Tag Archives: thoughts

Lair of the Nerd vs Primark

Lair of the Nerd, , ,

Why isn’t Lair of the Nerd stuff as cheap as Primark?

nerdav2

Well, without the weight of a multi-million pound business behind us we can’t get thousands of garments printed all at once in some abroad place.

Not only are all LotN designs made by me, but also we use printers in the UK (or in the US & Australia for some Redbubble printed garments) to print each design on demand using the latest DTG technology giving us a very durable and high-resolution print.

This means that when you buy a Lair of the Nerd garment you’re getting something that’s a lot more unique, something that isn’t likely to be worn by every Jane, Dick or Habiib you see, and I think contributes to the extra specialness of each item. I like to think that whenever someone wears a Lair of the Nerd shirt it gives them a special hug from me.

Illustrations

Art, Writing, , ,

The short stories I’ve published thus far have all featured covers produced by me. I studied computer graphics at university, and have been working on artistic ventures to a lesser or greater extent ever since.
I think Tolkien is probably the most famous author to also illustrated their own work, with many editions of his books featuring his artwork both inside and on the cover.
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Lack of Focus

Art, Self, thoughts, Writing, , , , ,

Roses are red,
Music is cool,
I’ve got ADHD,
ooh look a squirrel.

I grew up as a hyperactive child before any real proper diagnosis of ADD was ever done, and managed to some extent with a restricted diet free of many of the stupider E numbers.

So perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that I’ve struggled with focus for a long time, and perhaps not in ways that others might. My mind often flits from thing to thing before I’m finished with it… Sometimes it’s almost as if I fear finishing things, fear taking that step.

As I say, I’ve struggled with this issue for a while… So I’ve decided to see what happens if I stop struggling so much. Allow myself to drift from idea to idea, with the added proviso that I at least try to finish things when I can.

Perhaps it should be obvious that I often feel as though I have a bit if an identity crisis. I find it hard to categorise myself; am I an author, an artist, a designer, a web coder, a video game maker, or… What?

Perhaps, for now, I’ll content myself with calling me a nerd.

Red Bargain: Onwards?

Self, thoughts, Writing, , , , , ,

So, over the past several months I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to do with my life.. about what I can do with my life.  To be honest, part of me would love to be able to go and get a job and just work like a normal person.  But I’m not a normal person.

My depression has worsened over recent weeks, leading to me feeling like I’m at a bit of an impasse.  I know I want to write.  To be a writer.  That is at least a start.

Book I of my ‘fantasy epic’ is at draft stages, and I’m working through it to try and get it publishable.. I’m just a little unsure what to do then.  I am strongly considering the idea of self-publishing, possibly by using a Kickstarter to raise funds for promotion and for people to do general pre-ordering type stuff.  My thoughts here are still in their early stages

The Harbinger Rises, Book I of the Red Bargain

The Harbinger Rises, Book I of the Red Bargain

Heh, it almost looks attainable when I make a picture like that.

Facebook Launch

And so it began…

Lair of the Nerd, , , ,

So, now the dust settles, the leaflets and business cards have been delivered, myriad forms have been filled out, sent off, sent back, and so on… Press releases have been released, things have been arranged… And the waiting… oh god so much waiting, and some of the waiting is not over with yet.

Yes, Lair of the Nerd v. 1.0a has been live for a little more than a week, and people have been sharing things, liking things… some people have even been ordering things which is awesome.  More information after the jump.

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Now someone make me an awesome brick hurling robot..

Science, ,

Boston Dynamics, who have a lot of US military and DARPA money invested in their work, frequently build awesome things that I want, like littledog:


(CUTE!)

Bigdog, and other robots being developed for troop support:

And even robots that move like real people and make Asimo look like a kid’s toy:

And now they’ve given bigdog a robot arm so it can hurl bricks, (bbc news) because Skynet will find all of these remarkably useful when the time comes…

So now I need them to build me an army, one worthy of the Nerd Lair.

To Business!

Lair of the Nerd, , , ,

“Oh, sorry, I thought you were proposing a toast..” – Ford Prefect.

So.. yeah; things have been quiet on the blog front for a while :oops: but that’s because fun and interesting and.. erm.. <_<  scary.. things have been happening.

To cut to the chase – I’ve decided to make Lair of the Nerd a business – it’s what I’m doing to try and make a living from now onwards.  O_O

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Scrabbling up a cliff

Self, thoughts, Writing, , , , ,

So, I’m still here, still out of work, still trying to Make Good Art* and keep myself alive

Working on writing things is becoming increasingly difficult, as my depression has caused motivation to be very hard to come by. I stare at a blank canvas and nothing seems to flow.

I am trying to continue to be positive, making little dumb animations – made from CG cardboard for a reason I can’t quite recall but hell, doing something stylistic is reason enough sometimes.  I’ve also tried putting my opinion out there a bit in a pixel-art inspired video too.

And yet, I feel like I’m falling at times, like I’m scrabbling up a cliff-face made of loose shale, cutting at my fingers and knees and only succeeding at slipping ever backwards.  I try to get people interested but it doesn’t seem to happen, engagement seems always to be so low; I feel disheartened.

There’s no positive twist to this blog post unfortunately; I can do nothing more than explain my feelings and thoughts and then I feel as though nothing more can be done. :sigh:

* thanks to Neil Gaiman for that one. :)

Pets and microchips

Art, funny, Lair of the Nerd, thoughts, , , , , , , ,

So, I made another Cardboard Theatre animation.  8)

If you like it, please like it on Youtube, go to http://facebook.com/lairofthenerd and like the link on there, and share it with your friends. :)

I admit, I am quite new to this whole social media promotion thing and am struggling to know how to get more people interested.  Any real meaningful word of mouth or “going viral” all seems very far from what I am capable of, and all the while is the ever-present doubt, and the feeling that I may be struggling in this area simply because I am actually just.. well, shit.  :sigh:

Oh, and for those who missed it, here’s the first Cardboard Theatre video: