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Video: Why Creatives Hear Voices

by Palle Schmidt

Your worst enemy as a creative… is yourself!

If you think you’re alone in feeling like a hack, a fraud and a talentless poser, think again. We all have an annoying voice in our head, telling us we suck! What to do?

Watch this video, that’s a start.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: artist, creativity, drawing, mindset, self sabotage, self-doubt, video, writer's block, writing for comics

Why Creative Restrictions are Good for You!

by Palle Schmidt

What does David Lynch, Picasso and George Lucas have in common? Setting up guardrails for your creativity can have surprising benefits.

I put together a video explaining why, using examples from film and TV like Reservoir Dogs, Star Wars, Twin Peaks and my own graphic novel STILETTO.

Let me know what you think! Comment below or go to YouTube and do the same.


PS: I know a lot of people worldwide are hurting financially and in self-quarantine at the moment. So to offer some consolation, the premium Comics for Beginners course is available at a drastically reduced price until December 31st 2020. Follow this link to get lifetime access for only $25$5.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: artwork, comics, creative restrictions, creativity, David Lynch, Dogma 95, drawing, George Lucas, Lars von Trier, makecomics, making comics, Palle Schmidt, Picasso, Quentin Tarantino, Reservoir Dogs, Star Wars, STILETTO, Twin Peaks, Writing

Whatever Works

by Palle Schmidt Leave a Comment

In art, two plus two doesn’t always equal four. Using the same method or the same pen as Stephen King will not make you Stephen King. You need to find out what works for you, by trying out a bunch of different ways.

“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”

Some people work within very strict boundaries – setting a timer or planning out everything in detail ahead of time. Others work more intuitively, making it up as they go along. As long as you get a result – and a result that you can be satisfied with – it matters less how you got there. But to make a living as a creative, you need to be able to repeat the process, so it might be a good idea to take a few mental notes along the way. Be conscious of what it is you do and how you spend your time, so you can make the most of it.

It frustrates me to no end seeing other artist just killing it, when their working methods are obviously flawed. I have to remind myself that we’re not all wired the same way and what works for me doesn’t necessarily work for them and vice versa. I interviewed a friend of mine who’s a very successful writer, after he got a three-year grant from the Danish Arts Council. I was cripplingly envious (can you imagine that? THREE YEARS of rent covered!) and decided I needed to figure out how he got to that place. During the podcast interview it came to light that my friend was envious of the colleagues who could sit down and write for more than four hours. I can personally write for ten hours straight, if the family will leave me alone. So as it turns out, we all have our own struggles and comparing makes little to no sense. 

If you want to derail yourself by looking at people better than you and being envious of their success, go right ahead. There’s a free resource called Instagram that’s perfect for that activity.

It took me many years to accept my own method in writing. Everyone I talked to seemed to write chronologically, apparently that’s what you’re supposed to do. But when I tried this method I would always get stuck somewhere in chapter five or whenever I hit a point in the story I wasn’t able to figure out at that given moment. I completely gave up and walked away from a few books that way.

I later figured out that skipping ahead and writing something I can figure out, I’ll keep my momentum and avoid getting stuck. I’ll get an idea for a piece of dialogue while I’m trying to write a synopsis or get an idea for the end while I’m writing the beginning. Apparently I’m just too much of a scatterbrain to work from A to B to C – and that’s OK! As long as I get to the end. Today I’ll allow myself to jump around, thereby short-circuiting whatever is blocking my way. I don’t care if this is the right method or not, I’ve become very good at ignoring what other people think.

You have to try stuff and fail a lot before you find what works for you. Maybe you’re a night owl and that’s when you seem to create your best work. A musician I know consistently sleeps late, while his wife drops their son off at school. He hangs with the family all day and goes to the studio after he put his son to bed at night, working until the sun comes up. Others insist that the morning hours are the most productive.

Perhaps you like working with crayons while your colleagues use markers or watercolor. See if there’s anything in their tools or working methods you can learn from – then go do your own thing.

—-

This post is an excerpt from my book SOLO – Survival Guide for Creative Freelancers available now in print, audio and ebook format.

Filed Under: Pro Tips Tagged With: creative decisions, creativity, entrepeneurship, fear of failure, freelance artist, SOLO, solopreneur, success, workflow, working methods, Writing

Video: Creativity Everywhere

by Palle Schmidt Leave a Comment

I was asked to participate in the Creativity Everywhere series on YouTube and talk about my creative process. Click below to see me break down how I work on a comics page, using a page from STILETTO as a concrete example.

On another note; While the pandemic is still affecting people globally I’ve discounted the premium comics course at $5. Go here to claim lifetime access.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: comics, comics craft, creative decisions, creativity, drawing, how to make comics, STILETTO, video, YouTube

Ask the Right Questions

by Palle Schmidt 4 Comments

Going to conventions is one of the best way to learn about the industry, meet new people and get advice from peers and pros. But often wannabe creators will waste the opportunity to learn by talking about themselves or asking the wrong questions.

“How do I break into comics?” is one of the questions I hear a lot by aspiring creators. The question is not easy to answer in a meaningful manner – and it certainly won’t be a short answer (my best and shortest possible answer is this podcast episode). It also requires a lot of background information on the person asking the question.
When not asking impossible questions like the one above, these creators will try and impress whoever they are talking to, pitch their comics ideas, tell rambling stories about their journey and aspirations – instead of using the opportunity to gain new insights and valuable knowledge. I’ve certainly been guilty of this myself. Becoming a better listener and asking smarter questions is something I would like to improve. So you could say this post is just as much for me as it is for you.
So instead of asking “how do I break into comics?” here is a list of smarter questions you may ask peers and pros alike, when you get a few minutes of face time at a convention or pin them down in a Twitter conversation:
  • What areas of my art do you see needs improvement?
  • What are your favorite cons to go to and why?
  • Who do you think I should meet while I’m here?
  • What is one thing people get wrong about the way the business works?
  • Is there any resource you can point me towards that could help me learn more about X?
  • What’s a mistake you see a lot of beginners make?
And then I also recommend taking notes! Either during the conversation or directly after. You can’t even memorize your Mom’s phone number so I’m willing to bet you can’t remember a key insight from a conversation a week later. It’s one thing to ask better questions but you also need to actually listen to the answers.
—
If you have a question for me, leave a comment below!

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Comic Con, Comics conventions, comics industry, creativity, improving as an artist, learning, mistakes, pro tips

The art of Saying No

by Palle Schmidt 2 Comments

There is such a thing as too much success. Meaning you go through periods where there is simply too many things on your plate and you have trouble keeping up. You have to take care of yourself and avoid burnout. Your energy is the most valuable resource of your company. Don’t squander it.

If you ever had a goldfish, you’ll know you have to take care not to overfeed them. The stupid things will keep eating until it kills them. Freelancers are basically like goldfish. We say yes to way too many incoming jobs because we’re afraid of starvation. You never know when you’ll be fed again, right?

While the overwhelm and stress it brings to take on more than you can handle probably won’t kill you, it could seriously damage your health both mentally and physically. If you crash and burn and need months to recover, it will also hurt your business. As a creative, you can’t just hire someone to do your job. Better to divert some of the incoming work before you’re unable to live up to your obligations.

When you say yes to one thing, you’re saying no to something else. While it’s tempting to take on every client, because we never know when they’ll stop calling, it’s a short term strategy that isn’t sustainable. You know how your computer slows down if you have too many open windows and programs running? Your brain is the same way. You don’t want it to crash on you taking you out of rotation for moths, unable to work on bring in any income. Better to say no up front.

Here’s a template you can use to get out of work:

Dear (name),

Thanks for reaching out! I’m sorry to say I can’t currently take on any more work as it would hurt obligations I already have.

I’d like to refer you to (name of colleague/other freelancer) who is both (reliable/insanely talented/great to work with) and (has a similar style to what you’re looking for/not too pricey/smells nice). You can find examples of (his/her) work at (website/Instagram page).

I’m sorry I’m unable to help out this time. Don’t hesitate to reach out again if the opportunity to work together should arise some time in the future.

Best,

(name)

Giving a respectful no is a tricky thing. Now I just saved you the trouble of figuring out how. You’re welcome. Please note that the above template is also applicable to any type of pro-bono work. 


This post is an excerpt from my book SOLO – Survival Guide for Creative Freelancers – Get in now on Amazon.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: avoiding overwhelm, creative decisions, creativity, freelance life, how to say no, saying no, SOLO, solopreneur, stress, template, work for hire, working with editors

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