Experience and advice about the Calendar

If you are thinking about submitting images to the Fractal Universe Calendar, I would like to encourage you to do so. It's fun to have an image in the calendar.

My first submission to the calendar was for the year 2004. In 2002, when the image was submitted, I considered myself a beginning fractal artist. I did not think that I was good enough to make it into the calendar. I was asked by the editors to submit a specific image. It was a real confidence booster (maybe too much) to be asked for an image then have it make it into the calendar. It was cool to walk into a retail store and see my image sitting on the shelf. When my brother found out about it, he bought several copies as Christmas gifts for his family. It was a lot of fun. The fact that I made it into the calendar told me that anyone could.

I submitted 10 images for the 2005 calendar and made it in again. Cool. Don't tell anyone, but the image that made it is not my favorite - not by a long shot. It was still fun to have a calendar hanging on my wall at work and pointing out my month to my coworkers.

I thought that I had a lock on the calendar for 2006. I made it for 2 years in a row so it was bound to happen again, right? Nope. It was very disappointing to not make it in. So much so that I almost didn't submit images for the next one. I was encouraged by my friends to try it again for 2007, so I did. That one didn't happened either. Neither did the next one. I was in for 2 years and out for 3.

Last year I was an editor for the 2009 calendar. That was a great experience. It was cool to feel the excitement from all of the submitters. I learned that I wasn't the only one having fun with it.

The relationship between the publisher and the editors was one of respect and professionalism. I looked at the publishers as my boss. They do, after all, pay for the images, layout, printing and distribution of the calendar. They also make a business decision each year to publish the calendar or not. There is never a guarantee that they will publish one.

My advice now is to participate in the calendar for the fun of it. Don't do it for the money. I mean, it's $200, or $400 for a cover image. That's not enough to quit your day job.

Don't do what I did and wait around to become "good enough". Give it a try, now.

Take a look at past images that have made it into the calendar and submit images like those. I gave that advice a few years ago and it is still good advice. If you don't normally make images like those then submit what you do make. I am confident that Panny will show the publishers what's out there by providing them with a range of fractal styles. The editor and publisher needs to see what is available.

If you do have a question or concern about the calendar, contact the editor privately. That is the right and proper way to do it.

Give the calendar a try. There is still time. It fun to make it in and only slightly disappointing if you don't.