It’s been a bit of a curveball adventure, this Dave Man thing.  So what’s it all about?

The first thing is I’m having fun.  Fun concepting.  Fun creating.  Fun innovating.  Fun thinking.  Fun sharing.  That alone is enough.

But if I’m being honest, there is more than fun going on here.

Dave Man has provided me with an outlet to begin to reinvent, and to find a bit more of the spark that makes me me.  Be this.  Explore there.  Share that.  Etc.

I’m sure I’m not alone, but it’s been a long smoldering minute since I’ve had the strength to say it out loud.  I’m suffering from a bit of conformity fatigue.   It’s exhausting.  Don’t worry – I’m not going to burn things down.  No manifestos.  Nothing too crazy, but perhaps a few less sane things as well…  So, Dave Man starts to be a vehicle for me to share ideas and concepts, and to do so in new ways, and also to once again start working those dormant ‘idea cords.’   (Perhaps more on ‘idea cords’ down the road.)

And it’s working.  New pathways.  New seeds.  Eventually maybe new forests….  You get the idea.

The discovery aspect.  At first (the first few Dave Mans) the idea was to explore some different ideas in simplified ways, yet to overlay with a degree of contrast between big and small, here and there, some and none, while also playing with evolution and time.  As the series has progressed, it’s become more narrative in a traditional sense and maybe a little less of that observational thing.  The fact that the series has moved in a few directions feels okay with me – after all, it’s a bit of nonsense mixed with reality, so who says I need to conform to any rules.  Again, I’ll call it a win.

Additionally, at least for me, there has been an element of profound discovery, tying me back to some of my early roots, teamed with some new (at least for me) along with some truly novel.  Let me explain…   I had a former career in the entertainment industry – eventually rising to the much sought after perk of “non-writing producer” meaning that I connected a lot of dots, but the creative energy resided with others.  Fast forward to Dave Man and suddenly I’m in the middle of the entire thing – actually writing, and going beyond writing with some heavy AI assists to render animations.  And to top it off, I even had the balls to decide to name the series after me, and to loosely base the character on myself as well – so delightfully meta upside down.  And here we are.

And finally, yes, that AI thing is real, and I’ve used Dave Man as a powerful curiosity vehicle to play with some boundaries.  To explore.  To put a finger firmly well past the art of the possible, possibly into the realm of the art of improbable.  Dave Man has been a really fun AI Art adventure – and through this prism I’ve been able to be super curious and really put my fingers on the keys, to explore AI workflows and ultimately to be the human in my own ‘human in the loop’ adventures.

Dave Man is not a commercial concept it certainly has been a rich and rewarding venture.   As for what’s next?  Still a few cards up my sleeve, and I think I’ve had a bit of an ‘epic’ Dave Man breakthrough that I’m excited to develop in 2026.  More to come on that front.

Meanwhile a huge thank you to everyone that has been so gracious and generous with your encouragement and enthusiasm around this bit of experimental theater I’ve been playing with over the past few months.

Yours, the real Dave.

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