123: Don't Call it the COME BACK
But, we're BACK!!!
“You have to go away to come back.”
- Jack Dahl’s 2nd rule of show business.
The Weekly Dispatch…
Welcome to Week 123 of the Draw or Die Club Newsletter.
Took a little break in August to really rethink some things for the Draw or Die Brand. I can’t lie, I almost thought about folding it all up and moving on… but what a waste that would be. We’re not going anywhere… Read on for WHAT’S NEXT!!!!
We’ve helped 1000s of artists by now, but I’ve absorbed a lot of the DARK and HEAVY stories, the things that ALL artists go through, or will go through. April was an especially tough month for me. I almost changed the name, and ditched any symbols of death or skulls or whatever. I didn’t want to think about the DARK side anymore.
I felt like while I was always the one making other art friends stay encouraged, it was hard to keep myself feeling encouraged, or that anything really meant anything in the grand scheme of things..
BUT…. My work with, and through VeeFriends, has really made me focus again on JOY, Gratitude, Kindness, Empathy… it’s been a long time since the art work I do feels like it MATTERS.
This candid photo really captures my new vibe…
That’s me and AZAM. Azam’s Dad snapped some candid photos at the VeeFriends booth at VeeCon in August. In the background you can see Ally smiling as she watched this moment unfold.
Ally had hid an Art Card out in the show, and upon showing Azam the clue, he took off like a bolt of lightning and ran to get the card in seconds! The joy it brought to the family and us was pretty incredible. Azam and his sister came back often over the 3 days and it was their favorite part of VeeCon was hanging with me or watching me create.
Last week Azam’s Dad messaged me saying what a great experience this was for his kids. He also sent me a few other snaps like this one…
That’s Megan (slowpoke_megan), as she sees her favorite character being drawn into an upcoming comic strip. (she cosplays as the character). Over her shoulder is Dom, who is often on the livestreams. He’s a stoic. I drew for his daughters too. The other guy over my shoulder is Todd, who is an events manager for us at VeeFriends, his look of joy at her joy… it’s just contagious.
All of this contagious joy, came from drawings… drawings that I made.
It finally occurred to me that through my work, I don’t have to feature all the dark stories or topics in order to have that encouraging vibe that’s STILL going to lift my Art friends up and out of their funk.
BUT… It was THIS moment that cemented the fact for me that I wasn’t going to give up…
That we WILL build the world’s BEST DRAWING CLUB…
I was in a hurry to go meetup for our VeeFriends team photo with GaryVee, and I see a guy sitting on a wall wearing a DRAW EVERY DAY shirt!
It was artist known as TOSHDOODLE https://www.instagram.com/toshdoodle , who told me he was trying to find me at VeeCon. And he told me how inspiring the brand has been for him and others.
To see DRAW OR DIE out there in the wild, was like a mirror reflecting back to me. And I considered it a message from the Universe that I had to keep this ship going.
All of these moments have felt very healing to me.
THANK YOU…
HERE’S WHAT’S NEXT…
Ally and I have been replanning the brand overall and content strategy. Since we’ve both been very busy with our respective careers, we’re finding a good balance and getting back on track with our internal weekly planning. New content will begin rolling out VERY soon. Mainly Youtube, Instagram, but a new TikTOk and X channel are in the works.
🏴☠️ Return of the WEEKLY podcast-
Excited to announce the return of our WEEKLY live podcast (Ally and I together) Sunday nights at 7pm EST. Starting NEXT Sunday September 1st.
Be subscribed to our YOUTUBE CHANNEL!!! https://www.youtube.com/@DJCoffman/podcasts (scheduling the new stream soon)
🏴☠️ MONTHLY IRL DRAWING CLUB THIS TUESDAY / PITTSBURGH
The last Tuesday of every month through October I hold a DRAW CLUB meetup in Pittsburgh. Facebook Event Post here: https://www.facebook.com/share/z9BeL293xuuA1rC3/
🏴☠️ PROMPTOBER YEAR 3! -
Yes, Promptober is happening again this year! Every year we have 31 days of spooky related drawing prompts and some random prizes to give away! More details coming next Sunday….. BUT FOR NOW, if you want you to submit your suggested prompts, put them in THIS DISCORD thread! - We will choose a handful for the official prompt list that will be released next Sunday! (check out last years prompts and prizes at promptober.com
🏴☠️ Daily LiveStreams (Not DORD…)
Not really DRAW or DIE related, but I’ve been drawing DAILY LIVE STREAMS, mon-Fri on the new VeeFriends Comics Youtube Channel. Some early morning streams and a few evening streams. I draw live and hang out with the comic fans. Basically I’m doing the thing I said I’d always do in the FUTURE OF COMICS video. If you’re interested in seeing how a modern cartoonist operates and builds community, tune in and say hello. Say you’re from the draw or die club. Here’s this week’s schedule:
https://www.youtube.com/@VeeFriendsComics
Today’s Drawing Prompt!
10 Minutes of Houses!
Did you know we have a DAILY DRAWING CLUB APP? JOIN the DAILY DRAWING CLUB! only 5 bucks a month. Get 5am Drawing Prompts, Quarterly Member Sticker and more JOIN HERE!
Help us build the world’s RADDEST DRAWING CLUB!
Okay, I have TONS of stuff to draw. Thanks for reading and I’m excited to get back to the drawing board!
☠️ GET SOME: Draw or Die MERCH!
✏️ GET DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS: Custom Brushes, Templates & Prompts
▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO DRAW or DIE on YOUTUBE - LiveStreams and more.
Dude, I'm thrilled to see you back! You are an inspiration to me, as I am sure you are to many others! I'm in my fifties; we don't always have the energy of 18-year-olds, and watching you inspires me to keep sketching and drawing. Promise me you'll never give up! If you give up, it's likely that everyone else will too. We need Draw or Die! Taking a break is necessary to rejuvenate and generate fresh ideas. If daily postings burns you out, I'm fine with just one or two posts each week! It's not easy being 50, man. You got this! Happy drawing! (fist bumps)
Awesome news.
I’ll admit I actually went your YouTube channel today at noon looking for the live feed. I hadn’t visited in a while but I am glad to hear you are going to continue 👍