Sabbatical

Hi folks.

I’m well-known for making short stories long, so I’ll get to the point: I am completely burned out, creatively. This is probably the worst case of burn-out I’ve had since I started drawing the strip. I no longer have the drive to do the one thing I’ve wanted to do since I was five years old: draw cartoons. This both sickens and saddens me.

Sure, working a full-time job for the first time in over nine years, coupled with a two-hour round-trip commute each day, is a contributing factor, but this malaise is something that has been building for well over two years now, if I’m being honest with myself.

After much soul-searching, I’ve decided that I need to take a sabbatical. Priests get to take one after five years; I guess cartoonists get to take them after nine? Making comics should be bringing me (and you all) joy. I just need to step away for a while and find that joy, that spark, again. Maybe with MeatShield, maybe with something else. I need to take the time to figure that out, too.

Also, not for nothing, but I’ve been at this for 9 1/2 years. Despite my stubbornness, I haven’t been able to make MeatShield profitable enough for it to be my full-time job. I’m not all about the money, but being able to keep your family fed and put a roof over their heads are important and valid concerns.

My sabbatical starts now – I apologize for doing so in the middle of a storyline. My tentative plan is to return on September 9, 2019, the ten-year anniversary of the strip. Thank you so much for the support you’ve shown me for all or part of the last 9 1/2 years. Whether you discovered MeatShield nine years ago or nine days ago, your support as readers has really made a difference.

So bear with me during this time of recovery and exploration. I’m looking forward to seeing what bigger and better things are out there for me creatively, and I can’t wait to share them with you.

Take care,

~Rob