TO KNOW ONESELF...

UPDATES!

GREEN LANTERN 11 is coming out next week. First up, let’s watch a rather chaotic unboxing of it, shall we?

THIS IS WHAT I DEAL WITH!!! lol

Now, if that’s not enough to get you to go out and procure a copy, how about the preview.

Carolsayswhatnow?

ABOUT LAST WEEK

Last week was Free Comic Book Day and I had a great time hanging out with Joe Casey at Winnetka’s Collector’s Paradise. That dude is awesome. He’s one of those guys you just know has stories ontop of stories. I intend to pry them loose

Lots of people came through and picked up FLASH GORDON 0, for which I am very grateful.

It’s the prelude to the series beginning in July and it’s going to be a fun ride.

CRAFT SERVICES

“Know yourself at first and then others. To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.” - Hapkido Tenet 8

I’ve been a head writer a few times for different projects, whether it was Monkie Kid or the upcoming seasons of Lego Dreamzzz.

It’s a lot of work. Writing, rewriting, notes, notes, and more notes.

But one of the best parts of the job is “running the room,” that is, breaking story after story after story. Mining ideas for the gems that will glitter when they’re shown on the screen.

It also feels a lot like threading a very small needle of wants and desires from your employer with a thread that is made up of many, MANY opinions and ideas from magical, creative people who don’t always agree on what they want.

It’s a massive mental exercise of imagination and problem-solving that, at times, can get weirdly heated (weirdly because this is all fiction, after all), and then a second later, turn hysterical as someone does an incredible Werner Herzog impersonation that sends you down a rabbit hole of insanity.

To be clear - IT IS INCREDIBLY FUN.

BUT…

Even though I feel like I’m good at this. That this is the perfect outlet for the endless stream of ideas that bounce around in my head. The day usually brings out some things inside of me, that I just wished…wasn’t there.

I’ll be laying my head down to sleep and I’ll get kind of a REPLAY of the day. In that replay, while patting myself on the back for the work accomplished, I notice other things… things I don’t particularly care for. Maybe I held onto my opinions a bit too stubbornly, or that joke was too crass, or I dismissed an idea too quickly…

All my foibles show up to curb the ego and challenge the soul.

So, here is the lesson.

Self-reflection.

Don’t be afraid to ask yourself the tough questions about…YOURSELF. Are you actively listening during the day? Are you being empathetic? Are you being the best version of the writer they hired?

Now, don’t overanalyze…that way leads to madness. Analysis can definitely lead to paralysis, as they say, so don’t let it cripple you into inaction. Instead, let it help you grow as a human and as a collaborative writer.

For me, I kind of let all those “mistakes” play out in front of me like a fuzzy tv show and I am its passive observer. Removed. A critic with nothing at stake.

I try to think about the WHYS of how I acted a certain way and then start to think of action plans on how to avoid those issues the next day.

If you were cranky, you could not eat enough protein in the morning. If you were frustrated with someone not pitching any ideas, you could ask that person questions directly. Think of the parts of the day that made you feel…less than, and try to explore why that was, and then maybe you’ll figure out a way to avoid it next time.

In a world that will give you EVERY excuse to blame EVERYONE and EVERYTHING else (which may be true in some cases) for your problems, I implore you to take a breath and stare into the mirror of the mind and find out if you might have had a hand in some of them.

The sooner you can face up to those “weaknesses,” the better you’ll be as a person AND as a collaborative member of the entertainment world.

Remember…

YOU will be the best teacher of YOU.