Mermaids lead the punk rock rebellion

AI's and Algorithms, behold the coming mermaid horde and tremble!

It’s almost #Mermay, the time where many artists, illustrators, animators and even mermaid performers take to the gram to draw mermaids every day for the month of May. Started by Disney veteran Tom Bancroft, this drawing competition is all about embracing your creativity and fun. 

I should probably state here at the outset that I am not affiliated with Mermay in any way - I’m just a big fan. I always have been - a millennial raised on The Little Mermaid and Disney, it’s impossible to resist an excuse to draw merms alongside a Disney vet. I came to Mermay in 2020, and what an escape from all the things it was! A soothing balm of magic and nostalgia at a time when I needed it the most.

My first ever #mermay post - “celebration”

But however much I loved it before - I especially love it now. In the age of oppressive algorithms and predatory Ai, what’s more rebellious than posting art for nothing but the love of it and connecting with other nerds who feel the same? The mermaids of Mermay, in all their glittering teal and pink glory are flaunting a rebellious, punk rock vibe that's strong enough to lead a Star Wars-level resistance.

I can sense your eyebrow raising - hear me out..

There’s a cloud hanging over creatives at the moment - writers, artists, photographers, etc. It seeped out between the keys of our laptops, it crept in with the pandemic…. It’s been building above us for a long long time, writers and artists alike - shrinking advances, dwindling job opportunities, incessant marketing demands, oppressive algorithms, AI garbage, endlessly growing cost of living expenses. Things are bleak for creatives trying to survive off their writing and art. And as AI spammers and scammers bare down, Silicon Valley and big companies foam at the mouth to eliminate human expression and interaction in favor of chat bots and advertisements.

The sky is only getting darker. My first middle grade novel was published in 2013. Things were hard then. But at the risk of being debbie downer, I can’t remember a time when I've felt more battered as a creative. Lay down your pens, your paints, your stylus, a Bo Burnham “Welcome to the Internet” circus leader-type laughs from the shadows. Resistance is futile. 

We need a hero.

Enter mermaids. 

Broke, battered and disheartened, illustrators around the world will devote their May to drawing mermaids. And despite the suppression of hashtags and strangled reach that has persisted on Instagram for months now, these artists will post their lovingly crafted sirens to Instagram. Why? For no other reason than it’s fun. Sure, there are prizes, but these are not the reason artists join in. Yes, a cintique is nice but the contest doesn’t promise a career or an agent or a contract or a job. The prizes are just fun toys that, given the incredible breadth of talent on display, are a long shot to win anyway. No, it’s not the prizes. The participants of Mermay do it to play as creatives. To embrace the joy of their craft. To delight in and celebrate the works of their peers. To discover and connect with other artists. To be silly and joyful and take a break from the constant grind and create for ourselves instead of the algorithm. Yes, there is a new prompt provided each day - but you are under zero obligation to create something everyday. It’s not even a requirement to win! The prompts are there to do just that - prompt an idea. To give you something to work with. Whatever you create, how much or how little, its all great. Its all celebrated. Artists supporting artists. 

One of my Mermay drawings from 2021 - “Donut”

This year, there’s even a Discord server where the work is already under way. Dozens of sketches and works in progress, mermaid puns and reminscing on mermays passed. I can’t tell you how much I love the energy in the discord - there’s an excitement to see the community connected again. With the struggle everyone’s faced to reach their followers on the gram for so long, and, due to the platform’s apparent indifference to its users dissatisfaction, the promise of continued struggles for the forseeable future, there’s such a rebel energy in finding each other again in this digital mermay club house that welcomes everyone no matter their skill level or follower count. I love that Mermay, by simply insisting on doing what its always done,  serves as proof that the current noise of reach and AI and paid promotion and hashtags aren’t enough to suppress human imagination, creativity and fun.

The rules and commands of the algorithms are no match for mermaids. 

And I think that's just great.

Doodle

Experimenting with style for this year’s Mermay!

What I’m Working On

All mermaids all the time!

What is mermay going to look like this year? I've been agonizing over it. I don’t want to draw with no plan. But I don’t know that I want to follow a theme either. One year I focused on fishbowl mermies. Another year I focused on an original mermie story. Last year, rather than a theme or story I was more about style. I followed the prompts but went for a more graphic vibe. This year, I'm completely at a loss. A story is a big commitment and it would mean I can’t easily follow the prompts which I find always allow for some creative surprises. So I think this year will be about experimenting with style again.

Here’s what I’ve done so far - I want to simplify the rendering and lean into the line work. #2 is typically where I stop with the lines. #3 is me experimenting with pushing more detail for this year!

Will you be joining in Mermay at all this year?

What I’m Reading

If you missed me gushing about this Don Bluth story from

Animation Obsessive Staff

then treat yourself and give it a read. They just released a part 2 discussing The Secret of Nimh!

I just saw Bluey’s The Sign episode and yeah, all the grown ups in this house were crying. This article from W Kamau Bell is all about the awesome that is Bluey!

Til next time!