Category: Musings

I don’t play video games any more. I used to love the old fantasy RPGs, especially the first Legend of Zelda, Heroes 3, and Myth 2.

But when I got back into music in 2007, I stopped playing video games altogether. Nothing against them. I just didn’t have time for both music and video games.

So, I didn’t know what the Witcher was until the TV show came out. I never read the books, but I heard the author is really cool and shows up to pop culture conventions.

I’m not one of those pop culture elitists. I’m not a snob. I just like what I like. The Witcher is a pretty good show.

I keep seeing it compared to Game of Thrones and that’s a really bad comparison. Apples and oranges. They’re both fantasy worlds. That’s where the similarities end.

The Witcher has a completely different mechanic. There are certain humanoid creatures that are created to be what they are. The Witcher is one of them. He’s made to be a Witcher.

And I also like how good and evil isn’t always predictable. You’ll see some characters change sides. I like that as it reflects real life.

Aesthetics

I’m an aesthetics guy. I’ve offended some people before because I put aesthetics above politics and people who obsess with politics get mad when I don’t play their game.

I’ve had female friends tell me that Henry Cavill is their main celebrity crush now because of the show. Good for him! I hated those Superman movies he was in. Saw them all and hated every single one.

But this series will salvage his career. He’s now primed to be the next James Bond. Will it happen? We’ll see.

There are a lot of boobs. No complaints from me. I love female nudity and honestly, wish that shows would have more of that and less graphic violence. I don’t like gore. When I watch a horror movie, I want my head played with, not my stomach.

Which leads to Anya Chalotra. She’s a babe. And she’s the perfect example of if you don’t have big boobs, lose the core fat. That makes her boobs “pop” and they look spectacular.

Several models I’ve worked with are exactly like that – very little core fat and not big boobs, but they really pop because of the lack of core fat. If you don’t know what I’m talking about and you’re a woman who’s interested in making that happen, talk to a personal trainer who also knows diet.

Other stuff about the Witcher

Alright. Some D&D people will hate me for this, but I’ll say it anyways. I don’t like Dwarves. They’re annoying. I didn’t like them in Lord of the Rings, in Dungeons and Dragons (I used to play AD&D v1 back in the 80s if you’re wondering), and I don’t like them in the Witcher.

Someone told me that in the books, Jaskier is closer friends with the Witcher. They have an awful relationship in the show. Not awful as in poorly done, but awful as in really dysfunctional.

In D&D, Bards are super powerful. In this show, they’re pretty annoying. Or at least Jaskier is. I would have thrown fruit at him as well.

Magic

One of my absolute favorite things about the show is how they use magic. You have to source it from somewhere or else you take it from your own body and a powerful spell will literally dissolve you.

I love that! It’s funny because I remember Gary Gygax mentioning this in the old AD&D rulebooks.

You actually see witches dissolve when sourcing powerful spells from their body.

I also like the concept of chaos. Yennefer has a great story line – a hideously ugly child, hated by her step-father, and sold to a witch. The whole attempted suicide to one of the most powerful people in the world story line is downright awesome.

The Witcher himself

Geralt, the Witcher, doesn’t say much. He talks when he has to.

He follows a strict code but he doesn’t always win. That’s where it gets interesting. He has quests he has to perform but unlike the fairy tales, he doesn’t always fulfill them.

I don’t want to give too much away but that’s how the writers get around the whole free will problem. Geralt doesn’t really have free will like you and me. But that’s not a guarantee that he can do what he’s supposed to do.

That will make absolutely no sense if you’ve never seen the show. After you’ve seen it, it will make perfect sense.

How good is it?

It’s not rated that highly by the critics. But you know what? Screw them!

I know it’s the in thing to be nihilistic, cynical, and hating everything. I thoroughly enjoy this show.

Aesthetically it looks really cool. The characters are neat. And the one thing that will throw you off at first is that not all characters age at the same rate (due to magic).

Humans age as humans. But not all the characters are humans. And wizards and witches also age much slower than normal humans.

So the show covers a few generations and at first, the timeline can throw you off. Just keep watching. It will make sense.

I loved it. Not too often you’ll see a fantasy show that doesn’t suck. We have Game of Thrones and we have The Witcher. My wife likes Lucifer but I haven’t seen it. I also haven’t seen the new Dark Crystal.

I’m usually too busy for television and will only make time to watch a few NFL games and one series every once in awhile.

So in the past few years, I’ve only watched all the Game of Thrones, season 1 of West World, this, season 1 of Stranger Things (season 2 was so bad that I quit it before I even got halfway done), all 3 seasons of Roman Empire (loved it!), and that’s it.

So far, this is my second favorite after Game of Thrones.

Oh one last thing – those eels? Middle management in the corporate world.

Artists, writers, and other creative people – have you ever questioned your artistic purpose?

Why are you creating art or literature?

Now, it’s perfectly acceptable to say “I don’t know.” It’s also perfectly acceptable to say that you’re creating because your inner demons make you. You just let it all flow. That’s totally fine.

I’ve talked about artistic statements before and how important they are. If you’re planning on selling your art, it definitely helps to have one. For at least you’ll have a somewhat “elevator speech” when they start asking you all kinds of questions.

My purpose

I’ve pondered. I write the music out of love. But for my paintings, it’s something completely different.

I think the world today is too serious. Look around you. You’ll see a lack of something. You’ll see a lack of people really enjoying life.

They’re way too serious. Afraid of the world. Doom and gloom. They’re really living to get through life rather than to really live life.

Your average person walking downtown looks like they haven’t taken a good shit in weeks. And they also look like they don’t enjoy their jobs. Their family doesn’t like them. And they’re just going through the motions.

Why is this?

I think it’s twofold. You have a doom and gloom media. Doom and gloom sells. So that’s all they blast you with. All day long.

I turn off the news for weeks at a time. Most of it is meaningless drivel anyways. It’s always bad news because bad news sells. Imagine being bombarded by bad news all the time. Imagine what that would do to your psyche.

And the second? A lack of beauty.

That’s where I come in.

Beauty for beauty’s sake

My art aims for one thing and one thing only – beauty.

I got these two beautiful models that I work with on a regular basis and a few more models that I work with occasionally. They’re all beautiful. They all qualify to be my pinup models. I set high standards for beauty but also for personality. They have to be the right fit.

I create beauty. And I want my models to exude personality as I want to reflect it in my paintings.

Frank Frazetta did this very well. So did Gil Elvgren. And Olivia De Bernardinis. You get a little bit of personality with their beautiful paintings.

Beauty alone can make someone’s day significantly better. And better days mean more peace and less crime. I’m trying to do my part to make this world a better place.

Yes, seriously.

I don’t like cynicism

Cynicism is useless. It accomplishes nothing.

Sure, things don’t work off the bat most of the time. So, sit around and do nothing? That’s just stupid!

When I meet someone who’s cynical, they’re almost always lazy. They’ll tell you how something won’t work without even putting the effort needed to make it work.

This is most cynical people in a nutshell. They’ve bought into the doom and gloom media bullshit and they’re already defeated before they even put out the effort.

So, they expect you to feel the same way.

Well guess what? I don’t.

I’m living proof that you could have a great life starting from nothing. Yes, I started from nothing. I’m not going to go into my personal story that much because it’s personal. I’ll write an autobiography someday and publish it posthumously. I got too many demons that I’d rather the world didn’t know about.

So yes, my life didn’t exactly start off great.

But you know what? Fuck it. I’m going to live regardless. I’m not going to sit around and whine and feel sorry for myself. Rather, I’m going to create something beautiful. And I’m going to seek out beauty in this world because I’ve already seen there’s still plenty of it.

My music? It’s beautiful. My art? It’s beautiful.

I’ll also surround myself with people who aren’t cynical. Rather, people who are full of life. Who want to live. Who want to get the most out of life.

And that, my dear reader, is my artistic purpose.

What is yours?

Are you a fantasy artist or a fantasy writer? And you’re wondering what to do next? You’re trying to write or paint but drawing a blank?

Well, worry no more. Bookmark this article and you’ll never run out of ideas again.

Characters

First, let’s talk characters. You have your lead character and your secondary characters. Are they human? What about the secondary characters? They don’t have to be human as well. They could be a humanoid race like elves, fairies, dwarves, goblins, orcs, ogres, genies, pixies, mermaids, giants, trolls, or even Gods, Goddesses, or Demi-Gods. Or the son or daughter of a God or Goddess.

Heck, they don’t even need to be humanoid. They could be dragons, unicorns, or even talking animals or familiars. Keep in mind that certain creatures can take forms of humans. I’ve even painted selkies before.

Quests

Now that you have your main character and characters, you need a reason for the story. What are they doing?

A common theme I’ve seen recently is a “bad creature” trying to be good and fit in with society. For instance, an ogre who’s now a good cop. Or an orc detective.

Sometimes, a race splits and you have to correct it. Like a race of elves goes totally evil and you need to rein them in.

Or, the old rescue mission. Rescue the princess from a dragon sacrifice? There’s been plenty of that in the old days. Why not do it again?

I know my son likes that Goblin Slayer cartoon. That’s a great one. People think goblins are easy. Until, they try to do it themselves. I could come up with three or four similar themes immediately.

Rescuing a thing. Or else. Something if not discovered in time will blow up a city. Some powerful artifact might fall into the wrong hands.

A bad guy needs to be reasoned with. Or slain. Something really big is at stake.

Settings

This is easy. You’re creating a fantasy world.

Simply take settings we have here. And exaggerate them.

The seas. The forests. The deserts. Mountains. Hills. Caves.

I’ve recently ventured into Sci-Fi territory. Except using Ancient Greek Goddesses. Why not?

The only limits in a fantasy world you have are the ones you give yourself. You’re literally allowed to do anything in the fantasy realm. That’s why it’s called fantasy. Your fantasy world gets to break all our earthly rules.

I don’t like talking about politics and religion, but I’ve noticed that Western art and Western culture are severely lacking in schools nowadays. If it weren’t for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, I don’t think most kids would even know about the Greek Gods and Goddesses.

However, I don’t bitch. If I see a problem, I either do something about it (if it’s important) or ignore it (if it’s not important).

In this case, I’ll do something about it.

I started painting Greek Goddesses awhile back. Not the major ones, but more the lesser ones that nobody’s heard of. Like Brizo, the Ancient Greek Goddess of Sailors and Fishermen.

I’ll even give a background story about the Goddess. For instance, women on the island of Delos left offerings to a creature they called Brizo for good luck, so their husbands, sons, and other family members came home safely.

This creature morphed into a lesser Goddess. Brizo became the Goddess of Sailors and Fishermen for the Ancient Greeks.

More recently

I’ve talked about the importance of painting the same painting twice. For Selene, I’ll paint her a bunch of times since I really like the poses I’m getting with Allie. She’ll be posing for me later on today, but here’s the second one already.

Selene is the Moon Goddess. She’s the daughter of Titans, the Gods before the Gods.

Selene’s had flings with both Zeus and Pan, but her most famous fling is actually with a mortal. One day, she gazed down on Earth and saw a young shepherd that she fell in lust with named Endymion. She ended up begging Zeus to extend his life and she bore him at least 50 daughters, all of whom grew into beautiful women.

Different accounts differ on some of her other children. Some say that the infamous Narcissus was her son. I leave it up to the viewer to believe which accounts they want to believe.

Fun

I take artistic mindset very seriously. If you’re not having fun with your art, you’re going to quit. You could tell I’m having a blast. You can see it in my paintings.

Find something that you’re passionate about and paint it. I’m quite passionate about Greek mythology and high fantasy. I mix them both into my pinup art.

I aim for fun over high art. My music is high art. My painting? Fun. It’s pretty obvious. I don’t claim to do high art in my paintings. Rather, I’m a pop artist.

I’d love to be famous though. Actually have an influence over culture. And one thing I’d do? I’d make the Greek Gods and Goddesses cool again!

The Olympians and Hades

The Greek Gods overthrew the Titans, who overthrew the previous Titans. Long story. But at the very least, Zeus is the King of the Gods.

He is married to Hera, his sister, of whom he cheats every chance he gets. Zeus is the God of the Sky and Thunder. You’ll often see him throwing a lightning bolt.

Poseidon is God of the Seas and the brother of Zeus. He’s also the God of Storms, Earthquakes, and Horses. What do horses have to do with anything? Who knows? But you’ll sometimes see Poseidon riding a chariot pulled by a hippocampus.

Hades does not live on top of Mount Olympus, although I still have to mention him as he’s one of the most powerful of Gods. He is the oldest of the three brothers (Zeus and Poseidon) and together, they overthrew their father, the Titan Cronus.

Hades lives in the Underworld, often also called Hades. Hades got the Underworld, Zeus got the Skies, and Poseidon got the Seas when they overthrew the Titans.

Let’s revisit Hera. She’s the most powerful Goddess and the Queen of Olympus. She’s the Goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth.

Yes, the Ancient Greeks believed that the Gods and Goddesses lived on top of Mount Olympus. (And if you’re wondering, Mt. Olympus wasn’t successfully scaled until 1913).

Demeter is the Goddess of the Harvest and Agriculture as well as fertility and the sacred law.

The city of Athens is named after Athena. She’s the Goddess of War and Wisdom.

Apollo is supposed to be the best looking of the Gods. He also has the most titles. He’s the God of everything from Sun, Light, Oracles to Music and Knowledge.

Aphrodite is someone I paint a lot. Why? Well she’s the Goddess of Beauty. She also gets Love and Sexuality and is the most beautiful of all the Goddesses. So of course the other Goddesses are envious of her and they made her marry the ugliest of the Gods.

Artemis is the Goddess of the Hunt, Wilderness, and Wild Animals.

Ares is the God of War. “But I thought you just said Athena is the Goddess of War.” Yeah, Greek mythology is inconsistent. You’ll see a lot of overlap. You’ll also see that different areas favored different Gods and Goddesses. There’s a lot of inconsistencies. Just bear with me.

Hephaestus is the ugliest of the Gods and is married to Aphrodite. He’s the God of Blacksmiths and pretty much everything related to tools and crafts. He’s even the God of Volcanoes.

Hermes is known as the Messenger of the Gods and deals with everything from Trade to Thievery.

Hestia is the Goddess of the Hearth, and is a virgin Goddess.

And last, we have Dionysus, the God of Wine.

Under the Gods, we have all kinds of various creatures. The ones I’m most intrigued by are the Nymphs.

And last we have the Fates, which whatever they decide is what happens, whether the Gods like it or not.

This is a very brief summary of the Greek Gods and Goddesses. I left out all the Minor Gods and Goddesses, the Titans, the Demi-Gods, and human heroes and legends. I also left out the monsters.

Artists are like Lesser Gods, creating worlds that peoples will remember hundreds of years after the artist’s death. How many little girls have spent years in the worlds of Tchaikovsky? In the Nutcracker or Swan Lake?

How many smart high school kids got stoned and talked about visiting Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights? Or Boris Vallejo’s fantasy worlds? Or my favorite 20th century artist – Frank Frazetta. He created so many beautiful but dangerous worlds in his lifetime.

Heck, look at Luis Ricardo Folero’s works. I borrowed a lot from him.

Long after the artist dies, his legacy survives. Some for hundreds of years. The greatest ones longer. Imagine how long we’ll still study Leonardo and Michelangelo.

This was meant to inspire you, not just to create, but to create worlds. Memorable worlds.

Muses

How many muses will be remembered hundreds of years after your death? And do you ever wonder if all the stories of the Ancient Greeks were modeled off of real people?

Lizzie Siddal was the muse for several of the original Pre-Raphaelites. I even wrote an orchestrated piece inspired by her death.

Will I ever get famous? And will they remember Allie or Roxy? Or both?

Keep all this in mind when you create. Are you painting for fun? Or, are you painting for a legacy?

When was the last time you expressed gratitude towards another person?

I’m grateful I have a supportive wife, who’s also my number one fan and number one critic. I’m grateful I have a son that’s in his mid-20s and is completely independent.

I also think, where would I be today if Allie never approached me about replacing my former model? Then after Allie did, Roxy did. So, I was in a rut, and suddenly, I have two beautiful young ladies modeling and inspiring me to paint.

And musically, I’m by no means doing this alone. Last month, we finally released Opium Tales Volume I. It took forever. Everything went wrong. I lost musicians. Gained musicians. Musicians got sick. I had a musician get stabbed and miss a recording session. Yes, he’s fine now, but was quite a scare.

My voice is not good. I can sing on time and on key. However, my tonal qualities are terrible.

Thus, I only sing harmony vocals. Instead, you get to hear two lovely ladies sing on the three songs that have vocals. Two are instrumental.

We practically have an army of musicians. You’re hearing three different bass guitar players, tons of string players, me playing all the electric and acoustic guitars, piano, and synthesizers.

We also have a small army of sound engineers. Randy Burk is the lead one. He also plays all the drums and percussion.

You are not alone

Now, this is probably way more than you care about. But that’s not the point.

You have friends with talent. You may even have some talented family members. Have you ever considered working with them?

This may surprise you. I struggle with language. I’m not that good of a reader. I like reading Harry Potter books because that’s about the level I’m at. Yes, seriously.

My math skills are off the charts. But reading? I’m not that good.

All these smart friends of mine tell me “Roman, you need to read such and such book. It’s a classic!”

And I pick it up and struggle through the first ten pages.

I couldn’t finish Les Miserables. I got about twenty pages in before giving up. Yes, there are kids who can read better than I can.

So those lyrics I wrote? Took me forever.

Don’t get me wrong. I do think they’re good. They just took forever for me to write them.

Ask for help

Now, you know what I’m really good at? People. Yes, people.

I’m a people person. Always have been and always will be.

One of the few extroverts left. I strongly think too much phone usage has killed people’s social skills. You see it everywhere. You ride the train and everyone’s on their phone. I remember back in the days when people had these things called “conversations with strangers.” A thing of the past. Unless the stranger is over 60.

Anyways, next release, I won’t be writing any of the words. The vocal lines, yes. But the actual lyrics?

I asked friends for help. And they’ve responded.

People like to help. But, most people are afraid to ask.

The thing is, don’t be one of those assholes who asks for help, then doesn’t appreciate it. You do that and nobody will want to help you.

Appreciation

So, simply show some appreciation. It’s not that hard.

I remember a week ago, I held two doors open for some bitch on the phone and she didn’t even look up. Didn’t acknowledge I was standing there, holding the doors open for her lazy ass. She just kept her eyes glued to the phone. No thanks. No smile. No nod. No nothing.

Now, that’s someone I won’t be inviting over to my next BBQ or cocktail party.

I always show appreciation for those who have helped me. Always. No matter how small it may seem to them.

And yes, I’ve done pretty well in life. But it wasn’t at all without help.

In my late 20s, I didn’t know what a 401k or an IRA or a stock purchase plan was. I just started working at a corporation after doing manual labor, waiting tables, and delivering pizza for years. Suddenly, I realized I needed to make more money because my future wife and I had a surprise baby. As you know, babies cost money.

So, I had to change my path. I went the corporate route. And I didn’t know what to do with my salary.

You may laugh. But seriously, I didn’t know.

Some older guy with a house told me all about 401k’s, IRAs, stock purchase plans, and saving a downpayment for a house. I literally didn’t know any of that.

And I don’t even remember his name. It was so long ago.

Thanks

So give thanks when appropriate. Of course I thanked the guy and offered to buy him dinner. He laughed and said it’s nothing. But you know what? It’s not nothing. My wife and I have now been to Europe three times, the Caribbean three times, and South America. We’re going to do a Panama Canal cruise in January.

It’s not nothing. It literally changed my life.

And if Allie never approached me about replacing my former model, I would never be an artist today. I’d still do my music. But I wouldn’t paint.

I used to do photography and dabble in drawing. That’s it. My former model, bless her heart, had a nervous breakdown and got fat, then of course stopped modeling. I wish her best. I’m really hoping her new boyfriend and her get married and do well. It’s going to be a struggle though.

So thank you Allie. Thank you Roxy. Thank you wife. Thank you Randy. And all the string players, other session musicians, woodwind players, brass players, sound engineers, and my future lyricists. Thank you Sarah and Liel for your lovely vocals.

Life really is a team sport. We need each other.

And thank you reader for reading all this. It’s therapeutic to get it off my chest.

Now it’s your turn. Think of someone in your life that has helped you. And tell them what they did for you and how much you appreciate it.