WELCOME, 2005…!!!
If there’s ANYTHING that living 41-plus years on this Earth has taught me, it’s that EVERY year is full of ups and downs. Life has it’s own way of making things interesting– and not always in the positive. But isn’t that, essentially, what life is all about…? Experiencing the lows WITH the highs– which gives us the insight to contrast the two… to learn and grow as individuals based on those very life experiences.
There have been a ton of great “BEST OF 2004” lists all over the “blogosphere” in the last couple of weeks, and with a little searching, you’ll be able to find them. So I’ll leave it to those other folks who are more insightful and articulate than myself to gauge what was the best of this past year in comics, movies, television, video games and everything else that vies for our entertainment-starved attention. We are most assuredly an ENTERTAINMENT BASED society, and I’m just thankful that there’s the variety out there to choose from, whether good or bad.
I think I’ll try to stick with stating a few resolutions for the NEW YEAR that I’d like to try to make happen. I’ve never been much of one for participating in that time-worn tradition– but for some reason, the numbers 2005 have a ring to them that makes me feel compelled to do so… I can’t really explain it any better. So, here are a few resolutions that have floated to the surface of my mind:
To take another step forward in my creative process. I feel as though I’ve been a bit stagnant for the past couple of years, art-wise. I’ve grown a bit in my actual DRAWING ability, I think– but I’d like to make an effort to expand my range in layout, pacing, storytelling– and yes, drawing as well. I’d like to perhaps experiment a bit more– and maybe get away from the traditional grid format I’ve worked in for so many years and add some design to my comics pages.
To try to make this blog more interesting and interactive. I’d like to add some “HOW TO” material on a regular basis. I’d like to show some examples of how I work out drawing the figure, how I see storytelling, how I convey motion, how I design a cover– things like that. I’d like to make this a blog that even MORE folks would make a regular visit on their daily (or weekly, depending on how frequent I can get things done for the site) web surf.
To find more time to draw for MYSELF. I’ve been so overwhelmed with my monthly deadlines in 2004, that I haven’t had any time to create for my own “inner child”–that child who still loves to draw his own stories and create his own characters. I’ve got a lot of ideas swirling in my head for stories/series/characters, and I’d like to start getting some of them down on paper.
To find more time to relax. I don’t get enough time away from the drawing board to rest my back (it’s in constant pain from hereditary back defects as well as the constant sitting at the drawing table). I’d LOVE to find the time to work on landscaping the yards– both front and back– of my home. It would be fun to be able to mold my rugged yards into something I could be proud of.
Well– those are just a few. I’m sure I could come up with a few more, but I’ve heard that it’s not good to have TOO MANY resolutions– it just makes it harder to follow through on ANY of them if they’re too numerous. So, to everyone who reads this– have a WONDERFUL NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION tonight, and a prosperous and joyful 2005!
Mike