Work Smart
A bit of an introspective newsletter this week as one project winds down and the new year rolls ever closer.
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There are a few more interviews to come out for it, but for the most part 'Go Home' is in the can and (hopefully) in people's hands right now. I have another one shot, Disconnect, that's in the capable hands of artist Gav Heryng and should see the light of day in 2017. I also have the loooong gestating Curriculum project that will be cut loose in early 2017, apocalypse by Trump presidency permitting.
Editing wise I have about 4-5 projects in various stages of production, all of which I'm incredibly excited to be involved in. Seriously, some of these projects are going to be *blowing* your mind next year.
In terms of my own work, though, I am spreading myself way too thin. I've got two courses I'm currently enrolled in both of which have their own assignments and work outside each module. A marathon to train for. A newsletter to write. A one-page script to come up with and write each week. This is all on top of the regular writing projects I'm currently in the middle of writing for myself.
Hard work isn't my problem, but working smarter is. So, the overriding theme of the coming year is to make better decisions in terms of my output, what I commit to, and what I consume. It's all connected. There are more than a few ways to skin this cat I figure. So whilst this advice is framed as being for some 'ideal reader', it's basically just a checklist to remind myself:
- Learn to say 'No' to things. Think. Really think whether the project you're mulling over is one you're invested enough in to commit time in. Time is precious.
- Look at what you're consuming on a day to day basis. Twitter. Facebook. RSS feeds. Podcasts. Instagram. I'm not saying cut these things out entirely. They all provide something in the way of entertainment or connection to fellow creators and friends. But like learning to say "no", truly consider whether you need to subscribe to 35 podcasts that will make you feel overwhelmed rather than informed and entertained. Do you need to check Facebook that often? Do you need to subscribe to that science blog's feed who post 10-12 times a day whose content you'll never ever read? There is a lot of noise out there right now. Cut through it.
- One. At. A. Time. This might not be realistic for some. But if you can, just concentrate on writing the best thing you can. Lavish it with the love and attention it needs, find an artist. Rinse and repeat. Don't bob around like some kind of Red Bull fuelled magpie with creative wanderlust. Concentrate on the one thing. Make it the best version of the one thing it can be.
- Don't rush. You go on Twitter and it seems every creative peer has a career moving at the speed of light and you're just chewing dust. This isn't the case. They're all fretting too. There's an impulse to rush a project. But if you're not taking your time, making it the best it can be, then what's the point?
A lot more rambling and incoherent than I hoped for. So there we have it.
2017
Believe.
Work smart.
###
Now for some links to see us out.
How 'Hitman' Uses Thoughtful Level Design to Tell Stories
I love level design and Hitman is one of the best.
###
There are a few more interviews to come out for it, but for the most part 'Go Home' is in the can and (hopefully) in people's hands right now. I have another one shot, Disconnect, that's in the capable hands of artist Gav Heryng and should see the light of day in 2017. I also have the loooong gestating Curriculum project that will be cut loose in early 2017, apocalypse by Trump presidency permitting.
Editing wise I have about 4-5 projects in various stages of production, all of which I'm incredibly excited to be involved in. Seriously, some of these projects are going to be *blowing* your mind next year.
In terms of my own work, though, I am spreading myself way too thin. I've got two courses I'm currently enrolled in both of which have their own assignments and work outside each module. A marathon to train for. A newsletter to write. A one-page script to come up with and write each week. This is all on top of the regular writing projects I'm currently in the middle of writing for myself.
Hard work isn't my problem, but working smarter is. So, the overriding theme of the coming year is to make better decisions in terms of my output, what I commit to, and what I consume. It's all connected. There are more than a few ways to skin this cat I figure. So whilst this advice is framed as being for some 'ideal reader', it's basically just a checklist to remind myself:
- Learn to say 'No' to things. Think. Really think whether the project you're mulling over is one you're invested enough in to commit time in. Time is precious.
- Look at what you're consuming on a day to day basis. Twitter. Facebook. RSS feeds. Podcasts. Instagram. I'm not saying cut these things out entirely. They all provide something in the way of entertainment or connection to fellow creators and friends. But like learning to say "no", truly consider whether you need to subscribe to 35 podcasts that will make you feel overwhelmed rather than informed and entertained. Do you need to check Facebook that often? Do you need to subscribe to that science blog's feed who post 10-12 times a day whose content you'll never ever read? There is a lot of noise out there right now. Cut through it.
- One. At. A. Time. This might not be realistic for some. But if you can, just concentrate on writing the best thing you can. Lavish it with the love and attention it needs, find an artist. Rinse and repeat. Don't bob around like some kind of Red Bull fuelled magpie with creative wanderlust. Concentrate on the one thing. Make it the best version of the one thing it can be.
- Don't rush. You go on Twitter and it seems every creative peer has a career moving at the speed of light and you're just chewing dust. This isn't the case. They're all fretting too. There's an impulse to rush a project. But if you're not taking your time, making it the best it can be, then what's the point?
A lot more rambling and incoherent than I hoped for. So there we have it.
2017
Believe.
Work smart.
###
Now for some links to see us out.
How 'Hitman' Uses Thoughtful Level Design to Tell Stories
I love level design and Hitman is one of the best.
"It creates the illusion that this is a living breathing world. And it adds to a mood of invasiveness. In most games, the player’s character is the center of attention; every game element serves to reinforce the protagonist as the center of his or her story. But in Hitman, Agent 47 is the unwelcome interloper, intruding on other people’s lives and seeing things he isn’t supposed to see."
You Have to Take Donald Glover Seriously Now
I haven't listened to the new album yet, but this *The Ringer* piece on Glover as a pop cultural polymath is pretty great.
The Definitive List of Comic Publisher Submission Guidelines
Newly updated and always useful.
Get the Most Out of Your Books: Be an Active Reader
Another piece on reading. I'm always trying to retain more from the things I read, instead of just 'consuming'.
no one has the slightest idea what is and isn’t cultural appropriation
Fredrik De Boer on cultural appropriation.
The Things They Burned
An absolutely devastating piece exposing the severe health concerns surrounding U.S personnel employed at 'burn pits' up and down Iraq and the government's complete lack of interest in taking responsibility.
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Right now I'm off to plan the week ahead and read a pile of comics.
I'll try and be a little bit less introspective next week!
Until then...
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