Your ol’ pal the Yellow Phantom has an announcement to make as to the future of the Blood Curdling Blog of Monster Masks. As of the end of the year, I’ll be putting a nail in the proverbial coffin and retiring the blog. You indeed read that right creep. So what's the deal? Let's sort things out in a fuax-FAQ style format...
Whoa, slow down there old friend, what gives?
As I said when I started this blog back in 2010, I had two goals…
#1 Share the collection of monster mask related materials I have amassed over the past 15-20 years...
I have many things still to share, but not to worry, there are still a full 6 months left in 2013. So the next 6 months will be a crazy cavalcade of catalogs, ads, articles, and photos.
#2 Educate myself more about the art and history of monster masks…
I have learned more than I could have possibly hoped over the past 3 years. I have also learned that there are enough stories and nuances in the hobby to keep me learning for a lifetime. Like most subjects, the more you learn and know, the more you realize how much more there is to learn. Compared to many in the hobby, I still don’t know squat lol!
So, what will become of the blog after the end of the year?
#1 It will remain online as an archive and will hopefully provide information to those who seek it.
#2 I will on occasion post any new catalogs of significant finds. So the good news is that the blog won’t completely die off. I’ll always be on the hunt for mask catalogs to fill holes in the Monster Mask Catalog Archives.
And what will the Yellow Phantom be doing instead of blogging everyday?
#1 Sculpt more! It’s already July and I haven’t sculpted a single new mask this year. If I roll the 4-7 hours I spend posting each week into sculpting, I can average a new sculpture each month. While I have no plans to knock out a new sculpt per month, you get the idea :-)
#2 Finish a mirco-site dedicated to the Ellis Burman / Bert Wheeler masks of the early 1960s.
#3 Create a Monster Mask Ad Archive similar to that of the Monster Mask Catalog Archives.
It’s going to be a blowout six month stretch here, and it’s gonna be a ton of fun!
With that, a big thanks goes out to all those who have lent a helping hand and provided information and scans to share here.
Thanks for all the great posts! I look forward to the rest of the year too. You've created an excellent archive of material here. Keep on keepin' on.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad to hear about the blog, but happy to hear that you will be spending more time with your craft. I know exactly what you are talking about. My music muse has been tugging at me for some time and my writing muse has been whispering in my ear to move on to bigger things. I will be especially enjoying your posts for the rest of the year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words gentlemen. It's going to be a fun blowout!
ReplyDeleteI will likewise be sad to see this blog go. It's been such a nice addition to my daily routine. Still, I love the idea of seeing your future sculpts...perhaps you can start a new blog to showcase those?
ReplyDeleteGet sculpting!
ReplyDeleteHaha, will do buddy!
ReplyDeleteDon't be sad Gil-man, there are plenty of posts here in the archives to keep us all going :-)
ReplyDeleteAw man. I just recently found this blog and it has become a favorite of mine to dig through and visit on a semi daily basis. You have reconnected me with a lot of forgotten childhood memories. Thank you and best of luck with your sculpting time. Please share what you come up with!
ReplyDeleteI've been lurking around this blog forever but never posted a comment, and now I find out the blog's final curtain call will be at year's end. AAAAUGH!!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, maybe the blog technically isn't going to come to a grinding halt. You'll just be relaxing the pace from a sprint to a saunter, continuing to post occasional pertinent finds as they arise. That part is good news, since it means the lights will be left on here for passersby who'd like to visit the amazing archive you've assembled. It really is the best reference source out there for maskaholics and the mildly curious interested in a varied historical perspective of the topic.
I'll be looking forward to seeing whatever arises from your new endeavors. Onward!
Thanks for the kind words Carbon. I'll definitely still be making periodic updates from time to time :-)
ReplyDelete