I decided my efforts this year should be on planting seeds. We’ve got something good and healthy going with O:P, so the goal should be to try getting the word out and bringing in more people. As always, it’s a balancing act with available time so I assumed I wasn’t going to be doing any new models this year until the end.

So, how’s that plan going? Well, I left Twitter and Facebook, so there’s considerably fewer channels for social media. Plus, in the past three weeks I’ve done or am in the process of doing three different styles of puppet I haven’t done before. So much for plans.

The funny part? The O:P community is actually growing. The Discord (join the Discord) is more active than ever, the build streams are always well attended, the podcast (listen to the podcast) has a healthy listener base and generally things are ticking along. Even sales, which not spectacular, are better than I assumed they would be.

Someone once said that life is what happens while you’re making other plans. True in life, as in puppets. Plans are generally there as a navigation aid, but sometimes you gotta go with the flow. Hey look, coffee.

It’s Wednesday, right? Pretty sure. So far it’s been a very intense week. Not necessarily bad, some quite good, but all quite intense. At my age I can only stand a certain degree of intense before I must return to the sea for a while, like Godzilla at the end of a film.

It’s stream day (Wed 11AM ET on Twitch and YouTube) and the build plan this week is to experiment a bit more. Today’s logo is a prototype head that I built when I was working on another design, which I recall was The Oracle 2.0. It was one of those “I’m just going to start drawing shapes roughly about what I want and see how it fits together” things. It’s how I start most original patterns and although it needs a few iterations to get where I want, there are often intermediate steps along the way that end up being useful.

This is an example. The snout was too long for what I wanted for The Oracle but it does have a pleasing shape and feels very nice on the hand, with the deep mouth plate. It reminded me a bit of the Mystics from Dark Crystal (or UrU if we’re being Comic Book Guy about it) so I’ve labelled it “Mystic”-inspired head. Did a fleece covering for it yesterday and I’m quite happy with the results, so this is likely going to be a new model for the shop(s).

I want to do a couple of things I haven’t done before with this, but how exactly they play out will depend on how today goes. Monday got eaten up by a personal day so I don’t have a lot of time to spend on it, but I’ll decide that as I work on it during today’s stream.

It’s always a juggling act, balancing new designs with building enough to keep the shops stocked. Next week I plan to just do a couple of Smols which are fairly quick so that balances things out, and at the end of it if I have a new type of critter for sale that’s good for everyone.

Time to shake off the cobwebs and get the day rolling. I understand there’s a certain beverage known for assisting with that.

Time to descend into the crystal waters of Friday and delight at the random fish that playfully dart about the reef of the almost-weekend.

Note from Frankie: workshop that metaphor some more, kid.

– Despite what I can only assume is the time change still messing with my head, or possibly alien signals beaming into my brain from the Zebulon galaxy, we will have a build stream today (11am ET on Twitch and YouTube). Still not sure exactly what we’ll be doing, could just be an informal chat as the build schedule for the week is done.

– We have now passed 400 downloads of Pixels and Puppets! Thank you all! The rate of adoption has definitely slowed, but it shows we have a good core audience, and that’s all I could ask for. I could probably do more to promote it, but I don’t want to get spammy, particularly now as Mastodon is my only real social media outlet. As always, word-of-mouth is our best vehicle for growth and anything y’all can do to help is greatly appreciated. At the time of this writing there is still one unclaimed key for the Neverwinter Nights giveaway! Speaking of which…

– The road map for the Neverwinter server test release is almost done, just a few more things and it will be ready for play. Hope to have it up for an announcement on the next podcast. This will be a tiny fraction of the eventual game, just to test the core systems, but I need play testers to come in and try to break things before really building it out. Hope you like grinding! I’ll also make a dedicated voice chat channel on the Discord (join the Discord) for it so folks can socialize and co-ordinate their dungeon dives. It’s way outside the “puppet” wheelhouse but as O:P grows into a true community it’s just nice to have stuff like this to do. Think of it as our own virtual clubhouse. That just happens to have a load of goblins and elves in it.

Time to get organized. Get on the exercise bike, breakfast, do the product photos for the last week’s builds, prep for the stream, and, naturally, coffee.