We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aaron Conaway a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Aaron, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I’ve made up stories to entertain people for as long as I can remember, but while I had previously submitted a finished manuscript, I didn’t make the leap to published author until opting to self-publish at the auspicious age (for sci-fi fans) of 42.
Since then, I’ve done my best to move down my project list, even as it grows.
Would I change my “start date?” Probably not. I had to learn the discipline I need to work as much as I do creatively—working around a full-time day job and maintaining the level of time and attention I want with my friends and family.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am the author of:
— The urban fantasy/magical realism series The Timberhaven Chronicles, where a mystical village exists at the crossroads of science and magic, fiction and reality.
— The wonderous horror stories found in The Michael Gideon Collection.
— The pulp fiction stylings of Harrowed Earth, a post-apocalyptic landscape residing in the final era of the New Vision Comics Collective, a prose/comic book hybrid company I co-founded.
I’m also the creator and cartoonist for Jan The Vagabond, a comic book series and online comic strip.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Just as it’s easier now to put your creative pursuits in front of people as an artist than possibly any other time, it’s also easy to support the artists you dig, even if you can’t financially.
React on social media to their posts, help spread the word with a share, write a review, or even subscribe to their newsletter. It may feel like something so small can’t matter, but all of it helps. It’s a big deal to an artist, knowing you see them.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I have a bucket list of projects, one that continues to grow even as I check things off.
From my viewpoint, there’s no point in trying to get rich as a creative today—at least not the creative I am. I see myself as my own little island among a sea of other creatives, all of us doing our own things, hopefully in support of each other. I’m just moving down that bucket list. I welcome you to my island—very happy to meet you and please look around—but those of us already here will have just as much fun exploring Timberhaven, surviving Harrowed Earth, or hanging out with Jan, regardless.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aaronconaway.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronconawayauthor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AaronConawayAuthor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuK78jxMk6Y7WMnhm_vqXhA
- Other: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32547484
