Devlog 02: My Dream Doesn’t Exist Without Other People

Adventures in art

One day, when The Quiet After finally releases, you’ll be able to look back at this devlog and understand just how deeply I mean that, but for today, I want to focus on my artists. Ralu and Dexter.

Finding them wasn’t simple

When I first set out to hire artists, I had a mission and a budget that didn’t match.

The studio is small, self-funded, and built from the ground up with whatever spare time and spare dollars I could scrape together.

So I did what any first-time indie dev does: I scoured artist marketplaces, portfolio sites, Discords, anywhere someone with talent might be hiding.

Most turned the project down, and they were right to do so. Artists deserve to be paid fairly, and sometimes a small studio just can’t meet someone’s floor.

Then came the test period, where I commissioned micro-pieces up front to test our vibe, see how their style blended with actual game elements, gauge delivery times, the whole thing.

Some matched stylistically but tried to change the price after I’d accepted their work (the budget and full scope were posted in excruciating detail). Some took the money and vanished entirely. That happened enough times that I eventually had to stop paying up front.

Those moments suck.

But they taught me something real about the production side of creativity: The best art comes from people who want to invest in your project.

What made these two different

After all the searching, testing, back-and-forth, and heartbreak, I found a handful of artists whose work genuinely fit the world. Picking between them was agonizing; they were all excellent. (Ahem, you can see some of the runners-up's work here;

https://www.instagram.com/grigsbysworld/

Like all artists, they deserve plenty of love.)

But Ralu and Dexter weren’t just talented. They were emotionally aligned with the game.

Ralu makes backgrounds you could step into; pieces that breathe and evoke emotion without a single word.

And Dexter? He builds gorgeous characters with presence. His sprite work gives my little studio the legitimacy of a team five times its size.

They don’t just draw things; they draw meaning. They see the world of The Quiet After the way I see it. And that is one(two?) of a kind.

I don’t pretend we’re co-owners… but I do see them as co-creators.

Yes, legally, they’re contractors.

But emotionally? Creatively? Spiritually? We built this together.

And one day, when the studio grows and I’m able to hire full teams, writers, programmers, artists, and actors, I am dead serious about sharing credit and success. That’s not PR talk. It’s my intention as a founder.

Worlds like this can’t be built alone.

My message to other indie studios

Some of you reading this might wonder whether I ever thought of doing the art myself, automating it, or taking shortcuts. In the most challenging moments, when an artist ghosted me or my funds ran thin, yeah, the thought crossed my mind.

But this story is fundamentally human.

The themes are human. The pain is human. The healing is human.

There are parts of this game that only real people can create; that only real people should.

Why I’m writing this

Because I want you to know something:

If anything in the key art, the teaser, or the screenshots has moved you; if a scene has made you stop and look twice; if you’ve felt something spark before even playing the game.

That came from them.

Their hands, time, stress, and all their sleepless nights working on commissions.

This devlog is a love letter, yes, but it’s also a record. A place where I can say publicly, now and forever:

I could not have done this without them. And truthfully? I wouldn’t want to.

Closing

Thank you, Ralu. Thank you, Dexter.

Your work is the beating heart of this world, and my gratitude for you both runs deeper than I can put into words.

Until next time.

Best, Marshall

Founder, Grigsbys World Productions, LLC

(P.S. If you want to support their work, Dexter is on VGen at

https://vgen.co/dexter_neal64

and Ralu’s portfolio is here:

https://www.deviantart.com/ralu11

. They both deserve every bit of love this community has shown them.)