Somehow I manage to sustain despite how long this production has taken me. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have those days where I'd wish it'd all go away and I could get back to my own stories and universes. Without being overly melodramatic I think I'm hardwired for the survival of this project, much in the way a prisoner of war may hold one small truth.
That I will someday make it.
When I started out in comics at the tender age of 12 (yeah, I know what you're thinking, how serious can a twelve year old be?) I couldn't believe how taken I was by all things comics. It was like a combination lock snapping that last set of numbers that opened up the possibilities of my future. I realized at that point I could "choose" to do what I "wanted" with my life. I have to laugh however, as most of you know how hard it is to do this "craft" and how much money and time you will spend on it, before you make a single dime. Some might say we're all throwing our lives away. That, akin to Japanese Bunraku puppetry, where a puppeteer along with a 3 person team will spend 15-20 years alone working only the left hand of the puppet, and many successive years learning the other parts until decades later they become head puppeteer.
Somehow, someway the spirit of the art prevails in us and we make our way through all obstacles.
After some point it becomes a mission and then later an addiction. Then the lines blur and years past and progress is made. More to the point, The Overman is almost more about my growth as a human being than as an artist. What seemed unattainable at one time is coming into focus. There's been many attempts at Everest, where people will turn back a very short span away from the peak because it was the right thing to do. And despite the journey, I really hope I don't have to make that kind of decision. At least as long as I live and breathe I will always come back to what it is I want to conquer in my mind.
Now, despite all those deep thoughts. It's hard work. I constantly find obstacles getting in the way such as other projects, freelance and life. Like anything I do the best I can with what I have, and I spend the real quality time on the work. If I'm not doing good work, or I'm not into it, I really give it a good push, sometimes that's enough to get through. But if I'm destroying more than creating, then I move on to something else entirely. That's where writing and drawing other projects come into play. That's where it's nice to focus on what drives my economic engine, the freelance! Because no matter what I'll always come back to what I love to do.
From my experience I know there are three phases to any project. The START, the MIDDLE and the FINISH.
Some people are really good at one of these three. Sometime they're pretty good at two of them. Rarely is anyone excellent at all three. What part of a project speaks to you most? Stay tuned, I'll talk more about these three phases and what I've learned about myself and about overcoming many of the foibles that I have during a project.
=s=
No comments:
Post a Comment