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2025 Scatterbrain Screenings

When/where: May 18th, Raleigh NC.

What: An animation screening for North Carolina animators of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.

Rating: 5/5

Website: https://www.instagram.com/scatterbrainscreenings

Income: ~$100 for 30 minutes of tabling

Expenses: Free for artists and attendees! They gave the animators a stipend for the screening.

Provided: A 6ft table, the opportunity to show our cartoons and ask each other about our art, and cake.

Pros

  • A small, cozy event in a cool area, in the Raleigh United Mutual Aid Hub. Everyone who attended was interested in arts and community and were really awesome and kind and wonderful. Shane said he saw some random onlookers from the street watching the movies too LOL.
  • Not a traditional “vending” set-up cuz the main event was watching our films. But I got to set up a quickie booth with zines (including the fresh ones I printed showing my concept art for the film) and stickers flat on the table, and talk about my art for 30 minutes after the screening.
  • Since the point of the event was viewing animation, I liked not spending my whole day at a table. I prefered just having a quick chat with people and if they happen to get a sticker or comic that's cool too! People seemed to like the sticker deals (2 for $5, 5 for $10), I got to talk to some people about Willem Dafoe as a hear-me-out, and I got to talk about having weenie dogs :D I feel like almost everyone who attended got something from our little table!
  • The hosts were really cool and nice. They talked to each person as individuals with unique backgrounds, rather than just bodies to fill the space.
  • Got to watch cartoons! The amount we made probably covered the gas needed to get there so it was just a cool hang out n check out art night.

Cons:

  • It's 2.5 hours away from where I live LOL
  • Speakers had a little technical issue that made the first 2 films sound like they've been chewed up, just took 5 minutes to fix VLC :P

Would you go again?:

Yes! I feel super re-invigorated to animate again! We were invited to the spoopy October event, and I would love to make something fresh to show off!

I introduced myself a bit at the event by saying I started the hospital animation 10 years ago (not even exaggerating), but I got super burnt out after college so I spent 9 of those years just being sad and soggy about art as a hermit in the woods. Then we took a week to touch up the film, and finally released it in 2024. I think most other animators there were happy with their education and industry experience! I just got to be confident in my art in a slightly different way. I think I was older than half the people there LOL a lot of them seemed like they were fresh outta college or even still in college!

I asked blorbo for questions that they'd ask if they were at the Q&A, and analori gave me some good ones that were pretty much what I was asked! I typed up my answers the night before the event on the Lily Seeds page, and that came in handy. I'm a big ham and I actually love answering questions (I mean why did I draw 500 things for half a year of a Scoutspy ask blog? :P). And I'm glad that people enjoyed the art and told me so! Real human contact is cool! Especially after a decade of being told that your art is poopy by an echo chamber of teachers and online strangers HAHA.

Lyn pointed out that there's certain themes tying the two films I screened together (lily seeds and parasite), and yeah.. I didn't realize until I submitted them together that they're both about being attacked in bed at night. My answer at the event for why I have those themes is cuz I unconsciously was really affected by having seen family members at the end of their life in hospital beds. And Shane reminded me right after that I also have a lot of vivid nightmares, sleep paralysis, and general sleeplessness. What can I say, the bed is supposed to be a comfy place but it's also a stressful place for me!

Tony asked what got me to finish my film after 10 years? I tried not to be TOO gay and said COMMUNITY - which means Shane cuz I've been a hermit for 10 years LOL. Shane's always been discussing our characters together, and he always says he still likes Vicky and Angus even though I don't do nothin' with them right now… so I want to make him a lil happy and do something with them! But also even though cry all the time about how everyone is so mean to my big juicy 2xl ass, there have been very kind people I've met on the internet too that have talked to me about characters and story and art!!! And all that has coalesced into me going outside for like the first time in a decade and showing my art to the public. So yeah!

Another person whose name I didn't catch asked what my inspiration was for the lighting and inking. I said that I've unconsciously absorbed the 1922 Nosferatu film for its high contrast and heavy shadows. And since I'm very much an inker, I like to just keep layering black on black on darkness until the shape is described to my liking.

Also I wore a Patrick fit with a shirt that Splask gifted me, and some bright green/pink pants. And someone said they liked my shirt! Yay!

Thanks everyone… online, IRL, and at the event!

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