The opinions expressed in the Editor’s Rant! Are the opinions of the writer and not necessarily the opinions of the other members of the Original Comic Creator’s Club. Any questions or responses to this article please post in the club. I’ve been in Yahoo! Clubs for a while now, since around last summer. In that time, I’ve seen exciting & energetic artwork, and read fascinating story concepts, all produced by talented & enthusiastic creators who clearly love the medium of comics.
Many of us have “The Dream”… you know what I’m talking about; the dream of making it in the comics industry, whether self-publishing your own carefully constructed creation, or breaking in through the major publishers already out there. Writing, penciling, inking, colouring your favorite title at Marvel, DC, DarkHorse, Image…
Seeing and reading all the great art & stories being produced and posted online can be a bit intimidating, honestly. Before I got on the Net, my exposure to amateur comic creation (and creators) was very limited; there weren’t many outlets for networking or getting together other than random chance meetings in the local comics shop. I maybe met about 2 artists a year in my hometown. It’s very cool that there are so many talented people out there, but it can also get me down a bit sometimes, it seems that there are so many creators who are head & shoulders above me in the raw talent department! Maybe you feel that way too, sometimes (or maybe I’ve just got no self-esteem…)
But really, The Original Comics Creators Club is not about being “the best”, after all, who decides what is “best”? There are so many styles & storytelling genres that can be explored through comics. Can the work of J. Scott Campbell truly be compared to that of Peter Bagge’s? Can Mike Turner be compared to Bob Fingerman? The point is, they shouldn’t be.
As creators, we must strive to improve. But the goal is not to compete with others, but to improve our own work, diversify our talent, constantly reach deeper into ourselves to find a better way to express our imaginations.
To this end, I say to you: BELIEVE IN YOUR TALENT! KNOW that you WILL improve if you work on it. Perhaps you feel that your work right now isn’t of professional standards, but understand the process of improvement happens one step at a time. Constantly work on producing better work than your last effort, but don’t be discouraged. CREATE! If you’re an aspiring artist (this includes colourists, by the way), draw or work on comics as often as you can. If you’re a writer, always be thinking about how to better present & realize your story concepts & characters.
DO NOT LET ANYONE EVER CONVINCE YOU THAT YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH OR WASTING YOUR TIME WITH YOUR EFFORTS.
If you’ve started to send out samples of your work, EXPECT rejection! Many of the top comics professionals today often have mountainloads of rejection letters proceeding their first sale, their “break” into the industry.
Creativity is like a lighthouse beaming out into the fog; at times the way seems uncertain, things are unclear, & you begin to doubt yourself… You lose sight of “the lighthouse” through the fog. But it doesn’t mean it isn’t still there. It’s just momentarily obscured by your hesitation. It WILL appear again. And when it does, seize the opportunity for all it’s worth!
I look forward to seeing your work either here or in the OCCC! Happy creating!
-Don!