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"Where are the Charms?"
Hands down, this is the most common question I receive at any convention. Of course, there are variations on the theme: "Why are you called Milkcannon Charms when you have so few," "Isn't this false advertising," or, my personal favorite interaction "You don't have any charms," as they scamper off into the convention void.
To be fair, I understand the frustrations and misunderstandings. The table name is Milkcannon Charms, and the table banner proudly displays this name alongside an image of two Ghibli inspired charms. While I've been wanting to change the name for years, I could never put my finger on why it needed to change. I think, after this year of shows and seeing how my work has changed, I finally have my answer.
Polymer clay was a big part of my life for a lot of years, but I no longer find any joy from it being my primary media. I always wanted to be an illustrator, not a sculptor, and using clay was an outlet for me when I was was (mis)informed by a professor that I should stop drawing and never try again. I still enjoy working with it on occasion, but creating 300+ charms per show has taken a huge toll on me over the years. There are very good reasons why some of our favorite brands now--such as Pusheen--were started by polymer clay artists who left the media to start new ventures. Other artists, such as Oborochann, tried coming back to it multiple times only to put it down again as life grew more hectic. This isn't a bad thing. If an artist isn't changing, then they're not pushing themselves or learning new things.
Which brings the conversation back to me, and my future plans. The long and short of it, is that things will be changing in a major way after this convention cycle. I haven't decided on how I want the transition to look yet, if it will be total overhaul immediately, or what the best way to handle the changes are. I still see the "milkcannon" branding and name as an art style that fits well with certain aspects of my work. Other work, and where I want to push into, will need a different type of branding. Kind of how fragrances all have similar but different names in order to convey their scent categories. So, where are the charms? They're still around, just more exclusive. Like Patreon exclusives :)
