Tom Ray sitting at a desk outside
Tom Ray - "And now for something completely different"

My name is Tom Ray, I’m a musician who makes cartoons and collects retro toys, games, and books.

I’m Tom Ray, a musician and creator who documents the process of my different independent creative projects. This site is my home base for sharing what I’m making, what I’m learning, and the systems I use.

Most posts focus on the practical side of creativity: planning, posting to my different sites, running experiments, and trying to support myself through music, art, and reselling.

Projects I build and maintain:

If you want the day-to-day process, head to the blog and browse by categories.

If you want the quick snapshot version, check out my Now page.

My Background

Tom Ray sitting at a table in front of a Train
This is a train car I used to rent

I was originally going to be an animator but life and kids happened.

Cartoons

I created a short-lived internet cartoon series called “The Adventures of Xylus and Dexter”, where my two boys are superheroes in outer space, because why not?

The Aventures of Xylus and Dexter Fly Right Ep 1

It gained mild popularity and it even landed me a chance to make an animated pilot for the series “The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd” by Grant Baciocco

The Radio Adventures of Dr Floyd

This was all before YouTube, so I had to learn how to make a website to put the cartoons online. That website helped me get a job in web development. After that, I spent years working on websites and software.

Then one day I realized that wasn’t what I started out to do.

Starting over

I decided to try and get involved in art and music again. But many years had passed, and I decided I wanted to connect with artists and musicians directly.

I began podcasting, releasing songs, and making videos about my process.

Music

Tom Ray talking at the Ubuntu Summit in Prague
Talking at the Ubuntu Summit in Prague about open-source music

I got involved in open-source and creative commons music. All the music I create is made using only open-source tools and software.

I came up with a way to collaborate remotely on full DAW recording sessions with other musicians using the Ubuntu Studio (a Linux OS), Ardour DAW and Git. That was how I was asked to speak at the Ubuntu Summit in Prague.

On top of that my band Lorenzo’s Music was even asked to perform at closing event party for the summit.

Lorenzo's Music performing at the Ubuntu Summit in Prague
Playing with my band Lorenzo's Music on a boat at the Ubuntu Summit in Prague

Comics

I also started drawing a webcomic diary called “Then This Happened…” where I document my life each day.

Tom Ray sitting at a comic table booth
Table for my comic booth at an event with a giant underwear model poster

Since then, I have released several books for my webcomic that document the things I’ve been doing. along with the random day-to-day things that happen in life.

And I also went back to making fictional comics with my new characters, Bobert and the Monster. And those books even feature new stories with Xylus and Dexter.

Reselling Business

Tom Ray sitting at a table with the cast of MST3K
Meeting the cast of MST3K

I’ve also always been a huge fan of vintage toys, games, and books and weird retro pop-culture.

So, I started an online business called The Pop-Culture Roadshow where I go out each week and find these items and sell them online. And also make videos about the items I find and sell.