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motivation

This is, erm, perhaps some kind of counterweight to Wednesday’s post. I scheduled yesterday’s post in advance (that’s why that one had an little picture and this one doesn’t) and almost stopped the system from putting it up, because I just felt like it was complete BS.

Right now, I feel like me being on the inside with regards to the comics industry is an absolutely ridiculous notion. Not just a funny idea but actually laughable. I’m just some chick who has convinced a small number of people she’s a comics publisher, and they are clearly all lamers who can’t tell I’m a huge fake.

Right now, I feel like I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing, none of my clever plans to help ITCH grow are ever going to work because I’m doing it all wrong and I might as well try to hammer nails into the wall with my head.

Right now, I feel like my drawings are no more than mediocre, and no one in their right mind would pay real money for them, and that freelancing thing I’ve been thinking about is never going to work out, and I’m going to do mindnumbingly boring work in the civil service until the day I die.

In short, I’m having a bit of a funk.

I’ve been in this funk for a couple of days now, which means I’m probably through the worst of it, unless something else decides to go horribly wrong. (I don’t want to go into all the things that went horribly wrong that got me here, because most of them are stupid and trivial and it’s not really important for my point, anyway.)

My point is (I think) that if you feel like you suck, and you have no discipline or staying power, and you’re never going to be as cool or successful or skilled as [insert somebody else here], you should know you’re not alone. [insert somebody else here] probably feels the same way, at least some of the time.

We all get this. It’s normal. It doesn’t really mean anything, and it certainly doesn’t mean that you should stop.

I know this, so I’m just going to keep going, and look for some perspective, and have faith that in the end I’ll get somewhere with it. And remind myself that I’m doing some stuff that’s kind of cool, if you think about it, like publishing comics.

@Violetta: you said you want to draw manga, but you don’t know where to start. The answer is: with the laundry at your feet. (Something tells me you’ll get that reference.) It doesn’t even really matter where you start, just pick something that needs work, and work on it. That’s all you need.

At least, I frickin hope that’s all you need, because that’s all I’ve got.

Wish me luck.

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Yes, this is the post where I tell you the long kept secret to breaking into the industry. All you have to do is read this post and then you’ll know how.

You don’t believe me, do you? Good.

There is no Crowbar

there is no crowbarSo, people have started to ask me how to break into the comics industry. I guess that’s something of a milestone, it means that at least some folks consider me to be on the inside. Neat.

Maybe it’s because English is my second language, but I’ve always thought of it as a strange expression. Break into the industry. As if the industry is this building with barred windows and guards outside that you could crowbar your way into if you only knew how.

I’m sorry, hon, but it doesn’t work like that.

You see, there is no breaking into the industry. There is no big fortified factory somewhere where the comics people stand at the assembly line making the comics and you have to have an employee pass to get in.

The comics industry is mostly made up of people working freelance, or working temporarily as part of organisations on particular projects. The individuals that make up the industry are in flux, moving between different publishers, projects and work styles: full time, part time, in your spare time, guess I’ll be a cubicle monkey for now time, bye boss I’m off to draw a novel time and oh, hey, there’s a shiny new project time.

It’s not like you can just pass this one interview and get hired by someone and hey, you’re in, and you can relax. It’s not about blagging your way into the country club.

It’s about —

  • having your shit together,
  • knowing how to market yourself and your work,
  • learning new skills and keeping up to date, and
  • building connections with people who believe in you and send you work / buy your stuff.

In future blog posts I will waste words on each of these points, probably more than a few words. For now, I just want to point out what this means.

It means there is no fortress/factory you have to crowbar your way into. And that means there are no gatekeepers, either. There is no one keeping you OUT of the industry. There’s just you. You and your brilliance, and an infinite number of ways you can make that brilliance work for you.

All you need to do is get rid off the crap in your head that’s holding you back, and work hard every day so you can allow your natural brilliance to shine like a crazy 500 watt lightbulb. You don’t need anyone else to give you permission, or tell you you’re good enough. You are. Now do it.

Related (because it’s one place to start): Manga Jiman Competition Announced

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