I was chatting with some fellow artists while painting on my Ustream show, and some interesting points came up. There was a lot of talk about self-publishing and strategies for independent creators. It’s got me thinking about my current work habits and what I’ve accomplished over the past year.
At the end of last 2009, I decided to make a comic. It’s not something I’ve done before and it’s still an industry that is very new to me. There are certain attitudes and strategies that are very different from my home in children’s illustration, and I have benefited greatly.
The most important lesson I’ve learned by creating comics:
Make stuff.
Comics are driven by independent creators. Artists in this field are constantly writing and drawing their own stories, printing them, taking them to conventions, and distributing them on the web. They don’t wait for publishers to acknowledge them or an agent to pick them up. They go out and create and make an audience for themselves. They make stuff in spite of day jobs and lack of money and hectic schedules. There’s a passion for creation that comics creators have that I don’t see very often in other circles.
I’ve never had such a rush of creativity and productivity than what I’ve had over the past year. I launched an ongoing webcomic (My Sister, the Freak) and made a short story (Frosty the Gourdman). I’ve come up with new picture book ideas and brushed off the old dummies that were collecting dust in my files. Making comics gave me the itch to make more stuff, and for that I have progressed farther than any other period in my career thus far.
My experience in the picture book industry was always an attitude of struggle. There’s constant talk of how to find an agent, what to put in a query letter, how to find the right publisher, wondering if the economy and technology is going to kill the industry altogether, etc. etc. I think children’s artists can take a page out of the comic artist’s book and concentrate more on the content.
No marketing trick is going to help you if you have nothing to show people. No publisher will pick you up if you don’t have a quality product. No amount of social networking saavy is worth anything unless you’re a creator that people want to network with. And the industry isn’t going to get any better if no one is making art and stories that the public can connect to and be willing to shell out hard-earned money for.
I’m definitely going to continue with the momentum I’ve got going, make more comics, and take what I’ve learned into my picture book goals as well. And for all you creators out there, I want to see more quality stuff being made. For that, you only need two rules:
1. Make stuff.
2. Show it to people.
The end.
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Interesting observations. I think we (in the USA) are changing into more of a create & show mentality on the whole. There are more people than ever creating things and showing them off, it’s time for everyone to get on the band wagon. While I don’t see us going to a barter system anytime soon, I do think that the amount of people creating real things and showing them off is only going to grow.
I like your rules, and I’ve trying to do the same thing myself. I self-published a coloring and activity book this week, and it has made me want to create more regardless of how well the sales go.
I love your work and thoughts on the industry. Keep sharing and thank you.
This is awesome – a good reminder that even with marketing and networking and all those lovely distractions on the net, you still have to sit down and create stuff. Words and images on the page. Thanks!
And only a year? Wow. What a year you’ve had!
I know exactly what you mean, when I worked on the Zebrafish graphic novel last year, I absorbed myself in the comic industry. It is unbelievable the a mount of drafting and thought that goes into comics…and they read so quickly. Your stuff only keeps getting better so can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with for the next few chapters of MStF :)
Great post. I think too many people wait for permission to do the thing they truly want to do or be the thing they truly want to be.
Here, here! Or is it “Hear, Hear!”?
Either way, I agree! Fantastic stuff Dani!
Amen.
Right on, Dani. Creativity begets more creativity for sure. And as you build a library of work, you get that sense of accomplishment. Doing my own comic drove me to do other stories. Trust me there’s the same attitude in webcomics of artists trying to make the “big score” and do it all at once, or chasing agents.
My advice has always been it’s great to submit to agents and publishers, but no matter what you do keep churning out work, because it makes you better, and you build a readership. And then suddenly you can show people “hey, I did X books and I have X readership and I sell this much on my own and so and so says this about me…” and so on. You build your brand, and suddenly you are much more marketable and more to the point, you are building something for yourself.
Great post!
Amen!!!! You have had an amazing year! Thanks for inspiring the rest of us.
First, in the interest of full disclosure, I was directed to this article by Celesta Krantz, a young lady whom I have known and admired for more years than is gallant to mention.
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Thank you for that. It makes this old wordsmith think. You may have started something.
great to hear!! so glad it’s sparked something, and thanks to you and artists like you, it inspires us others to get cracking on things, whether they’re technically good or not it’s an awesome learning curve. seeing MSTF among others has really helped me to push forward with ideas and comics that I want to crank out, so for that I wanna say from me, and hopefully many many others, THANK YOU!!!
Totally agree Dani! Well said!
That’s right all the comic creators i know do that auto publicity.
Nice article BTW!
I agree totally. I’ve loved seeing your work and I know you’ve encouraged and inspired so many people, myself included. Thank you!
Very well said.
It frustrates me that there are so many (mostly self-proclaimed) “creatives” running around, but not actually creating anything.
If you want to be considered creative: you must create something.
An idea is not a thing. Not yet anyway.
But it could be … if you make it and show it to somebody.
Thanks for the inspiration.
–Phil
Hey Dani,
Thanks so much for this article. Watching you has really inspired me to do just this, make stuff.
Now off to drawing!
Hi Dani
Thank you so much for all the inspiration you have given us – drawing and illustration lovers – ever since you started posting on your blog and ustreaming.
Your web site is very helpfull, full of awesome information that are very usefull to all of us.
I am a big fan of your work!
I hope you keep presenting us with your talent, your adorable doodles, wonderful illustration and incredible tips, hints and explanation.
Keep up the woderfull job!
thanks for all
Many thanks!
Such a good artical, thanks for sharing these words of wisdom.
I am in the process of making my own children’s book and am blogging about the entire process from start to finish in hopes to share with everyone how they can create a book of thier own. Take a look http://childrensbookcreation.blogspot.com/ would love your support.
Thanks
Amy