MY LIFE IN BOXES

The last month has been one giant rollercoaster. Every week another climb, loop, and then race towards the next hill. And just like a rollercoaster, I’ve been smiling, laughing, and screaming the whole way.

Let me catch you up…

At the beginning of the month I was running a room for an upcoming LEGO show. I had some of the best, brightest, and funniest writers in the room pitching ideas, and breaking story at top speed before I was off on my next adventure.

NEW YORK COMIC-CON!

What an event.

It felt like a giant party, and this time, I knew a lot of the guests!

It’s also where we announced that I’ll be writing the upcoming comic book - FLASH GORDON! I’m excited to explore this pulp sci-fi character and take him on adventures that span the universe.

And even though that was really cool, my highlight was meeting Frank Miller! I just about lost my mind.

David Pepose (writer of Moon Knight, Punisher, among other things) and I were allowed a moment with the great one, and he was wonderfully chatty, answering our silly fan questions and indulging us gushing about his work.

THEN I was off to Dallas…

where I had a lovely time catching up with my former boss and all time legend, Alan Burnett. Alan is always great fun, and even though he’s “retired” he’s busily co-writing a great Batman book for DC called the “Batman the Adventure Continues” which is a continuation of the Batman the Animated Series that he sheperded in the 90’s.

THEN I flew to London for MCM Comic Con!

What a fantastic city. Not only did I bum around, taking in the historical sights. I went and saw the play version of Back to the future!

It’s a fun play, but it made me want to watch the movie more than anything. You realize during the course of the production how singular Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and the rest of the cast were in their original roles. Everything else is just trying to mimic the magic.

I also went to an evensong mass at Westminster Abbey… which is always transcendent.

But my favorite part of the trip was meeting up with my friend Randall Wallace who was in town. We ran around London seeing the sights such as Winston Churchill’s Bunkers among many other things, all while telling stories and having an epic time.

And if ALL that wasn’t enough, I headed home to pack boxes, for the Adams family, after spending most of my life in the west side of Los Angeles, have moved… to the valley (prayers are appreciated.)

CRAFT TIME

I was recently on a wonderful podcast called “SCREAMING INTO THE HOLLYWOOD ABYSS” where I talked about failure and adversity in Hollywood - you can give it a listen HERE

This is a bigger piece of the “craft” that we don’t talk about that often.

This job is hard.

Not in the labor aspect (though there are times) - but in the constant rejection, critics, egos, lack of money, insecurity, comparison to others, all sorts of things that accompany a life in the arts.

And because it’s your art. Your expression. It all feels … personal.

Here’s my advice for your…

Find ways to manage it now. Find ways to talk about it. To defeat it. Learn the strategy of self preservation today, because it will just be harder tomorrow.

For me, that means talking with people in the industry, and hearing their “Experience, strength, and hope.”

You aren’t alone. And when you realize your story of hardship is not uncommon in this industry it somehow makes it easier to live with.

Find someone to confide in.

A hype man. A shoulder to cry on. For me, that’s my wife. She’s everything. Without her I would have washed out, or worse, self destructed a long time ago.

Know that it’s beyond your control. There are so many moving parts to this business that have nothing to do with you. Let go and let God. I am a firm believer in prayer and my religion really digs me out of the pit of self doubt and self pity.

So there you go. Go forth and work at taking it all in stride.

Well, this isn’t Ninja related… not really, but here’s a pic of my family and I for Halloween… which is something we did inbetween all this other insanity.

Remember - Keep writing!

Jeremy