3148: Give It Away
Despite sense, I have this irritating habit of laying all my cards on the table =p but... I keep feeling as though I have to periodically prove to y'all I'm not all about drumming and gold-blasting alone and that in another year I'll have a little more to show for myself than those last fifteen achievement points in Braid. Yay mid-life-oriented paranoia 9_9
[--not that I couldn't spend a day to focus on getting those 15, I just haven't]
For a number of reasons, I stopped Predictable [not the least reason being I--PREDICTABLY--flaked out of it], but I started picking at it again just to be picking at it--and I mean PICKING at it, since digital touch-up work is like pulling teeth for me. As such, I haven't started anything new yet, mostly because the originals bugged me, but also because I by what felt like necessity composed the entirety of the comics digitally after the first one, which created numerous problems. Note, to my chagrin:
Subtle, but it bugs me less when there are fewer glaring "I clearly didn't have a reference" errors =p My anatomy is still a bit myeh, but I have a bad memory and it's hard getting a cooperative model all the time. I try, tho. The biggest problem is since I no longer work retail, I no longer have the prime source material at my disposal anymore =/
No doubt there will be an office-oriented section in the future! [...should I not keep flaking out...]
And some writing motivation:OK, I got a fluffy question!: Dear Carolyn,
Do you have any advice for would-be freelancers about how to write in their spare time? Have day job (good one, I like it), can't get motivated to work on projects in evening/weekends. But I have good ideas! How long did you have to copyedit and write a column at the same time?
Hope all's well with you and the family. I bet you're the queen of multitasking now.
Carolyn Hax: Or I just do more things badly. Or I do the same number, but have moved formerly crucial chores to the neglect list.
Question for you: Do you really want to write? At first I had trouble motivating myself, too, and the real problem turned out to be that I wanted to be a writer, which is a very different thing from wanting to write. I managed to wring maybe six freelance pieces out in three years of spare time. When I got the column idea, I wanted to write. Still do, and the result is, if you give me 10 minutes, I can get work done in those 10 minutes.
My advice to would-be freelancers stems directly from that experience: If you have 10 minutes, work in those 10 minutes. When you're really into it, you'll look up to see that 10 became 60. And when you're not really into it, why force it? Not beating yourself up is key to keeping it fun, which is the key to making it work. Good luck.
Oddly enough, it applies to me 100% even with art, which explains why I can't get much done except picking here and there until I get energetic bursts. Thankfully, Mustang + NotepadSync lets me write even when I'm just wherever, even if it's a pain to copy from it since there's no PC app for it yet, but it's better than just losing it all.
Drawing is still hit or miss [as is my drumming! OOO], but part of that is the size of the pad I am able to carry. It's not easy squeezing an at least 9x12" masterpiece onto 3x5" or smaller =/
[--not that I couldn't spend a day to focus on getting those 15, I just haven't]
For a number of reasons, I stopped Predictable [not the least reason being I--PREDICTABLY--flaked out of it], but I started picking at it again just to be picking at it--and I mean PICKING at it, since digital touch-up work is like pulling teeth for me. As such, I haven't started anything new yet, mostly because the originals bugged me, but also because I by what felt like necessity composed the entirety of the comics digitally after the first one, which created numerous problems. Note, to my chagrin:
Subtle, but it bugs me less when there are fewer glaring "I clearly didn't have a reference" errors =p My anatomy is still a bit myeh, but I have a bad memory and it's hard getting a cooperative model all the time. I try, tho. The biggest problem is since I no longer work retail, I no longer have the prime source material at my disposal anymore =/
No doubt there will be an office-oriented section in the future! [...should I not keep flaking out...]
And some writing motivation:OK, I got a fluffy question!: Dear Carolyn,
Do you have any advice for would-be freelancers about how to write in their spare time? Have day job (good one, I like it), can't get motivated to work on projects in evening/weekends. But I have good ideas! How long did you have to copyedit and write a column at the same time?
Hope all's well with you and the family. I bet you're the queen of multitasking now.
Carolyn Hax: Or I just do more things badly. Or I do the same number, but have moved formerly crucial chores to the neglect list.
Question for you: Do you really want to write? At first I had trouble motivating myself, too, and the real problem turned out to be that I wanted to be a writer, which is a very different thing from wanting to write. I managed to wring maybe six freelance pieces out in three years of spare time. When I got the column idea, I wanted to write. Still do, and the result is, if you give me 10 minutes, I can get work done in those 10 minutes.
My advice to would-be freelancers stems directly from that experience: If you have 10 minutes, work in those 10 minutes. When you're really into it, you'll look up to see that 10 became 60. And when you're not really into it, why force it? Not beating yourself up is key to keeping it fun, which is the key to making it work. Good luck.
Oddly enough, it applies to me 100% even with art, which explains why I can't get much done except picking here and there until I get energetic bursts. Thankfully, Mustang + NotepadSync lets me write even when I'm just wherever, even if it's a pain to copy from it since there's no PC app for it yet, but it's better than just losing it all.
Drawing is still hit or miss [as is my drumming! OOO], but part of that is the size of the pad I am able to carry. It's not easy squeezing an at least 9x12" masterpiece onto 3x5" or smaller =/