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Goals and getting things done
15 years ago
Journal Entry Okay, so it's officially been four full months since I set that whole goal thing for myself. That means that there's been a full four months (well, you know, February is a little twit of a month) of 2010 so far. That also means that the year is one-third over already. Wow!
Well, thankfully that's been one of those New Year's Resolutions I've actually stuck to. It's been really helpful to me and has helped make sure that I'm very productive when it comes to art and writing.
This year, I have already drawn more completed art (i.e., not mere doodles) than I have for all of 2009... and 2008... and 2007... combined. 60 pieces. On the dot. And that's not including any doodles that I've drawn, either; no, everything must have a background and be inked in order to qualify. That's pretty sweet! But really, above being sweet and all, I have noticed an improvement in my art over these months. I went from doing mostly flat art in Flash to doing some pretty nice stuff in this month specifically.
I'm usually pretty hard on myself, but by practicing and sticking to my goal, I have gotten better. By trying new things and focusing on fulfilling that goal, I have a motivation to draw, which means I actually do it. Sure, I could just draw the same style for those 15 drawings each month and pump them out quickly (*cough avatars cough*), but the reason I set the goal in the first place was so I could get better. That's why I am proud that I can see a change.
Not only that, but I now have a pretty good rhythm when it comes to drawing things. X3 Very streamlined. Do a doodle either in pencil or in Flash (with a light blue brush + pressure sensitivity), then do the lineart in Flash with just the right settings and such, basic coloring in Flash, then send it over to Photoshop where I saved two brush presets to apply a nice layer of shading. Then just blend it together with the Smudge tool, add some highlights, use the Smudge tool again, and then add the background. Voila!
It's cool to be able to find your style and then watch it evolve. I thought I had my style at the beginning of the year, but I've taken it and built upon it, finding ways to make it look nicer (I hope!).
And that's just the art side. In addition to the 60 drawings I've done, I also wrote over 120,000 words in these past four months! Wowza! At the beginning of the year, I finished up the final chapter of Waxing Moon, finished Chapter 13 of Middle of Nowhere (after nearly a year), and then started up the Starting in the Lab series. Here's a quick summary of what I have written story wise, aside from word counts:
• Waxing Moon Ch. 16
• Middle of Nowhere Ch. 13 and 14 (plus about 50% of Ch. 15*)
• Starting in the Lab - Kanto
• Starting in the Lab - Johto
• 70% of Starting in the Lab - Hoenn*
• 2~ chapters of Breaking the Ice*
• Fleeting Friendship Ch. 8* and Ch. 9*
• 50% of Brother's Bond*
(* haven't posted these yet)
That's pretty sweet! Plus I've been keeping a log of my word counts, what stories I worked on, etc. I even made a cool chart thing that shows me my progress each month and compares it to all of the previous months! I might upload it sometime as a scrap if I get bored. It's funny how consistent it is, though!
Eh, heh, anyway, I've yapped on for quite awhile. I guess the point is that by setting these goals and focusing my hardest on sticking to them... I've stuck to them. For four months. By sticking to my goals, I've improved my art, my stories, and I believe myself.
I strongly encourage any of you reading this, for this month of May, to consider setting a goal for yourself. Something that you know you are capable of doing, but something that you will actually do. Keep track of your progress for the month. Then, at the end of the month, see where you're at. Remember, anything's possible ― go ahead and look where I was at March if you need proof of that. XD But the most important thing is just sticking to it and believing in your ability to do it, because the only one that can accomplish them ― as well as the only one that can choose not to do them ― is you.
Happy May, everyone.
Well, thankfully that's been one of those New Year's Resolutions I've actually stuck to. It's been really helpful to me and has helped make sure that I'm very productive when it comes to art and writing.
This year, I have already drawn more completed art (i.e., not mere doodles) than I have for all of 2009... and 2008... and 2007... combined. 60 pieces. On the dot. And that's not including any doodles that I've drawn, either; no, everything must have a background and be inked in order to qualify. That's pretty sweet! But really, above being sweet and all, I have noticed an improvement in my art over these months. I went from doing mostly flat art in Flash to doing some pretty nice stuff in this month specifically.
I'm usually pretty hard on myself, but by practicing and sticking to my goal, I have gotten better. By trying new things and focusing on fulfilling that goal, I have a motivation to draw, which means I actually do it. Sure, I could just draw the same style for those 15 drawings each month and pump them out quickly (*cough avatars cough*), but the reason I set the goal in the first place was so I could get better. That's why I am proud that I can see a change.
Not only that, but I now have a pretty good rhythm when it comes to drawing things. X3 Very streamlined. Do a doodle either in pencil or in Flash (with a light blue brush + pressure sensitivity), then do the lineart in Flash with just the right settings and such, basic coloring in Flash, then send it over to Photoshop where I saved two brush presets to apply a nice layer of shading. Then just blend it together with the Smudge tool, add some highlights, use the Smudge tool again, and then add the background. Voila!
It's cool to be able to find your style and then watch it evolve. I thought I had my style at the beginning of the year, but I've taken it and built upon it, finding ways to make it look nicer (I hope!).
And that's just the art side. In addition to the 60 drawings I've done, I also wrote over 120,000 words in these past four months! Wowza! At the beginning of the year, I finished up the final chapter of Waxing Moon, finished Chapter 13 of Middle of Nowhere (after nearly a year), and then started up the Starting in the Lab series. Here's a quick summary of what I have written story wise, aside from word counts:
• Waxing Moon Ch. 16
• Middle of Nowhere Ch. 13 and 14 (plus about 50% of Ch. 15*)
• Starting in the Lab - Kanto
• Starting in the Lab - Johto
• 70% of Starting in the Lab - Hoenn*
• 2~ chapters of Breaking the Ice*
• Fleeting Friendship Ch. 8* and Ch. 9*
• 50% of Brother's Bond*
(* haven't posted these yet)
That's pretty sweet! Plus I've been keeping a log of my word counts, what stories I worked on, etc. I even made a cool chart thing that shows me my progress each month and compares it to all of the previous months! I might upload it sometime as a scrap if I get bored. It's funny how consistent it is, though!
Eh, heh, anyway, I've yapped on for quite awhile. I guess the point is that by setting these goals and focusing my hardest on sticking to them... I've stuck to them. For four months. By sticking to my goals, I've improved my art, my stories, and I believe myself.
I strongly encourage any of you reading this, for this month of May, to consider setting a goal for yourself. Something that you know you are capable of doing, but something that you will actually do. Keep track of your progress for the month. Then, at the end of the month, see where you're at. Remember, anything's possible ― go ahead and look where I was at March if you need proof of that. XD But the most important thing is just sticking to it and believing in your ability to do it, because the only one that can accomplish them ― as well as the only one that can choose not to do them ― is you.
Happy May, everyone.
Now.. just to upload it all. XD;;
Best of luck to you regardless, though! ^^
Heh. All I can say about it n.n;
Regardless, I'm happy that the progress I've made has helped motivate you, even if just a little bit. Keep at it and don't consider your previous endeavors as "failing," but just falling a little short. Anything can be done as long as you put your mind to it and stick it out, so good luck to you in the coming 8 months! ^^
Also, that long already? Dayamn.
That being said... Hopefully I can get some writing done this month.
*is definately considering making a goal to do some more writing on his series*
Hope you post your stories soon, Zeph - Looking forward to them.