140 – Just lioning around
Sorry for the delay everyone! I took this delay as an opportunity to reflect what I was doing wrong in the past… by being my natural lazy self just so I can prevent it, hopefully for good, in the future. Maybe you guys can learn something or even help!
- First off, I’m still very easily distracted by video games, browsing, chatting, and checking my social media and website stats. Compared to before, I definitely have some more self-control now, but this is still the biggest hurdle for me since I do everything on the computer. Looks like it’s time to work on my self-discipline…
- Whenever I start a new page, I still get intimidated when faced with a blank page/canvas. Check out the comic template I’m using for Cat Nine, feel my dread! The feeling’s more intense if I’m already late or if I haven’t made anything yet until the deadline approaches. So… I suppose the best solution is to make comics earlier or just keep drawing drawing drawing.
- In the past, instead of feeling happy that I finished another page, I just remember the dread of starting another page. Yikes! I congratulate myself after every finished page now, even when I’m not 100% happy with it.
- I’m pretty harsh on myself if I make a mistake or don’t know how to draw something. I’ve learned to let go of some of my mistakes, be happy about the things I got right, and make compromises for things I don’t know to draw it well yet (like changing to an easier pose to draw). Oh, and realizing that even professional animators (looks at Samurai Jack Season 5) and comic artists make mistakes helped me get over about being a perfectionist too.
- Take a look at page 71; if I remember correctly, I didn’t use any references for Keith and Myan so it took forever to draw. I’ve learned to use references more often now, which improves my drawing and saving a lot of time. I can’t recall why I didn’t use references often in the past… maybe I think it was cheating, which it’s not by the way! Well, I’m thankful for my phone and the Internet for the rich resources of references. Perhaps I’ll get a proper digital camera and tripod in the future to help me get more references.
- I still underestimate or overestimate my skill when drawing or the time it takes to draw something. I’ll think “Oh, this should be quick and easy to draw” when it’s just the opposite, and then I’ll feel stupid afterwards, “why can’t I draw this properly, I should know this by now” (looking at Keith in panel 2). Sometimes everything goes well though. I dunno about, but since I’ve gotten much better compared to before, the “everything goes well” occurs more often, so perhaps it was just my inexperience and I should definitely be drawing more often.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, or not! Just wanted to get this off my chest. I guess being yourself… might be the worse advise for some people!
This page’s RAWR Patrons. More patrons, First goal is achieved again, and 100 coffees (whaaat)! THANK YOU ALL!!
Transcript
Tammy: eep!
Keith: Come with me if you want to- live..?
Myan: Oh! Hi Dad! I don't wanna leave yet! Not without introducing you to- thisshh guy!
SLAP K.O.
smek
Doesn’t he mean, “Comb with me if you want to live”?
Re: Dread when facing a blank page before starting.
I had that too, but I’ve found that the solution is simple, begin with a page of fully drawn comics, and just erase the parts that you don’t need! See, easy! 😉
I fight blank page syndrome mostly by telling myself I’m not making the real thing yet, just practicing. For some things this works. For others, it keeps me from ever doing the real thing!
When trying to find motivation, it’s important to control your attention. Here is the way I’ve heard it explained: if you are walking along and you pay attention to a rock on the side of the road, you may find that you walk toward it without realizing it. You may even pick it up without thinking. Control your attention, and you control the thoughtless actions, rather than fighting them. People use the word ‘discipline’ in a way that implies a fight with your self. Choose what you pay attention to, and you won’t need to fight with yourself.
Controlling your own attention is behind both the social media thing and the issue of feeling good about your accomplishments. Make sure that even as you draw, no, especially as you draw, you pay attention to the things which you enjoy about the process. Thinking about your accomplishment after the fact doesn’t work as well. As you’ve found, looking forward to finishing doesn’t translate well to looking forward to starting.
Of course, the basic technique to get better at guiding your own attention is meditation. If that’s not your thing, focus is improved any time you pay careful attention to distracted thoughts, letting them pass and maintaining relaxed focus on the task at hand.
Just random advice! I can’t claim to be awesomely productive or anything myself.
Righto! You have to be “aware”, heck, call it “woke” (really hate that word) since most people (me included) are running on the auto-pilot called “habits”. Guess I’ll cultivate good work habits rather than discipline!
lol, that is such a perfect sum up of the two of them hahaha. also don’t worry, you have not yet beaten my levels of procrastination so you are doing good, if you want to help a bit with the social media thing try this: allott yourself 30 min per site in the morning, and again as you go to bed, however do NOT go on in the middle of the day unless a friend msgs you because something is wrong and they need you. trust me, those little checks for updates take more time up than you think. as far as video games go try making urself a goal/reward system, if you can finish lets say the outlines then you can go beat a boss or grind out one item, if you then color the first panel you can do the other option
Thanks for the advice! The social media isn’t much of a problem for me though since I don’t really browse Twitter or Facebook, and I’ll pretty much only go there if a notification from my email or phone pops up. For video games, that’s what I kinda do already actually haha. I give myself like, 30 minutes to play or so.
lol, thats kinda good then haha, and yeah, or maybe you could even make it so you only get your game time pay out the following day? tally up what yu earned then portion it out however you want to (loading screens, menus, and turning machines on dont count for time of course), but by only allowing it the day after you dont fall into the “ill earn it later” trap
I’ve already set Mon as my rest day since I work on the comic Fri-Sun. I just play, watch, or garden all day.
lol, that sounds good to me haha
Oh man, that made me laugh!
The lion looks cute!
I just love this comic 🙂 It has so much fun and jokes inside it, it keeps making me smile 🙂 I did just re-read the whole comic, i love it 🙂
Take the time you need for each page, i know the horror of a blank page, that’s why i almost never write or paint…
Thanks! Nowadays, I’ll just sigh and say “Here we go” while twirling my stylus. Somehow it helps me overcome that paralysis haha. And hey, even if you’re horrified of that blankness, and other things, I’d still suggest everyone to draw/write/create.
Don’t worry. You’re not the only one who gets distracted. I’m in the middle of my GCSE’s, and my procrastination ability forbids me from revising too much.
‘Too much’ being any at all
Sometimes you have to JUST DO IT no matter what, ya know? Doesn’t make things easier though.