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Out with the old, in with the New.
15 years ago
- -- Scribbles of a Madman -- -
Well... it's that time again. Other folks make resolutions, many of which lasted all of 15 minutes as the person sank back into their old ways or forgot what they had just said they would do.
Me... I'm a little different.
I put together a set of things to get done in the next three months complete with how I'm going to get shit done. I stick to this list as best as I can and refine/remove/add things as I get the year goes on. I started this last year on devArt and it worked to a point. 2010 tried it's damnedest to throw me yet I still somehow managed to get shit done in light of dealing with some crazy shit in my life and the lives of my family.
Before I jump into new, let's just clear out the old. For those not following my exploits all across the Internet, my old computer still isn't fixed. No no... instead, I ended up getting my work machine as a gift from my old boss (and the person through whom I get much of my freelance work through). Add to that being able to hook up a reasonable secondary machine on my drawing desk and you have the makings for a very nice holiday surprise.
To the folks seeing this multiple times in some way/shape/form, yeah... having a set of things to do in more than one place where more than just myself and those who enter my room can see keeps me honest. = )
My game plan remains the same:
Keep Moving Forward
There is a slight change up. I'm also going to add to that be more outgoing. I really don't talk to folks enough and I need to change that. Even if it's just talking shop, I need to learn to have conversations with folks both online and in person that don't just devolve into them talking at me and me just taking notes like I'm a some kind of shrink. o.@
That said, here's the new list for 2011!
January to March:
- Gain a script buffer for my webcomic.
With the issues I had last year, my normal script buffer bit the dust. I usually write my comic scripts upward of a month in advance because, for me, writing is easy so I simply let it flow. This gives me a large chunk of jokes that I can let sit and review when the time to draw them is close. The problems I had writing this recent story arc has shown my Achilles Heel. I simply can't keep up writing and drawing on the fly. Too many things get in the way of producing a good product and the strip suffers. Getting back into the habit of spending a night writing and reviewing (Usually Thursday or Friday) will keep things running far smoother than they have been as of late.
- Plot out "Night of the Lepus".
I still like this project. I like this project enough to give it yet another chance. I know what it takes to make a comic book and I know that I have the drive to spend large chunks of time writing and drawing it. I have giving up the illusion that I'll be able to pull a Fred Perry and drop a completed book in less time than it takes to bake a cake. Heck, this story went from me wanting to finish up an old 24 Hour comic and has slowly grown to something that might be 48+ pages. Needless to say, that kind a game change means I have to sit down a plan a bit. Rushing headlong into this will only end with me repeating this bit in 2012. -.-
- Spend some energy on advertising and marketing my strip and my work.
The small freelance jobs I take throughout the year are great but have been insanely sparse as of late. I need to monetize what I have - 5 years worth of comic strips and a good decades worth of designs. To continue on my current path unchanged will only lead to more bills and financial pains I can easily avoid. What am I going to do about this? I'm going to redesign my Project Wonderful ads for my comic and create ads exclusively for me online shop. I feel I can make my point better if I plan around a strong image and very limited animation. After all, what good is an ad if it doesn't properly get the eyes of your audience.
This step will also make my old Graphic Design teachers happy as advertising was kinda' their thing and proper advertising as what they tried to hammer into... er, "Instill in us" to use in our future careers.
- Plan on expanding my product.
As much as I would love to think of my art as magical snowflakes of originality devoid of the realities of business, this simply isn't the case. Many of my personal designs are toyetic and would look damn good as a plush toy or a statue of some sort. Can I sculpt it or make patterns to sew my own dolls? Yes, actually but I simply have neither the drive nor the time to do so. Looking into places like Patch Together and seeing what does and doesn't sell is tops on that list. It's also something that I can do between projects. The key to this is doing the footwork first.
I think that's a fair bit of work to get done in the next three months. It'll be tough but I've faced worse and come through far better for it. Here's to 2011 and the hope that it will be far better for everyone. = )
Me... I'm a little different.
I put together a set of things to get done in the next three months complete with how I'm going to get shit done. I stick to this list as best as I can and refine/remove/add things as I get the year goes on. I started this last year on devArt and it worked to a point. 2010 tried it's damnedest to throw me yet I still somehow managed to get shit done in light of dealing with some crazy shit in my life and the lives of my family.
Before I jump into new, let's just clear out the old. For those not following my exploits all across the Internet, my old computer still isn't fixed. No no... instead, I ended up getting my work machine as a gift from my old boss (and the person through whom I get much of my freelance work through). Add to that being able to hook up a reasonable secondary machine on my drawing desk and you have the makings for a very nice holiday surprise.
To the folks seeing this multiple times in some way/shape/form, yeah... having a set of things to do in more than one place where more than just myself and those who enter my room can see keeps me honest. = )
My game plan remains the same:
Keep Moving Forward
There is a slight change up. I'm also going to add to that be more outgoing. I really don't talk to folks enough and I need to change that. Even if it's just talking shop, I need to learn to have conversations with folks both online and in person that don't just devolve into them talking at me and me just taking notes like I'm a some kind of shrink. o.@
That said, here's the new list for 2011!
January to March:
- Gain a script buffer for my webcomic.
With the issues I had last year, my normal script buffer bit the dust. I usually write my comic scripts upward of a month in advance because, for me, writing is easy so I simply let it flow. This gives me a large chunk of jokes that I can let sit and review when the time to draw them is close. The problems I had writing this recent story arc has shown my Achilles Heel. I simply can't keep up writing and drawing on the fly. Too many things get in the way of producing a good product and the strip suffers. Getting back into the habit of spending a night writing and reviewing (Usually Thursday or Friday) will keep things running far smoother than they have been as of late.
- Plot out "Night of the Lepus".
I still like this project. I like this project enough to give it yet another chance. I know what it takes to make a comic book and I know that I have the drive to spend large chunks of time writing and drawing it. I have giving up the illusion that I'll be able to pull a Fred Perry and drop a completed book in less time than it takes to bake a cake. Heck, this story went from me wanting to finish up an old 24 Hour comic and has slowly grown to something that might be 48+ pages. Needless to say, that kind a game change means I have to sit down a plan a bit. Rushing headlong into this will only end with me repeating this bit in 2012. -.-
- Spend some energy on advertising and marketing my strip and my work.
The small freelance jobs I take throughout the year are great but have been insanely sparse as of late. I need to monetize what I have - 5 years worth of comic strips and a good decades worth of designs. To continue on my current path unchanged will only lead to more bills and financial pains I can easily avoid. What am I going to do about this? I'm going to redesign my Project Wonderful ads for my comic and create ads exclusively for me online shop. I feel I can make my point better if I plan around a strong image and very limited animation. After all, what good is an ad if it doesn't properly get the eyes of your audience.
This step will also make my old Graphic Design teachers happy as advertising was kinda' their thing and proper advertising as what they tried to hammer into... er, "Instill in us" to use in our future careers.
- Plan on expanding my product.
As much as I would love to think of my art as magical snowflakes of originality devoid of the realities of business, this simply isn't the case. Many of my personal designs are toyetic and would look damn good as a plush toy or a statue of some sort. Can I sculpt it or make patterns to sew my own dolls? Yes, actually but I simply have neither the drive nor the time to do so. Looking into places like Patch Together and seeing what does and doesn't sell is tops on that list. It's also something that I can do between projects. The key to this is doing the footwork first.
I think that's a fair bit of work to get done in the next three months. It'll be tough but I've faced worse and come through far better for it. Here's to 2011 and the hope that it will be far better for everyone. = )
