I recently responded to an inquiring job seeker that, in order to apply for a position, they needed to return for an open call with a hard copy of their resume. They immediately countered with, “What if I don’t have a resume?” and I politely told them that if they couldn’t get over this hurdle, than perhaps they shouldn’t be considered for the position.
This encounter got me thinking about my creative issues, something I end up doing a lot of, in lieu of actual work at being creative. I have tried over and over again to focus on one particular project at a time; that way I can dedicate all of my available attention on one sole endeavor wholeheartedly, complete it and move onto the next one. But the question always comes down to, ‘but which one?’ Do I put Abel Boddy in front because it’s the longest running with the most momentum, or 12″ Roommate because it’s almost completed? Do I shove everything aside and work on an animated short because it would get the most mainstream attention or I try to crank out a ton of storyboards that might get me some freelance gigs? Every single project has a legitimate reason for which it should be focused and every single project will eat into the amount of dedication I can apply to the others.
As I get busier and busier trying to make ends meet while trying to keep these project plates in the air, I’ve found that I have naturally jettisoned quite a few distractions, my podcast subscriptions have dropped from thirty to five, I barely even look at the webcomics/blogs/magazine articles created by my friends and peers anymore, discussions on creativity and artistic methodology has dropped to almost nothing. Over the last year, I’ve been dealing with the realization that I am a digital hoarder; trying to take control of my endless folders of photo reference culled from blogs, image searches and online artist’s galleries. In some cases, this is pretty easy, take for example ALL of the crap I’ve been collected for my next big comic project; much of it was redundant or ready to be absorbed into my character designs while references I’ve collected for say, Abel or 12″ was actually becoming more of a hindrance — especially when I would use the reference as a jumping off point, and then kick myself later when the final result did not relate to the original concept that I originally thought was so important.
Another great leap forward in my battle against my reference folder was the loss of Google Reader. When they announced Google would be eliminating their RSS reader a big part of me was really upset, for my writing purposes, it really is the best way to stay in touch with multiple source websites at once. However, this meant that I couldn’t so easily collect 20 images a day of a guy flexing his biceps with his cock out or a fancy Grecian draped gown. But, like pieces of photo reference, RSS readers and completed projects, distractions can be replaced. Just because I’ve removed all of these time wasters from my creative repertoire doesn’t mean something else won’t come along and take their places. In the end, the only thing that gets things done, is getting things done. Which only makes me think about my criticism of the job seeker without their resume…
If I cannot get over the hurdle of producing 3 minutes worth of storyboards or getting out 3 comics a week or finishing my script than perhaps I don’t deserve an animated webseries or another book collection or a 6-issue epic superhero mini-series.
Currently Watching: Cheers, s8/e21 on Netflix Instant
Currently Wearing: J. Brand blue jeans, black Uniqlo wifebeater and a blue Topman hoodie
