Published by Joe on 10 Mar 2009 at 10:14 am
March 10, 2009
“This is the strangest life I’ve ever known.” - Jim Morrision

Lately I’ve been splitting my days with more work on my film, and then work on development of a new series.
It’s important to look beyond the overall concept to the production process it would take to produce the show. ( I talk about this in my book). Just like a designer of clothing needs to make the design work, but also have it so it can be manufactured for the price that it will be sold at. Same with books, toys, etc.
For two days I struggled with the background style. Some styles were really cool, but would take too long to paint in a volume environment. Try again. Try again. My studio became littered with paintings that were of no use, and tubes of paint that were dispensed on my palette then tossed aside.
I finally found something in the darkness of the night. It works. It’s able to be reproduced. But does it work with the characters on it? I scan it. Yes.
Okay. I like these characters, but they need to be simplified.
I’m often amazed at what a volatile life I lead. People live in your life. People die. Millions of dollars come and they go. Security is fleeting so I don’t even think about it anymore. I get angry at certain people in my life, and then realize I’m only robbing myself of the moment.
And all of these yin and yang moments help me realize how alive I am. And all of these experiences give a deep flavor to my art, my stories and my characters.
Thank God for volatility.
Jane on 10 Mar 2009 at 11:54 am #
I guess if daily life wasn’t open to aggravation, there would be a lot less art in the world. Maybe it’s just about channeling it properly. This post made me think specifically of characters like Ed Bighead: when someone can’t turn their frustrations into something meaningful, those frustrations turn them into someone bitter and beaten down. That character just came to mind for some reason.
It’s nice to hear you say that getting angry at someone really amounts to lost time. Although it’s inevitable that people will annoy one another, I try to think of every moment spent losing my patience with someone as a lost opportunity to enjoy their presence in my life.
Glad to hear you’re navigating your way through your projects!
Terry on 10 Mar 2009 at 8:56 pm #
-sigh- I know your pain. Shifting through things to see what fits what, calibrating, orchestrating, la de da.. what really sucks is when your finally done, and find out that you somehow outgrew your boundaries, or you have to change something major.
Or something major goes horribly wrong without you even noticing. @_@; (Unmatching details, forgetting to remove an outsourced character.. oi.)
… And really.. you know you love it. xP The weight of the struggle is always proportionate to the satisfaction! (… Almost.) I’m really one of those people that complains about a project coming apart, but love to fix it. (Most of the time.)
About getting angry at someone.. it’s not really how your spending time with them, sometimes just being there is enough.. As they say.. a cake, though sometimes sour, is still filling in the end. Indulge. ^_^
And hey, sometimes your just meant to endure. You always come out better in the end. “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”
Keep growin’, Joe!
Tommy on 18 Mar 2009 at 10:02 pm #
You made that mess?
AAre you still working on that Fish cartoon (I can help you with Casting if you like)