Things We’re Grateful for in 2016, Things We Wish for in 2017
An Optimistic Retrospective, and Some Hopes
Despite 2016 being a generally bad year for many of us, there are a few things that we at NaoBun Project feel especially thankful for. For one thing, 2016 is the year we decided to start this entire initiative.
We decided to do so in March. That was when I called Naomi for our early meetings and decided what we wanted to do. It didn’t take long — we’ve always had the same vision of what kind of company we want to be building, and a very similar taste in aesthetics and branding identity.
By early May, we already had an office address and a legal body for our design firm, and had already started talks with a few potential partners and publishers.
By the end of 2016, we’ve already made and done these:
And these:
Content-wise, we have developed stories and are working with talented artists for at least three titles:
And we’ve made other exciting things and collaborations we’re not allowed to even talk about just yet!
All in all, 2016 has been quite a ride.
So, what can we expect in 2017?
Building a startup is not easy. It takes more than a certain amount of crazy (which Naomi and I already have quite a lot of), and great amounts of luck (which we’re hoping 2017 will bring more of). We’ve been quite speedy and fortunate at the start, but 2017 is the time to really knuckle down and deliver on our promises.
Expect a lot more content from us, both online and offline, starting from the second quarter of this year. Expect to enjoy our actual comic books and games, and to see more of us in bookstores, your favorite apps, and, perhaps, one or two conventions.
If you’ve read this post, you know that we as a company are highly driven by social transformation causes. Therefore, you can expect us to be working with initiatives that share the same vision.
Actually, if you’ve been following us on social media, you might have noticed we’ve already started:
Toys4Kids Asia is a new initiative focusing on one thing: the psychological well-being of children in post-traumatic situations. The charity accepts donations of toys, books, and other things that few other charities are distributing.
Having a background in psychoanalysis, I am very aware of the importance of toys for a child’s psychological well-being. I won’t get too theoretical, but if you’re curious, here’s a great School of Life video on the subject:
The initiative is still very new — Naomi and I are both very proud to have become two of the many founding volunteers — so there isn’t much information just yet. But give their Instagram account a follow, and stay tuned to this blog for more information on the coming updates.
And speaking of Naomi, I’ll leave you with a photo of her and other volunteers helping pack some toys to be delivered to child survivors of the recent Pidie Jaya earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia:
In any case, we are very excited for 2017. Here’s to hoping 2017 will be a great year for all of us, and a step forward towards creating a world with more great comics, amazing games, and progressive social transformation!
The NaoBun Project is a Jakarta-based comic book studio, storytelling consultancy, and artists development initiative focused on social transformation. If you’re interested in collaborating with them, or just saying hello, shoot an e-mail over to hello@naobunproject.id.
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