It’s been a minute since I’ve updated this but this was never meant to be a weekly blog. But let’s go.
Back in January of 2020 the day before my birthday, we had a townhall meeting on skype with the whole Cyanide and Happiness company. The creators talked about all the cool shit we’ve accomplished and what was in store. Pretty much an all around positive first start and solidifying all our jobs for another year….until it wasn’t.
After all the good work and pats on the backs, the harsh reality kicked in and the guys let us know that funds were drying up due to the lack of ad revenue from Youtube and new properties in works but no contracts signed or any advances to keep the studio running at full capacity.
The laughter, and the jokes ceased and they said that after the meeting they would meet with each and every one of us and let us know if we’re safe or if we are going to be let go. Me being remote, I’ve survived a lot of these hard times. Animation studios go through many ups and downs and lay offs are common place. No ill will involved , just business. So I assumed once again, since I only take a paycheck and not any other resources, that my background artist position was safe…until it wasn’t.
I got a call from Dave and Rob and I knew from the tone of their voice that it was over. I had been with them for 10 years, the first artist hired on outside the original 4. They opened my eyes to a career in art, and being pushed into the spotlight and being a “famous” person in the comic and art world. This call happened the day before my birthday. It was a bummer.
I was in shock, numb, and unsure of what was happening. I had just built a house 2 years ago and doubled my mortgage. I was so used to having income always coming in and going out whenever I wanted, eating whenever I wanted, and buying things whenever I wanted. Now that all came to a halt.
That first 2 months was nerve wrecking as hell. Trying to figure out my expenses and cutting costs where I was frivolously spending. It was a much needed harsh reality check. I had taken for granted so much because i was given the game genie code for an artist. Recognition, fans, and a large platform.
It’s been a long few months since then, especially with the whole shutdown but since losing my CnH gig, I have never been busier. Any Means Necessary is having a record year in sales, is finally able to support myself and business partner, I’ve had over 150 commissions from so many awesome people, I’ve started a twitch channel to connect with my fans (www.twitch.tv/shawncosstv) and I have been able to keep a roof over my families head because of you all. So this long winded story is me saying thank you and apparently my career hasn’t been a fluke.
-Shawn
