I just wanted to speak on a few things for a moment that I find interesting. Just some thoughts, opinions.
As a writer I've heard criticisms such as "The dialogue seems stilted" as I've heard other writers get the same critique. It's understandable; however, I think it's interesting because often times in real life, all of our dialogue, speaking, and language in general seems stilted. I didn't think about this until recently when I was having a conversation with someone and it hit me that "I'm sure if we wrote this real life conversation down verbatim it would be referred to as 'stilted'." It's like when a real life event is written down and someone reads it to say "Eh, it doesn't seem realistic. This would never happen." The same goes for when you write dialogue that's word for word a conversation that had taken place and someone says the same thing "Not realistic. No one would ever say that."
It's interesting what our minds perceive as realistic when it comes to reading and writing versus the actual realism of everyday life.
Another thing I wanted to hit on is art critiques I've seen. I've spent time on these Facebook pages where comic book writers and artists meet and whatnot. A lot of times an artist will post a drawing piece of a character and then the comments section is filled with people telling them what they need to fix. I understand your peers giving you advise, I do; but some of them struck me as odd. I've seen on several occasions someone post art of a character clearly NOT HUMAN, whether they're alien, mutant, or some other super-powered being and they get critiqued on the anatomy. I've seen people say "You need to study anatomy. They don't look realistic." The image is met with several different variations of this criticism and I often feel I'm the only one looking at the art piece with common sense, thinking "It's not human. It's completely made up. Of course it doesn't look realistic; it's an alien from another world with three arms." But because the shoulders and hips aren't set as an average person, these GOOD artists are told (and sometimes quite harshly I might add) that what they're doing is wrong and what they're imagination says is wrong. If a character is of a race that doesn't exist in reality, who are people to say if they look wrong?
Imagination doesn't have an anatomy.
The last thing I wanted to talk about is money. First of all, I grew up with a passion for creating; it's something I always wanted and always did, creating things. It's in my blood. I think about it more than anything else and I'm finally getting to do so for a living (it's a slow start but it's a START). Second, I understand completely the want and need to be paid for your art. Sure, I post stories and other things on here but of course I have a book out I'd love people to buy as well as more projects coming. So, yes, I get wanting to be paid for your work. HOWEVER... With that being said, I've never thought about getting into writing (comics, screenplays, books, whatnot) or various art projects for money. Most of my ideas, I've often been told, are too weird or unsellable, not franchises or merchandisable, what have you. I love my ideas, of course. I create things because I get an idea and, no matter how zany or even how boring it seems to other people, I want to see it done. I've spoken before about doing it for you, the artist.
Anyway, on the same Comic Book Writers & Artists pages on Facebook that I talked about in the paragraph above, something I'd seen quite a bit (haven't been on there in some time, but I'm assuming it's the same as it was for the while I was checking it out) was money talk. Again, I understand wanting to be compensated for hard work. I get it. But something I was seeing actually all too often were artists were spending more time talking about rights and money than they were art, be it the process, the love, the thought, the passion, ideas, etc etc. It probably doesn't bother you all like it bothers me, but when I'm trying to connect with other creators, I can't think of anything more of a killjoy than jumping into a discussion of money. There are some out there who love to talk about these things; who live and breathe art as I do and so many others like us. But then there are some who are great at what they do (writing, drawing, etc) who are more interested in what art can do for them instead of vice versa. Ask not what art can do for you but what you can do for art. Most of us get into a creative field not only because of the love of it but because they want to make a difference and leave a mark. Others are just using a God-given talent to leave a mark (albeit temporarily) on their wallets. When you speak more on rights and money than you do the Arts (and its variants) than you cross over from being an artist to a businessman/woman. Imagine the difference between a financier or producer and a perfomer or artist. It's like different dog owners: Is it your best friend and part of the family or are you more interested in having the papers on your purebred to enter it in the next show for the chance for "Best in Show"? When you have a baby, you wait and nurture pregnancy before you get your bundle of joy - you don't get it upon conception, so why should it always be expected of another labor of love such as art? If you really love your art (not just USE a gift for such) than the money will come; but some people are more interested in the briefly filled pockets of the Right Now than they are in the happiness and longevity through patience.
If you're only getting into a creative world simply and truly for the money, you're not an artist; you're just someone using your talents for a job, not a career, not passion, not need, but a job like any other. No different from a bagboy at the grocery store, could be the best bagger ever - everything's packed tightly, nothing's smashed, even walks it out to your car, and probably gets Employee of the Month - but it's not their passion, not what they live and breathe, it's just using those talents for a paycheck. Money in, money out. Make a difference. Leave a mark. A real artist is permanent, not temporary. It's inside you, it's YOU, not just something you CAN do.
I know some people don't agree and that's fine, we're all entitled to our opinion.
Me, personally? I'd rather live for something I love which is why I enjoy my struggles as a writer more than I enjoyed my steady paycheck as a factory worker.
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