process
Idea Debt: You probably have it (and how to ‘cure’ it)
Idea Debt is when you spend too much time picturing what a project is going to be like, too much time thinking about how awesome it will be to have this thing done and in the world, too much time imagining how cool you will look, how in demand you’ll be, how much money you’ll make. And way too little time actually making the thing.
Read MoreFeel the burn.
Get better at helping others make their work shine. It’s a wonderful gift to give another storyteller. But it’s not all altruism: every time you work through a story, you learn more about your own work, and how to improve it.
Read MoreHow you can set creative goals without setting yourself up for failure…again.
Living as a creative person is a marathon, not a sprint. Do you want to be painting, or singing, or writing poetry at 90? You won’t finish your creative marathon strong without hitting your stride a hell of a lot sooner.
Read MoreKnow where you are so you can plan where you’re going.
Identify your true creative goals with the Creation-Communication Matrix, so that you can build the practice that will feed the next version of yourself.
Read MoreFeeling Stuck on a Project?Escape from the Dark Forest!
Don’t let luck control whether you actually create your work or not. When the Dark Forest has closed in, escape with a Focus Session.
Read MoreOpen the Black Box to put an end to procrastination
The number one thing I see as standing in the way of getting the creative projects we want to be making actually made is procrastination. And when we procrastinate, we beat up on ourselves, which only makes it worse. We tell ourselves that procrastination as a character flaw. like, “oh I’m just a procrastinator.”
But procrastination is not about your character. It’s the manifestation of anxiety.
Read MoreYou need to know when to say NO (and when to say HELL YEAH!)
You want to make creative work. You can’t shake that desire, but maybe you also can’t figure out how to make it happen in your already-packed life. Maybe you imagine that someone like me, who gets a lot of stuff done, that I have a simpler life, somehow. I wish.
I wish.
Read MoreStory toolbox: the Focus Sentence & the XY Story Formula out in the wild
In the Out on the Wire Working Group, the story tools I’m proposing get a major workout. When people put my ideas from the podcast into action, they figure out what works and what doesn’t, and then, because they’re posting about what they find right on the group, I get to learn from them.
Read Morediy: making minicomics
diy: making minicomics Hey cartoonist! So glad you’ve found this resource to get you started with DIY publishing! Making comics is really challenging, so if you’re ready to publish, that deserves major congratulations. But if you’re finding yourself stuck in the process, that’s totally normal, too. And maybe I can help. I help creative people…
Read MoreDIY: Tracing
This tutorial dates from 1998. A more complete, current tracing demo can be found in chapter 8 of Drawing Words & Writing Pictures. OK, this may sound totally idiotic; i.e., why should I teach you how to trace? So you can copy other people more easily? No, it’s so you can trace yourself more easily.…
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