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There’s an idea often stated in creative circles that you can only be really successful creatively–whatever that means for you–if you’re creating something you love. It’s expressed a million different ways. Follow your passion. Make the thing you want to read. Ryan Estrada put it into the context of his own creative productivity by saying something like: “I only work on what I’m excited about.” (From episode 59 of Comics Are Great, if memory serves.) Tackling a long-term creative project means riding a roller-coaster of enthusiasm for the work. Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. If you’ve read Odori Park for very long, you know I’ve infused new energy at times by exploring new stories, characters, styles, tools and techniques. Still, there’s even more I’d like to explore: I want to put together another Odori Park book collection. I want to create an Odori Park graphic novel telling the tale of how Arisa and Colin first met. I want to finally get prints up for sale (for really real), and t-shirts, too. And I have other story itches I want to scratch, like a kid-friendly fantasy-adventure graphic novel I’d like to put together before my own kids are too old to appreciate it. But putting together three strips a week for Odori Park: the Website means I never have the time to walk down those roads. (Heck, these days sometimes I can’t even seem to make all three updates in a week.) So here’s what I’m going to do:
I realize this is quite a change for a comic that has generally followed the standard web-strip model. Back in my first life in webcomics, doing the BorderWalker anthology, I learned the hard way that lack of focus can kill productivity, let alone enthusiasm. This time around, I’ve been hyper-focused–one comic, one schedule, one business model–and I’ve started to experience the negatives on the flip side of the coin. So, I’m going to mix things up a bit again, and I hope you’ll join me for the ride. Let’s go exploring, and by the end of the year, maybe we’ll have some very interesting somethings to enjoy. :: 7 Comments... :::: Your Reply... :: |
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January 4th, 2013 at 6:32 pm
More power to you! As a person who is constantly battling with time, I know the importants of working on what you want and exploring new avanues. Looking forward to what you end up producing!
January 4th, 2013 at 9:45 pm
I hear you, dude. Whatever path you take, I’m behind you 100%.
January 5th, 2013 at 12:17 am
Looking forward to the experience. Just put it in your RSS feed and I’ll be checking it out.
January 5th, 2013 at 9:40 am
Dustin: Glad to know I’m not alone
Thanks for the vote of confidence!
Tony: That means a ton coming from you. Thank you!
qka: Awesome–thanks! I’ll post news into the regular blog category, so it should show up in the feed (let me know if ever anything seems wrong.)
January 5th, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Fact of the matter is, you’re not going to get everything you want done to monetize & promote your comic AND post 3x+ a week. Not unless you can quit your job. I’m all for finding the right balance for YOU and YOUR COMIC. As you’ve seen, I’m on the same path Chris. Best of luck to ya!
January 14th, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Best of luck, man! Here’s hoping you make something great, and love every second of it!
January 14th, 2013 at 3:34 pm
Thanks, guys! Looking forward to the creative year ahead.