So many of you are in the same boat as me. You want to do comics BUT you also need to pay the bills. And you’re trying…believe me I know. Whether you are a writer, artist, colorist or swami, the delicate act of balancing comics with making a living is tough. Unless, you reach the ultimate dream, and combine the two. Here’s my plan for doing so.
1) New Years Resolutions Are For Jerks
Well, ok, they’re NOT. But only if you actually keep them. We hate you people that do so. You’re all, “I’m making comics for a living now because I stuck to my resolution to devote one hour a day no matter what to improving my craft.”
Ugh, you’re the worst. You’re also on to something…
2) Devote One Hour A Day, Five Days A Week To Improving Your Craft
I don’t care if it’s 2am, the kids and wifey (or husbandy or doggy or whatever) is asleep and you’re on 5 cups of coffee. The single greatest piece of advice for doing comics is DOING COMICS. Seriously.
3) Stay On Top Of Things
2 years ago I made a resolution to stay on top of all my work-work. But then I stopped doing comic work. So I said “eff it!” to work-work and resolved last year to blow off work in favor of doing comics whenever the choice presented itself. But then that got a tad overwhleming, what with clients calling wondering when their sites were going to get finished. So this year my resolution is to BOTH stay on top of things at work AND make comics.
Really just reinforcing point number 2. Find the time. Set goals. And go out and do em. Everyone needs to devote time at home, to their personal life, to their job. But come on, put that episode of the Kardashians on hold if you haven’t drawn a page all day. Stop watching binge watching Breaking Bad if your script is still on page 14. There’s enough time. Like the Strokes said in this past year’s single All The Time:
“All the time that I need is never quite enough / All the time that I have is all that’s necessary”
Onward!!
