22 Weeks...
22 Weeks. That sounds like the title of a zombie apocalypse movie. Or perhaps a romantic comedy. Or perhaps a zombie apocalypse romantic comedy. (But of course that particular genre has already been cornered by Shaun of the Dead.)
In fact, 22 weeks is actually the remaining number of weeks in this year (2018) as I sit down and write this post. Why is that so important you ask? Oh,... you didn't ask that? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. At the beginning of the year I set myself a goal of completing the first issue of my comic book, "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." by year's end. I gave myself some wiggle room. Complete didn't necessarily mean "complete." I'd be happy with myself if I'd at least gone through the pencil and ink stages of art, and of course, writing would be involved as well! The finishing touches of color and lettering I was willing to let slide into 2019 as they'd either have a steeper learning curve as I am not well versed in those arts; or I would consider "outsourcing" those tasks altogether!
The year started pretty well. I was actually putting work into legitimate story pages. If I'd kept up that pace, even though it was slow, I'd be in pretty good shape right now. As you may have guessed... I did not keep up that momentum. I got distracted by some other projects, but even more than that, I started to question everything I was doing, not feeling like it was up to the standards and quality I wanted to achieve. And then of course, there is the fact that I am a master procrastinator. I've shared this video before in some comments and discussions... it's relevant and phenomenal as always now.
So what's the big deal about 22 weeks?
As coincidence would have it, a typical American comic book features somewhere in the range of 20-24 pages of story each issue. So, rounding things off and doing some pretty simple math it's become painfully obvious that I need to start getting about a page a week completed if I'm to achieve my goal by 2019. Thus the significance of 22 weeks.
It seems like I'm rather focused on time lately. I've been stunned at the realization that I've been a comic fan and aspiring creator for 30 years now. I've taken solace in the fact that thankfully I'm no older than Stan Lee was when he really got things started with Fantastic Four #1. And now I'm fretting about 22 weeks left in the year while simultaneously celebrating my 2nd anniversary on Steemit! This constant introspection can be a bad thing, but it can also be a positive as long as it leads to action! So I've spent the last few days dusting off a trio of apps (Procreate, Scrivener, and CardFlow) and setting back to work on "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." My SteepShot update yesterday showcased a look at this dive back into production.
The "holy trinity" of my creative apps
In the weeks and months to come I hope you'll be seeing much more content from me, refocused primarily around the creation of my comic book. That hope has two parts. First, the hope that I will in fact rise to the challenge and create that content. Second, the hope that there's an audience who wants to see it enough to not grow bored! I'd love to hear the thoughts of my loyal readers on what direction that content should take. You guys and gals really keep me motivated and engaged and I can't thank you enough. I'd love to do a mix of blog posts, quick SteepShot image shares, Procreate playback videos on d.Tube, d.Live sessions of me at work, is it too early to potentially start a Fundition campaign? What aspects and formats interest you the most?
Many thanks for any responses, ideas and encouragement. And many more thanks for a great first two years on the Steem blockchain. I'll be highlighting and celebrating that more in a dedicated post... just as soon as I find the time.
- Bryan "the Imp" Imhoff
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://bryanimhoff.com/2018/07/27/22-weeks/
To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.
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The best thing you can do from now on is to focus on weekly every chapter of the comic so that the time is enough, ie you get to prioritize the maximum that, but unfortunately you will be late more! I wish you luck :)
If I see the problem of the remaining 22 weeks
Wow, 22 weeks to finish the comic!
and you have not made at least one page?
I like your publications very much @bryan-imhoff ! You are a great artist, I would like to know you more and read you more often would be great! but you also have to focus on finishing your comic.
Hey reminds me of my situation. I always did this "week left/page left" to build up some kind of schedule. Right now I have 21 pages left for 21 weeks! How incredible...
The comic has been going on for 6 years so I really wish I can get that done by the end of the year. I mean, I have to!
Those creative sessions worked the most when I set very strict deadlines: "A page per week, no matter what!" Also setting a time limit like: "You have one hour before work to finish coloring..." Of course that's a technique to have a constant panic monster as the video explains (Great one by the way).
I also noticed having a routine with same space or same time of the day is quite useful.
Recently I tried Dlive for drawing and it's quite useful too. I caught myself wanting to take a break but continuing because of the live steam.
I expect to see some pages from you now. I hope you won't disapoint! ;-) That would be the worst. (Please look out for my pages too!)
Ps: You'll find below a link to a useful spreadsheet from Michael Regina for spread your work load and meet deadlines. http://www.michaeleregina.com/blog/managing-the-crunch/
Nice read. I leave an upvote for this article thumbsup