Productivity and Motivation: David C Mahler and Darren Close

Part two of talking with self-publishing/small press cartoonists about productivity and motivation.

David C. Mahler is a young prolific Melbourne cartoonist, he seems to have a new mini comic out every few month, in a variety of formats, as well as featuring in recent anthologies Dailies and Victoria Drug Scene. David's tumblr.

Do you experience a drop in productivity upon completing a comic?

Not exactly. I'm a bit of a workhorse; at any one time I'll have 5 or so books in the works, which can range from 6 - 30 pages. As I work on a large number of projects at once, they do take quite some time to see completion, so maybe that's how I get around the dreaded productivity drop; I just take so long to complete any one thing. As well, I'm constantly noting down new concepts and dream projects…I'm starting to get worried I'll never have a holiday ever again. Generally if I finish a longer work I'll have a few days of rest where I'll work on more scratchy 1-2 pagers before starting the long uphill push once more. Oh, I will admit, I've actually caught myself taking mid-project breaks more and more. I'll wake up in the morning, sit at my desk with a stack of inked pages, a stack of panelled pages, and catch myself watching Bob's Burger's an hour later. And then it's lunchtime, and of course you have to eat lunch in front of youtube…I mean, that's just common sense…I never really acknowledged it before, but I guess my weakness is indeed the mid-project lazies!

Have you developed methods to deal with creative lulls?

Definitely just piling the projects on. If I know there's more to do I'll push myself harder to finish off the current comic, so I can go onto that next exciting project. I also make a point of discussing projects with, well, everyone. I'm worried it comes off a bit like boasting, but really it's a tactic I've found to commit myself to my work - I don't want to let anyone down! Every now and then a friend will ask something along the lines of "so did you give up on that 20 pager you mentioned last year?" and I'm basically always reassuring, "no no, it's sitting on my desk, the pencils are tight, any day now!!"
As far as the sneaky tv breaks, it generally gets to a point where I say "alright, I've finished one page in the last three days, yet I've finished two seasons of Lost. Time to get back to work! …After this episode…"

What do you consider the primary obstructions of your productivity?

Well, TV no doubt…I'm not the most social person - I've been shamefully known to cancel plans last minute because I'm just too deep in the zone. Really the only other obstacle I can recognise would be food, which makes me pretty darn tired. I realised a while ago that my most productive periods are the days I don't eat! What an awful double edged sword…don't worry, I don't starve myself for my art, but if I need to I can contentedly rock out a solid, meal-scarce 40 hours where I'll just whizz through 10-15 pages. I really do not recommend it.

Via his creation Killeroo, Darren Close has collaborated with a wide line up of Australian writers and cartoonists since it's initial appearance in the university magazine The Third Degree. Close has been active in fostering comics communities with his Ozcomics weekly draw-off and prior to that Ozcomics the magazine, co-edited with Mark Selan.
 
Do you experience a drop in productivity upon completing a comic?
 
Yeah, there's a period when you switch to "create mode" to "pimp mode" and everything else goes on the back-burner for a while - at least that's how it was with the GANGWAR one-shot last year. I moved heaven and earth to get it ready for Big Arse 2 - and then straight into online orders and gauging interest of stocking it at local comic shops. The next book didn't really get a look-in until most of the stock was sold.

Have you developed methods to deal with creative lulls?
 

Well for one I'll never rush a book to meet a deadline again. The GANGWARS ANTHOLOGY book has been a slow burn, generating and gauging retailer interest whilst it's still coming together, much better planning and NO rushed pages. Not soliciting the release date until it's READY is another handy tip.

What do you consider the primary obstructions of your productivity?
 

Probably facebook (and ozcomics). It's a great marketing tool but also a big drain on time and energy if you don't monitor it.

English Comics Daily Diversion: Wonder June 8th 1946

New Zealand Comics Shop Master list

The following list of comics shops in New Zealand was compiled by Kelly Sheehan, April 2013. I'll try and keep it up to date and a permanent page link on the right side menu of this blog for easy access. Updates are welcome from anyone in these localities.

North Island Shops

Arkham Comics, email, facebook, twitter, website, 09-625 6537 , Royal Oak Mall (upstairs near McDonalds) - Shop 45a/691 Manukau Rd, Royal Oak, Auckland, 
Hours: Mon-Wed 9am - 5.30pm, Thurs - 9am - 8pm, Fri - 9am - 5.30pm, Sat - 9am - 5pm
Sun - 10am - 5pm, Closed - Good Friday, Easter Sunday & Christmas Day

Graphic Novel Cafe, email, 09-303 3445 , 99 Shortland Street, Cnr of Shortland & Princes St, Auckland 1010 website, Hours: Mon-Fri: 10am - 7pm, Sat: 10am - 6pm

Retrospace, email, website, 09 486 0791 , 112 Hurstmere Road, Takapuna.

Heroes For Sale, email, website, 09-378 8414 , 582 Karangahape Road, Auckland, New Zealand 1141

Mark One Comics, email, website, twitter, facebook,  07 8393729 , 551 Victoria St Hamilton Central, Hamilton 3204, Hours: Monday – Thursday 9am – 5.00pm, Friday 9am – 6pm,Saturday 9am – 5pm, Sunday 10am – 4pm

Iconix, facebook, website, twitter, PO Box 654, Hastings. 4156 New Zealand

The Bad Cave , email, facebook,  06 3566779 , 86 Broadway Ave, Palmerston North, Hours: Tuesday 1pm- 6pm, Wednesday - Friday 11am - 6pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm


Graphic, Wellington , email or email , 04-384 2691 , 106 Cuba Mall Te Aro, Wellington 6011

South Island Shops

The Comic Shop, email, website, 03-684 9060 , 42 Stafford Street, Timaru

Comics Compulsion, email, website, 03 379 7866 , 58 Main North Road, Papanui,Christchurch. Hours: Monday-Thursday: 10am-5.30pm, Friday: 10am-6pm, Saturday: 10am-5pm, Sunday: 10am-4pm

Dunedin Comics, email, website

Jim Shepherd 1933 - 2013

Cover of the first Australian produced Phantom story written by publisher Shepherd with art by Keith Chatto.

English Comics Daily Diversion: Wonder July 6th 1946

Sunday Gem: Trace Hodgson - Nanosecond

 

Read 14 parts of Nano Second here, by one of New Zealand's finest cartoonists, Trace Hodgson.

English Comics Daily Diversion: Playbox 1,075

Productivity and Motivation: Simon Hanselmann and Brent Willis

This is the first of three posts surveying Australian and New Zealand cartoonists about productivity and motivation. I recall several conversations with comic folk regarding creative lulls and productivity impediments. Specifically with cartoonists that produce work at the self-published or small press level. With no onus on earning a living from their craft cartoonists with day jobs can be challenged to stay motivated and productive. Six cartoonists responded to a few questions regarding productivity, sharing advice and insight into their working methods.

Simon Hanselmann

Do you experience a drop in productivity upon completing a comic? 

No. I generally throw myself right into the next exciting thing on the pile. Like Don Rosa, frightful workaholism. Fear of death. Fear of mediocrity. Sometimes I obviously allow myself a treat and will melt onto the couch and focus on movies I've never seen before. Or perhaps I'll "charge sleep" for 24 hours and then do a 40 hour stretch of non-stop drawing. I do suffer from Depression and a cocktail of personal problems. That can shut me down sometimes... but not upon completion of anything. Usually in the middle of multiple things. I never rest on a completed piece. I look for the mistakes in it and move onto a new, hopefully better piece.

Have you developed methods to deal with creative lulls? 

A proven method! I say this into the mirror every morning and bedtime: "Don't be complacent, know that your newly finished work is awful and full of mistakes. Start a new project immediately. You suck. Your stuff is ugly. Fix it. Get better. Be funnier. Are you working as hard as you can on your embarrassing life choice? Be the best. Be aware of all of your "competitors". Be entertaining. Look beyond local pats on the back. Your friends are lying or are tasteless idiots. You need to be trying so much harder... Chris Ware, Beyonce, Michael DeForge, RuPaul.

What do you consider the primary obstructions of your productivity?

Family problems. Cool gigs. Cool friends. The aforementioned deep black pit of despair and anxiety. Self-hatred. Way too many emails. Beautifully directed films and television that demand to be paid full attention. Books. Keeping up with everything that's happening in the "Global Scene". Sleep. Preparing food. Bodily upkeep...

I endeavor to keep my responsibilities to anybody or anything at a bare minimum.

People who "know" me are generally used to me not leaving my house / "studio".

I have deadlines, real and self-imposed. I can't come to your thing. The clock is ticking. My body is decaying.

Brent Willis

The subject of comics and productivity is an interesting one. In New Zealand, and maybe in Australia as well, it's a very rare few that can make a living out of making comics and so most of us have to work either part time or full time, which has the effect of relegating our comics work as a hobby, which in turn means that we South Pacific comic makers aren't as productive as we'd like to be. For me, (and I'd say for a lot of other people as well) my day job is the main enemy of productivity. Five days a week, I have to wake up at six o'clock in the morning, rouse myself out out of bed, get ready for work, travel to work, work, and then get home which is usually about 6 o'clock or later if if I want to stop at the supermarket or see a movie or have a few after-work drinks on Friday. By which time I need an hour or two to chill out afterwards, eat some food and maybe watch tv for a bit.  I usually I don't bother doing comics after work, unless I'm feeling up to it, in which case I maybe do an hour or two, nothing too intense. 

I save most of my drawing for the weekend. I usually set aside at least one full eight hour day and one half-day. It's important here to do a bit of planning beforehand and to set realistic goals as to what you want to achieve for that day and if necessary, do some over time to complete what you intended. Even if you don't feel up to it you should still concentrate on your comic and be self-disciplined enough not to be distracted by anything else. And that's the other main enemy of productivity - everything else. TV, DVDs, Computer games, crosswords, newspapers, the internet, books, other peoples comics, other people, in fact everything that isn't your comic. That's why I prefer to do these things after work on the week-days when I'm not likely to be doing comics, that way I can fully concentrate on comics on the weekend. Also be careful of how much research you need to do for your comic, as you can end up spending too much time browsing the internet or reading books about other related topics, which don't end up being that useful to you. 

As far as the life-cycle of a comic and how it affects productivity, I find it easier to gain enthusiasm at the start of a project when its fresh and new and my motivation deteriorates around the middle of a project once I've been working on it for a while and I'm still a long way off finishing it. So this is when you need to stick to be at your most disciplined and stick to the schedule, and keep plugging away at it. Usually when I'm near to completing a project and I can see the end in sight, my motivation picks up. I find it better to stick to one project at a time. I've seen a few people getting distracted by other projects when their motivation wanes on their first project and end up with a bunch of unfinished stuff that never gets finished.