I've started carrying around a little black notebook. It's a discard from my father, who bought it because the office supply store didn't have the notebook he normally uses. It was inferior (though it was the same brand).
It's acceptable for me, though.
Inspiration strikes at odd times. I have the type of mind that spawns rhyming couplets in the shower without forewarning. Already I've written a significant poem (the Scribbled Poem from yesterday was part of a larger poem) and a private rant in it. I'm also practicing drawing.
For years I thought I couldn't draw. It never made much sense to me: I can visualize with uncanny clarity, and I can hold images in my mind well, but something in the mechanism from my brain to the paper always failed. I've been reading a lot of webcomics recently, though, and the degree of improvement over only a few years is remarkable. Early Penny Arcades are practically incomparable to the modern incarnation. Questionable Content went through a similar transformation. Even Achewood has improved over the years (it's a very sparse comic). So, I figure it's just a matter of practice.
I'm better than I thought I was already. I drew a pair of stylized eyes that came out recognizably eyeish, which I count as a victory!
By my hand,
~Michael Akerman
2 comments:
I keep a journal in my purse. I've been updating it off and on since 2004 and I've almost filled it.
I like having it. It's a diary, really.
I love notebooks!
I think it's totally a matter of practice. I read an article someplace (here's a reference) about how it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery of something.
It seems to hold up at least in reference to webcomics. I've read a bunch, and I can't think of any long-running ones that didn't make leaps and bounds of improvement.
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