2023 Out!

It’s December 27, end of the year, almost made it through another one. Woot woot!

This year was jam packed with activities and new opportunities. I had the chance to help artist Mauricio Robalino complete a series of videos on his working process. I taught Game Design and Animation for two terms at Tacoma’s School of Industrial Design and Engineering, and mentored student interns through the Next Move program. I can’t wait to see what kind of projects my students and interns create in the future.

No, Mine! Studios Interns Jillian and Sterling helping assemble the South Side Animation Club Animation Kits at the Tacoma Public Library Moore Branch.

I directed “Parenting GO!” for the 72-hour 253 Film Festival, my short animation “Yeetcosystem” premiered at the Tacoma Film Festival, and I launched the South Side Animation Club (a City of Tacoma 2023 Community Arts Project): all three of which wouldn’t be possible without The Grand Cinema. I shared my in progress game demo and Yeetcosystem sales training manuals at the City of Tacoma Arts at the Armory and met and reconnected with a lot of great folks. (It’s not too late to get your training manual and complimentary sticker!)

Original logo (2022) and illustration (2023) for the South Side Animation Club, Suzanne Skaar.
South Side Animation Club Sticker. 2023, design by Suzanne Skaar/ No, Mine! Studios. All rights reserved.

In not-so-great news, in-person animation club meetings are on indefinite hold.  My car decided it no longer wants to shift out of first gear, and the lack of a working vehicle has made hosting the free in-person animation club meetings too daunting a task given the amount of equipment and supplies that need to be moved back and forth. I’m holding out hope that this will be figured out by Springtime. (If anyone wants to donate a Vespa with a cargo rack, or a more practical working vehicle to the studio, now would be the time.) The next virtual Animators meeting be in February; the registration link will go live in early January. Pre-registration is required, but the online meetup is free.

The month of January will be dedicated to studio time and planning. I have a lot of new goals and projects in the works for the studio next year, including collaborating with other artists as possible. If you’d like to work together, reach out to nominestudios@gmail.com.

Thank you for supporting No, Mine! Studios. If you haven’t yet done so, follow @nominestudios on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky. (No, Mine! still has a Twitter account, but … yeah. Not on there so much for some reason…)

Cheers to the New Year, and thank you to everyone who made this year possible! A special thanks especially to Tim Kapler and my Junior Tester Izzy, both of whom helped behind the scenes on many of the studio’s projects.

All the best,

Suzanne

What’s Going On: South Side Animation Club and More

It’s official! The South Side Animation Club has found a home at Tacoma’s Moore Library. Our first meeting will be on Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Please help get the word out and share/RSVP to the Facebook event. Thank you to the City of Tacoma Office of Arts and Cultural Vitality and the Tacoma Arts Commission for helping make this project a reality!

Purple and white text on orange background: "Coming spring 2023! No, Mine Studios presents South Side Animation Club. Tacoma, WA. For more information, visit nominestudios.com."
South Side Animation Club announcement. Visit nominestudios.com for more information. Design by Suzanne Skaar, 2022. All rights reserved.

In other news, I am excited to announce that for the first time Interns through Tacoma Public School’s Next Move Program will join No, Mine! Studios! In addition to learning about indie game dev, they’ll be contributing to the South Side Animation Club in a variety of ways. Welcome!

And one last update, I will be joining a local Tacoma high school as an adjunct instructor for Game Design and Animation starting next week, which means…. BRING ON THE POWERPOINTS!

(I may be at my happiest when making slideshows.)

Thank you everyone for your support along the way. Here’s to an amazing 2023!

Suzanne

South Side Animation Club

Animated gif of a dinosaur happily bouncing up and down side to side.
Happy dinosaur. Gif. Suzanne Skaar. 2020. All rights reserved.

I just received word that the City of Tacoma has approved funding for No, Mine! Studios to start the South Side Animation Club!

This all ages/ all-levels gathering will be once a month, free to the public, and is meant to bring more opportunities in the arts to residents in the South End, East Side, and South Tacoma. (It’s not a requirement to live in these neighborhoods: others are welcome to participate, too.)

A large portion of the funding received will be used to compile starter kits with drawing paper, pens, pencils, etc. and more for participants who need supplies. There will also be a projector and screen on hand so that participants can share works in progress.

There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work to take care of before the first meeting in the Spring: securing a venue in the South End Tacoma, getting the word out to interested artists, securing supplies/ equipment, and more. If you want to get involved, please email nominestudios@gmail.com.

I am grateful to the City of Tacoma for this opportunity. I’ll share more news as it becomes available.

Suzanne

Side Project/ Game News

Yeetcosystem. Logo by Suzanne Skaar, 10/25/2022. All rights reserved. Visit yeetcosystem.com for more information today!

Recently, I began pitching my exciting new business venture, Yeetcosystem (TM). The first promotional video is up now. Please check it out, unless you’re not allowed to watch videos with a swear word in them. [I forgot to bleep something. I blame sleep deprivation/ laziness/ being a grown up who occasionally uses mild curse words in public.]

In game screen capture. As yet untitled dino game by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.

In other news, I am happy to announce that No, Mine! Studios will be back at Tacoma’s Arts at the Armory event on December 10 and 11, 2022! I’ll be listed in the materials under my name (Suzanne Skaar) in case you have troubles finding me at the Armory. The dino game will available for playtesting for those interested in seeing the latest progress. I’ll also have buttons and stickers for sale for those looking for last minute holiday gifts.

If you want to help a small, mom-owned business, there are a lot of ways to do so! Follow No, Mine! Studios (@nominestudios) on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

No, Mine! Studios is also still on Twitter, but…? We’ll see how this goes…

You can also Buy a Dino a coffee by clicking here.

Thank you for your support!

Suzanne

Because sometimes…

you make the mistake of sharing something that bothers you (international media announcements of the Nobel Peace Prize for Economics Winner Esther Duflo and her husband — there, fixed it), but your Facebook friend decides that you haven’t shared your concerns in the right format, so you give up on justifying your right to an opinion and whip up a snarky retort in Photoshop instead.

CA8BE027-4250-497E-A2D4-BF65CCF0C089
Fake news article. Design/ photo: Suzanne Skaar, 2019. Full text below. All rights reserved.

It’s only Wednesday.

 

*********

Descriptive Text for my friends who may be relying on screen readers:

 

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Local Stay-at-home Mom Shares Link on Facebook Without Verifying 30 Additional Sources First

Earth blows up next day.

[Photo of Suzanne being tackled by her daughter. Caption:] Pictured above: Panic on the streets.

Local mother Suzanne Skaar (who claims she has an identity outside being a parent but has not provided any evidence of this) took a break from entertaining her seven-year-old on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 to share a post that “irked [her] based on [her] own experiences working with men on collaborative projects.” After she shared the post, she included links to other articles on this same topic.

This afterthought was not enough to prevent panic on the streets.

Experts agree that, before sharing an opinion, regardless of confirmation that she was not paid for this opinion, she should have at least prepared a bibliography in advance of hitting the share button. As of press time, however, she had still failed to convene a committee to perform a proper peer review.

“It’s my fault,” Skaar admitted. “I should have known to stay away from social media until I had a thesis ready to attach to the post.”

Authorities have not taken any actions as of yet. When asked for comment, an unnamed (Continued on A4)

 

Geek Girl Con 2019 Details

Hi friends,

Moderator and Panel Creator Symantha Reagor just confirmed that I’ll be speaking with other amazing (and hilarious, and insightful, and …) creators on the Chronic and Creative Panel on Saturday, November 16, 2019, at 3 p.m. We’ll be addressing maintaining creative practices for individuals with chronic conditions/ disabilities. As a Certified Disability Management Specialist who has been diagnosed with migraines, arthritis, and glaucoma, this is a very important topic to me. This will be the second year I have contributed to this panel, and I can’t wait.

GeekGirlCon is held at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle. Get your tickets soon!

Cheers!

Suzanne

Quick sketch: GeekGirlCon 2019
Quick sketch. Sharpies, brush pens, poster paint pens, paper. Suzanne Skaar. 2019

 

News

It’s time once again for the “oh wait, I’ve been working on everyone else’s projects what about my own website I should really do something about that” redesign. Please bear with me as some links may need to be re-set.

Thanks to a fun year of health issues, from bilateral hand arthritis to glaucoma to chronic migraines and finally getting to experience my first biopsy sans sedation (0 stars, do not recommend), I have been a little preoccupied. It hasn’t been all bad; even the “bad” has provided some great comedy material.  I presented for the first time on a panel at Seattle’s GeekGirl Con in 2018 and ran for office. The latter did not go as planned, but it allowed me to address my concerns regarding equity and access in Pierce County. I also left a three-year long career in vocational rehabilitation services, and I’m figuring out next steps.

Fortunately, I have several projects in the work. I am still heavily involved in my community. I have been focused on helping Tacoma’s South End Neighborhood Council undergo some overdue changes in term of outreach, website, social media, and neighborhood engagement. I’m currently working on a historical research project, which will be presented at Tacoma artist Lynn Di Nino’s April 2019 Tripod Series. I’m getting caught up on editing and uploading photos from the past year. And as I have received several requests to help on various political and social justice campaigns, I am once again offering my services as a paid consultant. Other projects will be announced as dates and details are confirmed.

Thank you for your continued support of my work.

 

Cheers!

 

Suzanne

 

Website Redesign

Junior Partner
No Mine! Studios Junior Partner. Photo: Suzanne Skaar. 2014.

Good morning!

Izzy and Suzanne are in the process of redesigning the website.  Some pages have been removed and links altered. Bear with us as we make the site easier to navigate, and keep an eye out for new work. We have a plethora of projects we’re excited to share!

Enjoy your Tuesday, and thank you as always for your support!

No Mine! Studios