"Indie"

(reposted from a twitter/bluesky thread)

I just read this excellent 2023 blog post from the great Liz Ryerson/ ellaguro on the changing face of indie games. It's worth reading in general but also, as often happens, while not everything matches 1:1 there are parallels with the world of animation. 

For instance, an observation I liked here is that in previous eras, a lot of what we call indie studios right now would have simply been called studios.

No disrespect intended to other creators, crews, studios etc. but I guess 'indie' often becomes sort of an empty buzzword. Would it make sense to call Archie Comics an indie publisher and put them in a rack with handmade riso zines simply because they're not Marvel/DC?

I often struggle with how to label what I do (one person making a series on their own) because it doesn't really feel appropriate or helpful to put that in the same box as shows made by crews of 40+ people, some with distribution on major streaming services. It's like putting a postage stamp on the wall next to a mural. There are other solo series creators out there, but I feel more in common with individual artists making random shorts than most 'indie studios'. Anyway not trying to complain or make anybody mad here, the blog post just got me thinking about the term indie again. Happy holidays!