Perk at Work

Time is a precious commodity nowadays. As I get older (and hopefully wiser) I am finding that there’s a lot to be said about focus. There are only so many hours in the day. There’s no use in trying to cram as much into the day if it leaves us uncomfortable or, even worse, injured. Unfortunately, some of us are addicted to such a practice. I confess that I am.

Recently I have had an epiphany: if I don’t have enough time to do any particular task, I need to either A) not do it, or B) eliminate something from my schedule. Right now I have every square inch of time real estate eaten up. I even block out time to try to relax. I find myself scheduling friends in like clients. There’s no spontaneity in that. And friendships are best when there’s a healthy dose of spontaneity. So I’m peeling back. Hopefully this will allow me to focus on those two strips, not just with the quality of the strip, but with getting the word out too.

Speaking of quality, you may have noticed that I’ve been adding some grey to the strips. All this is done with my brush and ink (and water for the gray). Also, I’m adding more detail. The final result is a truly attractive piece of artwork. The downside is that this process is taking more time than I have carved out for it. So I’ve been falling a bit behind. Solution? Two strips a week. I may not have as many strips at the end of the year but I’m realizing that it’s not about quantity but about quality. In addition, the only guy I’ve got breathing down my neck to get stuff done is me. Sorry, boss, I need more time.

It all comes down to why I or anyone does comic strips to begin with. It’s a form of communication and, in my case, also something that HAS to be done. By that I mean that, if I’m not doing the strip, it’s eating at me. Most artists know that feeling.

I hope to continue providing smiles and laughter. I appreciate all of you who visit Perk at Work and I look forward to more fun in 2011.

Thank you and have a great day!