Category: Words

The Hands That Raised Me

Posted on by Athenic

These are the hands that raised me.

These hands are filled with compassion, wisdom and patience, but they also carry the burdens of pain, sorrow and illness. They’ve looked different over the years, sometimes delicate and tender, and other times stubborn and demanding. This was how they looked days before they finally found peace.

These hands took on the incredible task of turning a child into an adult. For years, they loved me, taught me, molded me, and in times when I wasn’t looking, reached out for me. They’ve shown me the value of love and the cost of pride—lessons that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

These hands lifted me up when I was down, and when I was up, pushed me to new heights. I’ve known these hands my entire life, but in their final days, it also became clear I’ll never know all they’ve been through.

These are the hands that raised me.

I love you mama.

A New Movie Every Day for 2022

Posted on by Athenic

Movies are my favorite entertainment.

I’ve seen so many movies in my life. My IMDb ratings is currently just over 1,500 titles, but those are the ones I’ve taken the time to rate. In over 40 years, I’m sure it’s far beyond that.

It was different when you could only see movies in a theater. Once cable came around, it made classics and obscure titles a possibility. Now with all the streaming services, it all feels like too much.
So I have to be choosy now.

I’m going to watch one new movie a day. Something I’ve never seen before, something I should have seen a long time ago or maybe something random I’ve never heard of. No rewatches, no walkouts, no incompletes.

There are so many good series I also want to keep up with, and sometimes a good old favorite is comforting, but those are going to come second now.

The idea is I’ll have seen 365 new movies with new stories, new characters and new worlds I’ve never experienced before.

Quite a challenge, but here we go…

The Subject

Posted on by Athenic

After six months of producing my podcast Sketch and Release, I’ve been feeling more like the subject than the artist. Every episode I look at what I’ve learned throughout my career, but it’s also let me reflect on life experiences in general.

With everything I’ve been dealing with since January, the podcast has been a safe space for my state of mind. I’ve discovered more about myself and how much I can handle, including the anxiety of putting myself out there for the whole world. Thank you for listening.

Some behind the scenes stats so far

Most downloaded episode: #8 Mentors – almost three times the listens of every other episode. Shout outs to those I mention in it!

Hardest episode to produce: #12 Freedom – not only because I tried recording with two cameras, but some real emotions were hitting in that one.

Favorite episode sketch: #5 Collaboration – I’ve gone back to that one and starting coloring it out. Maybe I’ll post that one someday soon.

For Challengers Only

Posted on by Athenic

Later this summer, I’ll be handing off my Dodge Challenger to my son. Like any young person, I’m sure the day will come when he’ll want a car of his own and he’ll trade it away.

The thought is a little heartbreaking considering how much I’ve enjoyed that car, and I wanted to keep it close to my heart and still represent the last decade that I’ve been rolling with Mopar.

I looked for some cool t-shirts, but but didn’t find much that really fit my taste, so of course I designed some of my own!

I’ve added these to my Threadless shop, available in multiple colors and fits.

Annnnndddd all t-shirts are $15 through June 27th!

If you or someone you know is a Challenger owner, maybe these are just what they’ve been looking for. 

The Binds of Life

Posted on by Athenic

This has been life for me lately. The state of the world, the state of my home, the state of my family—all of it seems so chaotic and delicate and imbalanced right now.

I used to believe that, with enough strength and determination, one could handle anything the world threw at them.

This week I had another in a recent series of reminders that, as much as I want to help others and handle things all around me, I can’t forget to take care of my own well-being. 

The past year has been a prolonged exercise in patience and resilience for us all, and just remember it’s okay to take time for yourself whenever possible.

More Green Machine

Posted on by Athenic

Here’s a longer trailer for Green Machine that I cut together almost five years ago to the day. This gives a better idea of what we were going for.

This was an exercise in finding the elements like dialogue and shots that could make it all make sense. Add to that finding a way to make it work with the selected music was another lesson establishing tone and energy.

More on the way soon!

My Body is a Cage Once Upon a Time in the West

Posted on by Athenic

Finding the right mix of music and film to create something greater than either individual pieces has always fascinated me.

If I had to pinpoint it, the first time I recognized this was the convoy scene in Smokey and the Bandit set to “East Bound and Down”, but clearly that song was meant to go with that film. 

Taking two entirely different pieces from different artists from different times and creating a whole new experience—well that’s even more exciting, isn’t it?

It must’ve been over a decade ago when my friend Scott first showed me this video. At the time, I hadn’t seen Once Upon a Time in the West nor was I familiar with Arcade Fire, but this blend of two completely different works just seemed to come together like magic.

Last week I finally sat down to watch Once Upon a Time in the West. Not only did I find it mesmerizing and intriguing (and shame-inducing that I’d never seen it until now), but understanding the characters and plot made me go find this gem and watch it again. 

Long story short: kudos to JT Helms or whoever first conjured this.

If you haven’t seen this before or seen the film or heard the song, do all three.

Where to find episodes of Sketch and Release podcast

Posted on by Athenic
Sketch and Release podcast services

Second episode of the podcast is out!

I talk about how I’ve learned to recognize and overcome limitations and how that can be a valuable tool even outside of creative work.

You can find each episode of Sketch and Release here and on Patreon at patreon.com/robertcortez.

Patrons can watch the full video episode and finished artwork, and use the Patreon app to automatically get notified when new episodes are available.

You can also listen and subscribe to the podcast at:

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher 

Get your podcasts some other way? Let me know!