We all have our favorite comic creators (some of mine are Stephan Pastis, Norm Feuti, and Aaron Johnson). We see them and think, how cool would it be to be “insert name”. They have made it and I want to be there.
Comic creators are forged, not born!
You might envy your heroes of comics, but you shouldn’t want to be them. You can’t be them, so lets focus on you (what are we going to do with you?).
All those guys started off creating their first comic strips or comic book pages. They have been where you are right now and struggled with finding their way in making it a career.
What did they need to do?
Make as many comics as possible, as fast as possible, see what people thought, and they kept working! To be the best comic creator you can be, you need to teach yourself to act, think, and live like a comic book creator.
Creating Comics, A day in the life
This means prepare for boredom. The lifestyle of a comic book creator is a lonely one. Sitting in front of a computer or desk for hours on end, your only company is your cat and the music from Pandora. Wishing to be running along the beach with your friends or at the bar hitting on the opposite sex (or same sex).
Stop your crying and get back to work!
What can help you to get your work completed:
- Schedule time to write, draw, market, etc., etc. your comic book. Doing this in the early stages of your comics creation will reduce the chances of you losing motivation later because it becomes a habit.
- Find the best time that you work and adjust your schedule. I work best in the morning, so I leave that time for doing the important tasks, leaving the rest of the day for me to work on smaller less important items (like taxes).
- Find a quiet place to work. This means the coffee shop is not always the best place to go, but I love working in libraries.
- Take a break. All work and no play makes Comic Creators dull boys and girls. Go outside once in awhile or visit friends, just do it when your not scheduled to do any comic related tasks.
Don’t see it as a job, see it is a way of life
I often receive the advice that I need to think of creating web comics as my job. As many of you know I hate jobs (just read this past post) so I don’t recommend seeing it as job. You need to see it as a lifestyle; part of your identity.
If you want success you need to give yourself completely to your comic. This project is your life’s mission. People aren’t going to beg you to create your comic, so you need to be prepared for that.
Even in your day to day creating comics life you need to prioritize what is important for you to do now and what can wait.
For example: I love being on social media. I enjoy posting, reading other people’s post, seeing what other people are doing, I love it all. The problem is I get to a point where I spend more time on Facebook than on getting the Madman of Magic Comic Book finished.
I have to look at my priorities and limit my Facebook use. In fact, I am looking into software to block me from being able to use Facebook and Twitter during scheduled times as a way to remove the temptation. Hopefully, this is enough to keep me from constantly checking.
Conclusion
Live, Walk Talk, and Breath like a comic creator by creating something today and share it with the world.
If you publish it online you should send me a link through twitter @jasonloveslife
If you @ it to me, include a link or image, and include #todayscomic I will share it with my followers & ask them to give you constructive feedback.
I hope this helps.
