What is even happening with Zanbul?

I honestly thought the whole thing would take me two years... I thought, "I've finished a Tarot deck, I can definitely finish a graphic novel! I didn't understand at the time everything I would be putting myself through. Long, long periods of work, focused on a single long-term goal is a pretty good way to burn yourself out. As a result, at the beginning of the year, I decided to say "fuck it" and put all the work from 2014 to 2017 online and call it "Book One."

I'm glad I did, but it's gone now. Here's why:

I had convinced myself I needed to create a book without any words in it. I was in love with how universal I thought this would make the book. The success of the previous work on the Ellis decK had emboldened me to believe that I could convey any idea in my head without the use of verbal communication. Stubbornly, I clung to this idea, no matter how many people would turn to me and scratch their heads. "Book One" would sit in it's tomb online at zanbul.com, and I would keep on drawing... for a while.

As the year progresses, there have been enough setbacks for me to know that Zanbul is not really as close to finished as I would like to believe it is. Fortunately, this has happened in a way that has created a patience in me where there wasn't any before. I don't think I need to "hurry up and get it done" any more. Sometimes when something takes long enough, it makes us realize that to rush it is to trash it. 

After a meeting this weekend with another friend and artist, I've made the decision to "write" for Zanbul as well. Part of this meant removing "Book One" from the zanbul website and jettisoning the Patreon account, as well. Some of the pages may end up in a different order, and, to be honest - the shit just isn't finished. When the work resurfaces, there will be text to go along with the visual story. 

Taylor
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