You'll notice that for a little while now I was very quiet here on blogspot.com, facebook and various other platforms. Well I won't bore anyone with all of the stuff that was and still is bouncing around in my head but what I will talk about is what got the cobwebs and dust bunnies jumping around.
Okay, hold on to your undies people.
Back in September, I was appearing at the Comic Con in Montreal and there were so many things happening at the same time, almost too many things. This is something that I've learned to live with. When you're an independant artist that promotes your own work, things can get really hectic very quickly. There was also a major decision I had to make a few weeks before the Con and while I was incredibly stressed out and things really didn't go my way on the first pass. So, instead of getting all upset and blaming what was going on on other people I had decided to find a way out of the box I was now placed in. I found a solution quickly and not only did the solution prove to be a good idea, it also helped me get my name out to some people that have never heard it or seen my work before. This showed me that by my finding a solution to the problem that had presented itself, everything ended up working out on a positive note. I had refused to admit defeat and found a way to get what I wanted, on the date I needed it for and I also ended up with a few more contacts that I would never had met if my bad luck hadn't befalled me. The point of all of this by now if you haven't gotten it yet is this:
When things don't go your way, don't look for a scapegoat, find a solution and get the job done. Everyone involved will not only be impressed by your willingness to solve the problem but you just might end up learning a thing or two.
By the time I had arrived at the Con, something else happened while I was prepping for the doors to open. My case that I used to bring all of my gear for each Con, the zipper got stuck and I had no choice but to rip the case open. In effect rendering it useless but I was able to get all of the books and my other stuff out before the Con started. The good point outweighed the bad and I'd deal with the problem I created later. Much later. I didn't even let this affect my mood for the Con. I set up my table and got ready.
At this point I had no idea that one of my childhood idols Neal Adams was going to be at the Con. I actually found out as I was setting up when I saw the banner with his name on it just 20 feet from where I was sitting. Then as I looked in front of me I saw the 60's Batmobile was stationed not even 10 feet and I DO MEAN RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. To the left was the De Lorean from The Back To The Future movies. As I was drinking this all in mR. Adams stopped by my table and started perussing my work. He just looked over my display books and smiled, didn't offer any tips or critiques like I had heard he done with a few other artists that had met him in the past. He then begged me for an 11 x 14 inch page to do a Commission on, of course I considered this a huge compliment and told him he didn't even have to beg, I'd gladly give him the page. I mean it's Neal Adams.
After the 2nd day and as the Con was winding down I wanted to actually go and say hi and talk to my idol. As we were talking I realised that he had a very strong character and he even said that some people didn't know how to react to his outspoken nature or just how he talked generally. He did take me by surprise I do have to day. After I had signed a copy of Optimum Wound Volume 1 for him and had given it to him, he thanked me and began looking it over. After flipping through the book, he looked up at me and smiled. He basically said that he was always a bit dissapointed with a lot of the artists that were in the industry that never did creator owned projects and played it safe with the big guys. However he felt that we at Optimum Wound got "IT". He then proceeded to tell me that if I drew less than 14 hours a day that I was an asshole. This last part threw me for a loop. I had just felt like I had gotten gut punched but at the sametime I had also felted very elated.
It was a weird feeling.
There was now a lot of stuff I needed to figure out. I needed to pull back. Now I'm back and while I can't tell you guys everything, this upcoming new year will be very interesting.
Draw your own conclusions for yourself.
