A Vampire Octopus? I can hear the question now, 'Where do you come up with these things?" Usually they come from my brain or something I was inspired by somewhere, but I get to blame this one on a handy little app called Character Design Shuffle by Silver. It's a fun little device that gives you randomly generated characters. As you can see, I got Vampire / Octopus. I did a quick sketch and it turned out fun. In other news, I'm contemplating a huge personal project to begin soon. I know I want to dedicate some serious time and energy toward a creative project of my own this summer, I have several ideas and of course I am having trouble picking only one to commit to for the long haul. I was thinking of my options a few days ago and making notes about some ideas when the 2 yr old stole a book off of my desk. I chased the little hoodlum down and got it back. It was my copy of 'Steal Like an Artist' by Austin Kleon. I keep it on my desk but of course I haven't read it in a while. I flipped it open and instantly was mesmerized by this chart. I find this chart slightly depressing but probably spot on. I guess my problem is often that you have to really keep believing in an idea or really just be committed to finishing in order to make it past that third and fourth and fifth point. I often do have 'the best idea ever'. But in the light of day... or many many days, ideas lose their sheen and start looking rather iffy. Still, even the lesser ideas would probably be worth it if they were completed. Pretty much anyone who ever did anything awesome had to make it past that rough patch, that Seth Godin calls 'The Dip'. He wrote a whole book about it. (though a small one I gather) So anyway, I guess it's pointless to say that you have to stick with something in order to succeed... that is obvious. But I guess the point I have to accept is that you go into a personal project knowing that you may not always find the motivation to keep going but you do it anyway. It helps if it's something you are really really excited about in the beginning, because you will need that memory of why you began, to carry you through.
Well, thanks for stopping by, More later, Misty
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
MistyThanks for stopping by. I'm a published illustrator working on getting better every day. My goal for my work is for it to be charming, bright and endearing. I share my ongoing work progress online because I welcome all the encouragement and feedback I can get as I try to improve my skills. I currently have a children's book project that I am nearing the end of. Archives
February 2017
Categories |