So TCAF last weekend was pretty amazing (as I’m sure you’ve heard by now!) I met a ton of amazing people: friends I’ve met before, friends I’ve only known online and met for the first time, fans who have read Polterguys vol. 1 when it was serializing online and finally, comic heroes I’ve long admired (and to whom I summoned the nerve to throw my books at. )

Best Moments!
I’ll spare you the gratuitous name dropping but my favorite moments were definitely getting to meet Faith Erin Hicks and Svetlana Chmakova. Two female webcomic artists who have truly inspired me to tell stories and make art. However brief our encounter was, I’m still glad I got to fangirl with Faith over Hiromu Arakawa and Naoki Urasawa, of course. And I’m quite happy I got to hang out with Svetlana, Leisl Adams and Dennis Lo at the Bento Box table and talk about Bakuman among other things.

Randomly, I was interviewed twice on camera. Later, I realized it was just because I happened to have a corner table with lots of empty space for an interview set-up.  I’ll try to link to those if they ever pop up online but I’m sure I may have come across as a bit loony – I was super excited to be there, remember.

I also got to meet Jennifer Haines from The Dragon bookstore and was incredibly psyched to know she wanted to stock Polterguys books in-store. The Beguiling also ended up buying a few copies as well. I’m so happy these shops were so generous.

Awkward Moments!
And just so you know not everything was all sparkly, a lot of TCAF was me constantly battling my nervousness and general awkwardness around cool people. (It’s something I have to work on.) Here’s a few:

At the end of the show, I was standing in line to sell some leftover Polterguys books to the Beguiling. Yuko and Ananth asked me if I was the end of the line and even if I what I really wanted to say was, “No, but it’s cool since I know you guys, you can cut in front of me so we can talk about how awesome comics are and stuff.”  I pointed them to the line stretching out behind me and regretfully let the moment slip. I was not cool enough to let Johnny Wander cut the line! ;_;

I kept disappearing on people over the weekend, forgetting to say goodbye in situations and I feel like I should be sent to Kindergarten Socializing. I wasn’t trying to be rude on purpose!  I’m so sorry if I did this to you!

I butchered the name of Becky Cloonan’s new comic by asking how much was DEH-MEH-TUR and was told DEE-MEE-TUR was $7. Didn’t get to meet her because this was really late on Sunday afternoon. But I’m happy I finally have all her minis.

Final Thoughts
Over the weekend, I spent time with my Uncle and Aunt with whom I was staying with.  Because of that, I couldn’t really stay after hours and have long comicking and industry chats with anyone. It’s not to say I DIDN’T have any fun hanging out with family but I definitely felt a little torn about it. I also would have loved to make the party (any party!) but my sleep schedule got pretty messed up and I was wiped out by the end of both days.

I never have enough energy to properly stock my table with STUFF. I definitely have a space issue in my apartment and can’t hold on to a lot of inventory of anything so I’m very hesitant to make a lot of merchandise. I think this means that Kickstarter backers are going to be spoiled silly since I do want to make a ton of peripheral stuff to the series.

Finally, all this excitement over comics and seeing just how interested people are with the first volume of Polterguys is definitely a huge kick-in-the-butt. I can come up with great excuses why Vol. 2 hasn’t been seeing a lot of traction but they’re no good when I’m feeling the impatience myself. So, I promise. STUFF WILL GET DONE. SOON.

Click to purchase this PDF!

Quick post to share that my latest project the Polterguys Vol. 1 Special Features and Extras PDF is now complete and available for purchase at Gumroad!

Format: DRM-free PDF
Pages: 60
Stuff inside: Original Polterguys short comic, concept art, photos, illustrations, and articles about the publishing process of Polterguys Vol. 1
Price: $0.99

Hi guys, quick post to let you know that I’m up for a Best New Talent Nomination at the Stumptown Comic Awards! Voting lasts for just one week and it’s open to a popular vote. As long as you have a valid email address, you can participate. Check out the other awesome nominees, too!

It’s an honor to be up with such great names in the comics industry and I’m already happy to have just been considered.

3:10 to Yuma Promo Photos (via SolaceinCinema.com)

AS IN: Keep it Simple, Silly.

Everyone wants to write their sweeping 40-volume epic story with an ensemble cast of characters rivaling the likes of One Piece or Naruto. But that drive to clutter story with too many characters and too many cool elements is often a mistake of beginning writers. The true challenge is to simplify and distill the most important elements of the story and let those few bits shine through.

Take a story like 3:10 to Yuma. Now, I usually don’t watch Westerns. I just didn’t find them that interesting. But when I saw James Mangold’s 2007  remake with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe leading – I’ve finally included one in my Favorite Movies list.

The premise of this story is brutally simple but utterly compelling. One man needs to bring a convict to a train station but is having a hard time doing that. The movie was solid and I’m sure it’s because the screenplay was adapted from a short story by Elmore Leonard. Successful short stories often have a straightforward but still engaging narrative.

The goal is crystal clear, the audience knows what’s at stake is with both characters and the obstacles in front of them, all the more trying.

Are you having a hard time making people care about your story? Consider making it simpler and punchier instead of convoluted.

Do you agree/disagree? Sound off in the comments below!

Read this book over the last few weeks. And while I wasn’t that surprised over his findings, it did make me reflect on just how much my entire art career at this point has been fashioned from things I pursued on my own time (as opposed to things I learned in a formal class setting.) I picked up Photoshop, learned how to use a tablet, learned how to draw figures etc. because I thought it would be fun! As it turns out, that actually made my progress better. What a concept. Despite my lack of formal training, I feel I’ve been improving year after year because I’ve been focusing on getting better and mastering my craft. That’s been encouraging for me and I hope for all of you as well!  

The book is definitely an interesting read and I appreciated this set of principles Dan lays out on how to master any skill (comicking, making manga or anything else you can think of!) I just think that if everyone just remembers that artists don’t become masters overnight they’d feel so much better about the process of getting there. Don’t stress about it too much!

1. Remember that deliberate practice has one objective: to improve performance. “People who play tennis once a week for years don’t get better if they do the same thing each time… Deliberate practice is about changing your performance, setting new goals and straining yourself to reach a bit higher each time.”

2. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Repetition matters. Basketball greats don’t shoot ten free throws at the end of team practice; they shoot five hundred.

3. Seek constant, critical feedback. If you don’t know how you’re doing, you won’t know what to improve.

4. Focus ruthlessly on where you need help. While many of us work on what we’re already good at, says Ericsson, “those who get better work on their weaknesses.”

5. Prepare for the process to be mentally and physically exhausting. That’s why so few people commit to it, but that’s why it works.

That last bit might sound like a downer but it shouldn’t be. Stand out by excelling!

Why else would you undergo voluntary manual labor?

When I was a kid, I had a really hard time coming up with story ideas. Compared to my sister who seemed to come up with idea after idea effortlessly, I struggled to write up even a basic premise for a comic. I thought that was my shortcoming and that I just wasn’t creative or inspired enough.

It wasn’t until Polterguys came around and I asked myself why I was writing it that I finally started feeling like there was a fire lit under me. I was motivated not just because I thought the idea of a ‘ghost harem’ was cool but because I finally realized what I wanted to say with my work. I was constantly inspired by all these TV shows and books about strong women and I wanted to send back that same message out there. “Look at all these cool women being awesome!”

See creating something WELL takes a lot of time and effort. If you pursue it half-heartedly, it’s very easy to give up halfway. You’ll  hit that point in the process where you feel lost, discouraged and overwhelmed, and you’ll definitely need something substantial to carry you through. If you’re not even sure why you make art, it might take you longer to find your way out of the dark. I think having a purpose to your work, like a guiding star, helps re-orient your thoughts and energies back into the project.

If you’re passionate about your work, it also ends up showing in the end result. People want to support artists who bring something good to the table. They also want to feel like they’re getting something that could have only been made by you and your unique vision.

Do you agree? Have you thought about how your creative projects are meaningful to you? If not, what would you like your work to say?

This post is part 3 of my blog post series, How to Run a Successful Kickstarter for your Manga.

March Comics Art Forum at the Ann Arbor Downtown Library

If you happen to be in the A2 area this weekend, I’ll be giving a talk on How to Run a Successful Kickstarter for your Manga this Sunday March 3 1PM-3PM at the Fourth Floor of the Ann Arbor Downtown Library. (Also applicable to comics and other projects, really!)

It’s a pretty cool, laid back crowd. Should be fun. Say hello if you’re stopping by!

SIDENOTE: I’ve been totally preparing for this talk all week. And since I’m an anxious public speaker I decided to listen to this book, Nerve: Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool. It’s about how people keep calm under pressure (like public speaking) and it’s just AMAZEBALLS! I had so much fun listening to the audiobook. I highly recommend picking it up if you’re into non-fiction stuff like me.

The Accidental Creative Podcast

I’ve been listening to The Accidental Creative podcasts for the past few weeks and really enjoying the productivity tips and strategies Todd Henry shares in his audio posts and interviews with some pretty cool people like Seth Godin. In today’s busy and demanding world, creative people have to be brilliant, prolific and healthy to survive in the long-term but pursuing all three of those feels incredibly difficult!

There’s a ton of great info in his archives and I’m already eager to check out all the other books he recommends, too!

What a year, guys.

Here are just the highlights from 2012:
- created, crowdfunded and published my first book! (and people don’t seem to hate it! ^_~)
- Met Dan Harmon at the Community art gallery show which I participated in
- Started getting more serious freelance work for some reason. (I suspect it’s because of the new site design. Simpler, less intimidating.)
- Got interviewed and reviewed a few times

I’m so so happy I’ve been able to accomplish much of what I’ve set out to do and even though I stopped short of getting the books into physical stores (I ran out of energy from the move to Michigan.) It’s something I’m definitely planning for the second one.

For 2013, I’m stepping it up.
- Pursue art practice more aggressively (Take classes, and undertake regular creative challenges.) I want to level up constantly and create even better work in the immediate future.
- Write and start producing Polterguys Vol. 2 (Here we go again!)
- Blog regularly
- Come up with creative ideas and side projects. (I’m purposely keeping this vague because I already have a few in the burner. I just need time to execute.

I’m pretty excited for this. I hope you are, too?

Wanna share some projects you’re proud to have been a part of last year? What about your goals for this year? Please share them below! I’d love to hear from you.

This was the podcast I was on a few weeks ago with C. Spike Trotman. I’ve been blessed to have a penny-pinching partner so this topic is actually one that I’m quite familiar with. As a comic artist, it’s important to have a very good grasp of your financial situation because 1) if you’re freelancing, that’s of utmost importance and 2) if you’re going to be self-publishing and starting your own business, it becomes even more so.

I make some points about finding your own tribe which is a concept from Seth Godin’s book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us.

These are my favorite financial sites that I mentioned and don’t forget to check out Spike’s Poorcraft!

• Mint.com
• Outright.com
• Tuition.io
• StitchLabs.com