06-17-2016, 04:46 AM
Okay so. Once again, been doing a lot of thinking and experimenting and just talking and seeking advice. Listened to some excellent podcasts, and finally got something concrete down.
Since April I think I've been paralyzed by "the choice." I have multiple directions I could go in now as a result of attaining my bachelors, but I also have commitments and duties as a daughter and friend, all of which have been waging war on my mind. It finally came down to this: imagine you're at your own funeral. What would you want people to say about you?
It's all well and good to want to make the world a better place with artwork. But to do so at the expense of family and friends is cruel. Hayao Miyazaki changed the world with his animation, but he was never there for his wife and children, and in the end he dreaded making movies, and continually questioned weather or not it was worth it. He'd made all the films he most desired to make, and then he continued only from a love of the work, and for the people of the studio.
Anyway, the above is just context. I've decided that if I'm ever going to get out of my paralysis, I have to focus, and say no to anything that doesn't have to do with my goals.
Right now, my parents are in a tough spot, and I'm the only one in a position (and who is willing) to lend a hand. I can't be unpaid for any stretch of time, so I must work and save as much as possible. I'm doing the doctor rounds to make sure I'm not secretly developing lymphoma, but so far everything's been clear (thankfully) except my mental health, which I'm working on now.
In two weeks I'm leaving the country to visit Japan. When I return, I'll know weather or not I want to teach over there. If I do love the country enough to want to teach, then I will apply for the JET program. It's a year-long process, and in that year I will save as much money as I can, while also focusing on my artwork.
Until now I've been working 50-ish hours a week (when drive time is factored in) in order to save for the trip (and to also have cash left over when I return) but when I get back I'm hoping to work normal human hours.
If I really don't want to teach in Japan, then I'll set about a job search, because my current job is far away, and the opportunities there for learning and advancement are extremely limited. I'll focus on either the art industry, or an archival job, like librarian or archivist, or something more physically centered. More detail on this later though, after I decide.
My goals for my artwork will remain the same, weather or not I teach in Japan.
For my artwork, I've decided to focus the vast majority of my attention to Mirage, my web comic. Here are my goals for that:
Since April I think I've been paralyzed by "the choice." I have multiple directions I could go in now as a result of attaining my bachelors, but I also have commitments and duties as a daughter and friend, all of which have been waging war on my mind. It finally came down to this: imagine you're at your own funeral. What would you want people to say about you?
It's all well and good to want to make the world a better place with artwork. But to do so at the expense of family and friends is cruel. Hayao Miyazaki changed the world with his animation, but he was never there for his wife and children, and in the end he dreaded making movies, and continually questioned weather or not it was worth it. He'd made all the films he most desired to make, and then he continued only from a love of the work, and for the people of the studio.
Anyway, the above is just context. I've decided that if I'm ever going to get out of my paralysis, I have to focus, and say no to anything that doesn't have to do with my goals.
Right now, my parents are in a tough spot, and I'm the only one in a position (and who is willing) to lend a hand. I can't be unpaid for any stretch of time, so I must work and save as much as possible. I'm doing the doctor rounds to make sure I'm not secretly developing lymphoma, but so far everything's been clear (thankfully) except my mental health, which I'm working on now.
In two weeks I'm leaving the country to visit Japan. When I return, I'll know weather or not I want to teach over there. If I do love the country enough to want to teach, then I will apply for the JET program. It's a year-long process, and in that year I will save as much money as I can, while also focusing on my artwork.
Until now I've been working 50-ish hours a week (when drive time is factored in) in order to save for the trip (and to also have cash left over when I return) but when I get back I'm hoping to work normal human hours.
If I really don't want to teach in Japan, then I'll set about a job search, because my current job is far away, and the opportunities there for learning and advancement are extremely limited. I'll focus on either the art industry, or an archival job, like librarian or archivist, or something more physically centered. More detail on this later though, after I decide.
My goals for my artwork will remain the same, weather or not I teach in Japan.
For my artwork, I've decided to focus the vast majority of my attention to Mirage, my web comic. Here are my goals for that:
- Get the story critiqued, and collect feedback. I'll begin doing so tonight, by posting some of the story to a writing critique group. Hopefully by the time I return from Japan, I'll have clear feedback on it. I'll spend the remainder of July rewriting and tweaking the story based on the feedback.
- I will begin working on the comic itself on August 1st. My goal is to aim for around 25 pages in 3 months, about 2 pages per week. I will draw the entire first chapter, and by the time the chapter is finished, I'll know weather or not I hate making the comic. I won't post the story online until I finish the first chapter, except in small pieces. If it turns out I seriously dislike doing the work after 3 months, then I'll discontinue to make it. But, because I wrote the comic story in a prose format, I'll still be able to turn the story into a sell-able item. I'll combine parts 1 and 2 into a novel form, and treat it as a part of my novel series, with the finished graphic chapter as a bonus.
- If it turns out I enjoy making the comic however, I will apply for both the Creators for Creators grant AND send a proposal to Iron Circus Comics. Regardless of weather I get the grant, I will focus on making the comic to its completion. I may also animate some of the comic pages in a similar fashion to this comic: http://www.saintforrent.com/comic/inn-note-01
- When not working on the comic, I will work on my animation projects. I aim to finish my Iris animation by December of this year, and I hope to have all of my animation study assignments for my personal animation challenge finished before I leave for Japan. If that turns out to be too difficult, then I'll aim to finish it by the end of July.