Nine years have passed since I published my first post on Fictional Machines. It is quite remarkable how much has changed in my life during that period of time. I have spent the last few days thinking about everything that has happened during those nine years while looking back through the archives at all of the photos and drawings that have been documented and shared here (And even looking through the stacks of artwork in my studio that have never been shared publicly).

I wish there was a way to sincerely thank each of the thousands of people who have visited this website and shown their support. Unfortunately that is not possible since some of those people are no longer with us today. But to everyone who is still out there- Thank you! *And yes, I guess I should thank WordPress as well for allowing me to a have my own little corner of the internet where I can publish and share all of this stuff!

I recently spent four months (October 2020 – January 2021) focused on creating a bunch of new ink drawings. Ninety percent of what was created during that time was shared here. I was growing tired of the “digital world” and feeling somewhat disconnected as an artist because of it all. I wanted to get back to my roots- Back to holding a pen or pencil in my hand and creating work on Bristol board that actually existed in the real world (And not just on some glowing screen somewhere). There were many sketches leading up to each finished ink drawing and many failed attempts that were crumpled up and discarded in frustration.

From October to January the drawings were my main focus- I barely left my art studio during that time and only interacted with a handful of people. I would briefly jump online and share each piece when I decided that it was finished and then immediately close my laptop and try to ignore the outside world. It was a very productive period of time and it was a process that I needed to go through.

I am excited to announce that over the last few weeks I have designed and launched my own online store where some of these original ink drawings can be purchased: fictionalmachines.bigcartel.com

As of right now there are 48 original, one of a kind ink drawings available for purchase at the store. Each drawing is hand signed on the bottom corner on the back of the drawing, not on the front. I have priced each one at half the cost of what I would normally sell them for at an art show. The measurements for each drawing are accurate within an eighth of an inch. The cost of shipping is set up to where you would pay around half the cost of shipping and I would pay for the other half (Five dollars shipping for the US, Ten dollars shipping for anywhere else in the world- And only one dollar more added for each additional item if you decided to buy more than one). Purchases can be made with PayPal or with any credit card (Processed by Stripe), so either way you know the payment is safe and secure.

With each drawing purchased I will include a high-quality print of a photo or piece of digital artwork for free. If you want a specific print (Anything found on the website) you can message me through the “Contact” menu at the top of the page and let me know what you want, otherwise the free print is randomly chosen and included in the package. I am covering the full cost of the shipping supplies and all orders will be packaged will extreme care to ensure safe delivery. I will also be including a handwritten personalized thank you letter with each purchase. Frames are not included / I will not attempt to ship any glass in a package.

I am not really involved with any type of social media outside of this website, so if you are like Godzilla on your social media platform feel free to share this post or the link to the store if you think anyone there might be interested.

If you are not interested in purchasing any artwork but you would be interested in making a Paypal donation to my art studio I can be reached through the “Contact” menu at the top of the page, and I can then share my Paypal info in a response to your message. If you know anyone who has plenty of money and enjoys supporting the arts please make them aware of this post.

The future… The future really depends upon what happens over the next few months. I am drawing close to the crossroads and will have to make a decision on which way to go. I am nearing completion on two illustrated short novels and a collection of short tales. I have spent many months working on a graphic novel that I am very happy with as well. They are all projects that I feel are important- Projects that need to be finished. I have decided that they should physically exist in the world and not just in my imagination. But without artwork sales and / or donations I do not think it will be possible to spend the time and energy needed to wrap up all of these books and publish them.

The world seems to be drawing close to the crossroads as well… Which way are we going to go? Will people continue to be manipulated by fear and hate until they accept a technocratic dystopia? Will humanity finally stand together for freedom and love instead? Only time will tell.

I truly hope that you are doing well today on this Resurrection Sunday- That you are happy and healthy and that you are managing to navigate through this strange new landscape our world is being transformed into (And thank you for everything). –Josh