Make Comics Not Excuses

Now before I get going on yelling at you about the silly excuses you make to feel better about not follow your dreams, I feel like I have to make myself clear on a point, or else I’m going to get a bunch of angry emails and comments.

Not everything is for everyone. And that’s okay, it doesn’t have to be.  The fact that different things interest different people is what makes the world go round. You don’t have to be a comic artist, or a writer, or a doctor if it doesn’t interest you and you have no desire to pursue it. In fact, the only acceptable excuse not to do something is “I’m not interested.”  And thats not even an excuse, its a declaration that you have no interest and therefore will not pursue a given goal.

So if that’s the case when you read my “No excuses” post, just disregard it.  Because these posts are people who say “I want to make comics, but….”  They say it’s something they want to do but have some sort of excuse why they can’t.  And I’m here to tell them they can if they stop making excuses and start making comics….

So today’s excuse I really haven’t heard until recently, but i feel like it should be addressed.  It was put a few different ways, but all made the same point. Basically it goes “I want to be a comic creator, but I don’t want to risk losing joy in my art.”  or “I don’t want it to become my job, cause I’ll grow to hate drawing.” or “I stopped trying to be a pro when I realized I’d spend all my time working, and I’d never got to do anything fun.”  Basically what this excuse is boiling down to is “If I make comics for a living, It’ll be my job, and therefore it won’t be fun anymore.”

Well I have to say, the reason you think that is because you guys have the wrong idea on work.   Most of you have day jobs.  I guarantee you hate your day jobs.  They’re boring, and your boss is a dick, and you co-workers are assholes, and your customers or clients are idiots.  You work all day miserable, and when you get home you want to just watch tv, or play videogames, or read comics or do anything that will bring you a little joy for the couple free hours you have before you have to go back to that miserable place of work.  You probably even draw a little bit don’t you?  And if you’ve been in the work force for one year, or 10 years, this is all you have known work to be.  Am I right?  Yeah? How did I know?  Cause I was there once!! It’s something we all go through!  It’s part of life.

So I understand your fear.  If all you’ve known of work is this miserable hell that consumes your soul and leaves you this empty husk of a human, why would you think making comics for your job would be any different?  I especially understand this fear if one of your favorite escapes from hell is drawing.

But I’m hear to quell those fears of yours!  If drawing is something you truly love to do.  If making comics makes you happy.  Then doing it professionally is nothing more than you getting paid for something you’d do for free.  And I tell you my friends, there is nothing better than that in the world.

Does that mean its easy?  Oh hell no.  Making comics for a living is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.  Late nights, tight deadlines, not very much of pay. It’s no picnic.  But I LOVE making comics. I work this hard on my own comics essentially for free.  So if I get to do it AND be paid, that’s an amazing deal!  Some of you don’t realize how hard you work on your own creations, but you don’t realize it because you enjoy it so much,  You don’t realize you’re doing all this hard long work for no money, just for joy.  Doing it professionally is no different, only It won’t be your characters, and you have hard deadlines, but the work you put into it won’t be any different.  In fact it might be a little easier if you’re not a good writer.  Because a skilled writer has already given you the script, you just need to draw it!

My Dad put it best.  When I was young, probably around 10 years old, I was telling him what I wanted to be when I grew up.  At that age, I think I wanted to be an Astronaut, or an Archeologist (i was obsessed with dinosaurs.)  But my Dad told me something that stuck with me until today. He said “Find a job you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Now I know my Dad didn’t invent that saying (though I thought he did when I was 10.)  But those words really stuck with me and inspired me to follow my dreams to do what I loved to do.  Because he was right.  I LOVE drawing, I LOVE story telling, I LOVE making comics.  Even though its hard and somedays are not as good as others, there is nothing else on this world I rather be doing.  And you know what? My dad was right.  I don’t feel like I’m working.  Those days I worked in an office doing design, or those days at an Insurance company, or even when I worked in the Supermarket, I finished the day exhausted and feeling like my soul had been crushed.  But when I work on comics, I want to do more.  I want to make more.  It pisses me off that I have to sleep because it takes time away from making comics.  This is not what it feels like to work. And I thank God that I’ll never have to know what it feels like to work again.

So I kinda rambled alot on this one, sorry.  But I just wanted to hit home the importance here.  If you really love drawing.  If you really like making comics.  Then there is is no need to fear.  If you start doing this for a living, the joy won’t leave you.  You will not grow to hate it.  You will continue to love it just as much as you ever did.  AND you’ll be paid for it!  There is no reason not to try!

So let’s stop making excuses, and stop working, and start making comics!