Thursday, June 20, 2019

Adventure in Pittsburgh


I first moved to Pittsburgh for college in 2010. Like most of my fellow filmmaking students, my plan was to graduate and then save up money until I could afford to move to LA and find work in the biz. Then I met a girl, and five years after graduation I am still here. And now, because I love that girl so much, it is time for us to say goodbye to this city.

After Katrina and I got married she stayed in school and then decided to stick around to be closer to her family. By that point, I had built a life here and was fine with staying. I also lost interest in moving to Hollywood to make movies. Making movies is hard. And not fun. I totally could do it, I just don’t really want to.

If you’ve been following this blog - or any previous version of it - you’ll know that The Modern Gafa is tied to Pittsburgh more than anything. Even more than me. I’ve always said that Pittsburgh is an incredibly geeky city and that’s true. If I lived somewhere else, this blog would probably just be reviews and the occasional thinkpiece.

For not being a major city by any definition, I’m surprised with how much Pittsburgh has to offer. Tons of great movie theaters, comic shops, book stores, an amazing arcade, tons of fan conventions, a cultural district that brings all kinds of amazing shows to stages in the city, and so much more. I don’t know exactly where we’re moving to just yet, but it’s not New York or LA. It’ll definitely be a downgrade and, unfortunately, this blog will probably suffer for it.

But the good news is, Katrina’s new job will actually make it so I don’t need to seek traditional employment. If you haven’t noticed, this is actually the first post on the blog in a month. I have never, ever, gone that long between posts. But in June I decided to focus on a few different endeavors. These endeavors take time away from the blog. They also pay more.

I self-published my first book earlier this year. It was a quick little joke book designed to teach me how self-publishing with Amazon works. Now, I’m ready to broaden my library and get more things out there. I’ve also started doing freelance marketing for indie creators. I did one job this month that paid more than all 10 years of blogging combined.

I’m not going anywhere. I mean… I’m leaving Pittsburgh, but I’m not shutting this blog down. I’ve shut it down before and left and returned so many times over the years that when I launched this version back in 2017 I just decided I’ll keep doing it until the day I die. If that means weekly comic reviews become monthly or I only do one post a year, I’ll always be The Modern Gafa. Whatever that means.

I’m leaving a big part of myself in Pittsburgh. I’ve made lots of friends here, lots of professional contacts. I know all the best places to eat and shop. I know all the big events that come here, where to catch the best shows. I’m only just now figuring out how the bus works. Starting over from scratch scares the hell out of me.

The good news is that Katrina’s job is temporary and while it may lead to another job in another city, it just as easily might not. We could always come back to Pittsburgh again. But I am kinda okay with starting over somewhere else. Pittsburgh’s been great to me, but I feel like I’ve outgrown it. There are great comic shops everywhere, bigger and better conventions, new communities to discover. Maybe this chapter of my life is finally over?

I am scared but mostly excited about this change. It’s been a long time coming. I love Pittsburgh and I will always miss it. But it’s time to say goodbye.