Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Second Guessing


I've been inking away on the new OilCan Drive project for a little over a week now and have almost completed a quarter of it.

I've found the deeper I get into the project the more self-critical I've been getting on myself. I want everything on this project to be just perfect so if an ink line gets too thick or a character's eye is not inked just right it drives me nuts. The last day I was inking I was really doubting myself and the project as a whole.

I'm not sure if it's just this project or some recent comments I've gotten about my work. Nothing really bad, but just some comments someone made about what I could do to "improve" my work. It's funny how hundreds of people can say you're great and doing a good job but if one person says a bad thing that's what you focus on. So, those comments to improve my work really have me second guessing a lot of what I've been doing lately. Even work that, just a few weeks ago, I was really enjoying.

In the end, I just want OilCan Drive to be the best that it can be.

I'll be putting the project aside for a week or two to focus on the next Stone Arch Jake Maddox book. Right now I'm just trying to push those comments out of my head and do the work the best I can. There is nothing fun about going into a project, any project, whether it's personal or professional, already full of doubt and second guessing yourself.

Hopefully, once I get this book done, my head will be clear again and I can go back to OilCan Drive with some fresh eyes and fired up to work on it again. I've really been happy with the way it's gone so far. The pages are getting done and I have ten new songs written and arranged, just waiting for me to record them.

I just want it to be great and have a lot of fun doing it. Having fun. It's art. It's drawing. Fun should be the most important thing about it.

Hopefully, in a few weeks, I'll remember that.

1 comment:

Steve Brezenoff said...

Isn't Jake Maddox the best for putting aside the personal, intense stuff so you can clear your mind for a few days? It's also great for paying bills, but why get crass.

Excuse me. Eric Stevens just got here and he wants to use the computer.