Today was a weird day, in fact it marks again my long rants, to be honest I still have this feeling of not opening that much over here mainly because I know from past experiences what is to be crystal in a public medium like this.
I am quite happy with myself since long time ago, I guess as time passes by you adquired that wisdom to understand your moves but at the same time you get in notice that many things around changed and you are in an impass following your path but not meaningful changes.
I have learned many things over the years but basically I can state 3 for now according to what happened to myself today.
*I am a loyal person and opinionated as I get older but I am quite happy for the friends I had gathered in this medium and in my life.
*I accomplished something called "not strings attached" for me is quite simple to understand when a job or a person is out of my life and not for that to make a big drama for the absence of someone or a missing opportunity but at times I really wonder if that way of thinking is not affecting me in a personal level.
*If I do not have anything good to say about a person I rather keep it to myself, a person did something really stupid today but I learned karma is a bitch and eventually everything will unveil by itself and show him the real and inner sad person He is.
Guys there are some simple rules I learned over the past years DOING COMICS.
DO NOT WORK FOR FREE (Give at least a valuable cost or price to you own work, craft or ability,to work for exposure or because you can get your work printed somewhere, will affect you in the long run). You deserve something for all the time and effort You put over each page or illustration.
YOU ARE NOT ENTINTLED TO SAVE THE DREAMS OF OTHERS (People approach you at times promising things that are not even real, sad but true if you want to live from comics you GOTTA have another income way while you hit big, thing that maybe I am not doing myself because I have nothing big to risk but please do not expect to start earning tons of money in comics, many friends now are just dissapointed or used the medium as a trampolin to work in another related kind of media, or wisely moved to other fields).
BE DISCIPLINED IN YOUR CRAFT but be wise to pay attention to all the areas of your life, from my own experience I am quite happy (not satisfied) with my work by now but my discipline has affected my personal life, just be sure you are not putting all the oranges in one basket as I am doing.
RESPECT YOURSELF AS AND ARTIST TO RESPECT OTHER ARTIST, you can apply this in all your life areas).
DO NOT HELP OTHERS IF YOU ARE NOT HELPING YOURSELF (probably the same from the lines atop, the point is that you can give when you are full, be straight to say you can not help and if you are decent enough give a reason why).
AND THE BASIC ONE:
DEFINE IF THIS COMIC STUFF FOR YOU IS A HOBBIE OR IS A VOCATION, If you are not planning to become professional do not waste the time of other professionals or If you are not really commited to do it as a professional do not waste your time and the time of others asking how to break in, if you decided that this Comic thing is a hobbie just enjoy it for the sake of it and draw and draw for the pleasure of it.
This professional medium is really harsh and if you want Success you need to risk and sacrifice a lot, truth is that to hit big is based on your quality and a big amount of luck to find the right editor or person who can give you work.
DO NOT CRAP WHERE YOU EAT.
BE NICE DO NOT BE A BITCH, Karma works in mysterious ways.
IF YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL ACT AS ONE.
LEARN TO SAY "NO" (I learned this important lesson from Renato ;), thanks amigo )
Be good!
JESUS ANTONIO
