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About
Me and the Site:
Thanks for stopping by!
I've been an artist for twenty years, mostly in the fields of
advertising and web design. Know it or not, you've probably seen
my artwork. It may have been a band logo, a magazine ad, or some
other random visual blip in your life... but you've probably seen
it. These days I split my working time between fantasy art and
t-shirt designs. (Are you a corporate buyer for shirts or gifts?
Drop me a line)
For the past couple of years I've had constant vertigo and we're
still trying to figure out what's up. If your inquiring mind wants
to know more, read my Health FAQ here.
What else?
The term "starving artist" is true, I found. Sometimes
you have to do other things to pay the bills. Among the many side-trips
in my life, I've been a paratrooper, an assistant chef (under
a Le Cordon Bleu Paris graduate), a landscaper, designer, animator,
dj, tat artist, art director and once upon a time a Jack in the
Box employee. What do I like? Hmmm... I like pie. Especially with
any kind of berry. I also like roller coasters (not so much anymore),
movies, fairs, museums, lemon heads, outdoors, dragons, wolves
and a few hundred other things.
I also like hearing from people. There's a Contact Me link at
the bottom of just about every page on this site.
What's
the latest update?
Net sales are down - next to nothing these days. I still seem
to have the luck of the Irish when it comes to finding the most
ambivalent doctors in the country. I'm flat broke all the time.
My minivan is busted and I can't afford to fix it, so I've been
staying home a lot for the last couple months. The kids always
want to go somewhere and I have to explain that we can't afford
it. That sucks. I still haven't decided whether or not I should
explain the role the governement plays in keeping us living on
the edge of poverty. I know a guy who gets almost $900 a month
for Disability because he's hyper and bi-polar. I live my life
in a constant state of nausea, vertigo, and random loss of balance....
I've been denied all forms of Disabilty. They say I'm not "disabled
enough"... I think it has to do with my article "The
Face of Disabilty". Either way, I'm screwed. So far I'm
$200,000 in debt and counting. Oh, I just wrote a new article
"An
Inconvenient Patient". Be sure to check it out. And send
it to anyone you think might be able to help. Politicians, Doctors...
I would really appreciate that.
All
Good Things Must Come to an End....
It's been almost three years since my life changed with Meniere's.
I have kept plugging away, creating new images and managing the
store the whole time. But my old iMac computer is dying now (I
was an Apple Solutions Expert for years), and the monitor is getting
darker and darker each day. And all my 3d software is now looking
for a processor speed that my poor old 'puter just can't do. Between
the two, it looks like I may be done for a while. At least until
I can afford a new computer. The site and store will stay up and
you can help by visiting the store.
Go Shopping
How
are you holding up?
Fighting to be taken seriously by the government is taking its
toll. Evidently it's not conceivable for somebody of my training
and background to become disabled in any way, other than getting
a limb lopped off. The grey in my goatee is spreading wider all
the time, my eyes have bags you could store a cell phone in, and
my estimations of self-worth are getting pretty low. Some days
are better than others but, all in all, it's damn hard. I try
to make myself feel better by working on around the house projects,
but I still can't help wishing I was bringing in an income of
some kind. If I thought I could make a deadline for design projects,
I'd open up for business again in a heartbeat. But then I remember
my days are spent in a hellish mix of nausea, dizzyness, and brain
fog... and well... let's face it. There is no way I could actually
guarantee a finish date. And with a dying computer, it wouldn't
be realistic anyway. The wife and kids are incredibly supportive
and I feel blessed for that, at least.
Will you still do your art?
Absolutely. I am still, and always will be, an artist. I have
had to adapt, but I will continue to produce art in several different
mediums. But not digital art/design in any way- see above. Most
of what I do now consists of sketches. I literally can't afford
paints anymore, much less canvases, brushes, inks, or other materials.
What
are you reading?
Lately I have found myself reading a range of subjects, mostly
philosophical and/or historical in nature. I just finished The
Hiram Key, and I am currently reading The Book of Hiram, The Messianic
Legacy, The Training & Work of an Initiate, The Secret Teachings
of All Ages, and a few others. (No, I'm not a Mason. I was told
by a Lodge that I am not able bodied enough). Get the books I
just listed and your view of world history will never be the same.
Are you into ancestry? Check this out
Site
Info
Site should
be viewed at a monitor screen resolution of 800 x 600 or higher
(1024 x 768 is best). Set colors to highest possible (Millions
on a Mac, 32 bit on Windows systems).
Some images here may have a copyright mark for Janq Designs, Akins
Designs or Eyeswide Designs. These were companies run by me and
all images were created by me. If your site was designed by any
of the listed company names, please change the credit line on
your site to read:
"Site Design by Hank Akins" and link it to http://www.hankakins.com
Terms
of Use
All content (images, or otherwise) registered to Hank Akins. Unauthorized
reproduction is prohibited by law. Images may be downloaded and
used for personal purposes only. Images may not be altered in
any form. Images may not be displayed on any other site without
express written consent. Text, such as articles, poetry, or short
stories may not be altered in any way, and a link to the posting
must be sent to the author (Click "Contact" on any page
of this website). Credit must be given to the author, Hank Akins.
Whenever possible, a link back to this website (www.hankakins.com)
must also be included. Any content found to have been altered,
or found residing on unauthorized sites will result in prosecution
to the fullest extent of the Digital Millenium
Copyright Act.
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