Category: Update

Re-introducing: Frank Bear’s Warm Fuzzies FLA!

Those followers who were with me about this time last year may recall me posting this article, in which I explained both the purpose of Warm Fuzzies FLA! and why there’s been so little activity overall. In summary, its purpose is to bring you nerd- and geek-centric comedy; its sub-minimal activity is due to classes and other job-hunt related issues.

While some of the delays / issues mentioned in that article continue in one form or another, I have had a realization: There is no time like the present.

That seemingly trite phrase can of course be applied to many things, including such mundane things as paying monthly bills. But the greatest richness of that phrase comes when it is applied to a deeply personal project.

I have had ideas for Warm Fuzzies FLA! in my head for a very, very long time. And while it may sound morbid, I get sickened at the possibility of these ideas dying inside me. I have finally realized that if I didn’t get back to bringing these ideas out into the light now, I may never get them out.

The Bible makes it clear that God gives each of us at least one talent, and many of us receive several. Two such gifts of mine are the desire and the ability to write very deep but easily-understood Bible study lessons. (I post these separately at my other blog.) Another such gift is the ability to write comedy. So I’ve finally decided, regardless of whatever else may seek my time, that I must get back to my cartooning, or risk squandering these ideas forever.

My single biggest challenge right now is the actual creation of the drawings. My current process from initial rough sketch(es) to finished, publishable panel(s) takes too long. In fact, I just missed this site’s two-year anniversary (Apr. 10th) because of that.

Regardless, I shall endeavor to bring you cartoons on a regular basis; monthly to start with, more often as my process and technique improve. I don’t know what God has in store for me with this; whether I’ll be able make this a full-time living or what. But I have to try.

Feel free to post a comment as each new cartoon is published. And whether you’re following me via WordPress, Twitter or e-mail, please keep spreading the links!

–Frank Bear

Update: Warm Fuzzies’ 1st Anniversary

It was on this day, April 10th, 2019, that Warm Fuzzies FLA! published its first episode. I started this site to bring you cartoons featuring nerd / geek comedy.

However, around that time I had a cut in my hours at work. Over time, through various managerial changes and procedural changes, my schedule was whittled down to a mere pittance of hours. So, rather than being able to devote time to my cartoons, of necessity I spent the majority of my “free time” submitting job application after job application, attending resumé workshops, employability workshops, and job fairs.

In late October of 2019, I began a course in Management Analysis. Coupled with the above job hunt activities, this even further impacted any cartooning efforts. I have since finished the on-site classes, and am now doing online labs and practice tests at home. One might think, with this ridiculous Coronavirus / “Safer at Home” situation, that I now have an abundance of free time. But while I hope to get my meager yet much-appreciated retail job back once all this is over, moreso I hope to get a better job through what I’ve learned via the MA course. So I’m devoting the overwhelming majority of my “free time” to the labs and practice tests. Thus, still no further cartooning.

Fortunately, I have discovered a sort of alternative outlet for my comedic creativity: live tweeting. Like many bloggers, I have tied my blog to another social media outlet, specifically a Twitter account, initially of course as simply another notification tool for the posting of new cartoons. And while I do sometimes tweet comedic stuff, I’m getting the most use — and the most fun — out of Twitter by live-tweeting certain TV shows.

I occasionally tweet WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown and NASCAR races, although the interaction among tweeters (twitterers??) for those shows is IMHO rather limited. In contrast, I regularly and actively tweet Forged in Fire on the History Channel, and Svengoolie and Star Trek on MeTV. The interactions on these timelines are rich and welcoming, with lots of hilarious back-and-forth bantering. Yes, I look for opportunities to post witty comments; but I also happily like, retweet or otherwise acknowledge and encourage fellow commenters for tweets that nab my attention.

So while I hope to have a schedule (and income!) which allow me to cartoon on a regular basis, I invite you to join me on Twitter for these shows. Forged in Fire airs Wednesdays at 9pm EST; Svengoolie and Star Trek air Saturdays at 8pm and 10pm EST respectively.

—Frank Bear

Copyright © 2020 Warm Fuzzies FLA!