The Day After

I trust everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, at least those that celebrate it anyway. Mine was...well it didn't go as planned. In fact it totally sucked, but I have decided to not dwell on the negative any longer except in situations where it can't be helped in this blog. The blog has taken quite a negative slant lately and of course it's all my fault because it derives from how I'm feeling.

So, while a lot of my feelings haven't improved, how I represent myself has. I used to be a very positive person turning all negatives into positives, but given the events of the past year or so my positivity has been greatly challenged and nearly defeated. But alas, I had several small influences throughout the past 24 hours that resulted ultimately in somewhat of an epiphany, so I'm hoping that sticks and that I am able to pick myself up and march forward instead of standing still.

Now, all that aside I have a few topics I wish to discuss today. They're all kind of random thoughts, but ones that I am interested in, so here we go.

First of all, after reading Jason Berek-Lewis's account of a friend stating basically that people who had blogs were arrogant or egotistical it really got me thinking. If that were true then wouldn't having a website make one arrogant and egotistical as well? And yet in this modern society without a website you are not worthy of much attention or mention in the majority of the business world. As for individuals it's not quite there yet, but if you are going to be on the internet for any period of time beyond checking email, and if you regularly converse with others via the web then it's almost a necessity to have a website. And if you are showcasing any kind of talent then it's an absolute must, or at least to have a My Space account or something.

So why are blogs any different? I mean after all a blog is nothing more than an extension of a website that allows comments and conversation. It's really no different in concept than a website with a forum or contact link. So how can one surmise that you are arrogant or egotistical by having a blog.

And when it comes to someone in my position, being someone who has supposed skills to show off in the interest of getting noticed in the field of my choice and to more importantly simply spark conversation and interest in with and in others of a like mind and interests, it's a huge plus. Not absolutely necessary, mind you, but it definitely helps. So does that make me arrogant or egotistical? No. It makes me hungry. Not hungry for attention or acceptance, but hungry for interaction with people who share my passions. And with a lot of artists and writers the internet is the only place on a regular basis you can interact with like-minded individuals. I know in my personal life there isn't really anyone that gets the passion I have because they don't have it. So on that level I can't communicate with them as I would my peers.

Sure, I could post on ten dozen forums, and I do on many, but the advantage of a blog is that you really get to express yourself and talk about things that interest you without a lot of rude, hateful comments by a bunch of people who have nothing better to do than cut people down. Now granted, not all forums are like that, and on the ones that are not all posters are like that, but there are a LOT that are like that, and I could name specific forums as examples, but I won't.

So my conclusion on the matter is that blogs are a good thing, even if they do have a hint of self-promotion. Of course in my field if you don't self-promote you'll never be noticed. But most importantly they are a good thing because they bring together people who are passionate or at the very least interested about similar things. What do you think?

Second topic is podcasts. I have considered lately starting one of these up. Of course if you prescribe to the notion above that blogs are started by the arrogant and egotistical then podcasts must be the ultimate arrogance. But I'm guessing if you're reading this you probably don't think as such or why would you be reading one?

So my question on the matter is what do you all think of podcasts? Should they have a specific purpose or should they be similar to a blog in housing random thoughts, feelings or topics? How often should they be broadcast? Would anyone listen if I started one?

Then there are questions I have to ask myself. Do I have a reason to start one? Do I have enough interesting things to say to warrant one? What should I focus on? Should I use it for self-promotion, or promotion of the many sites I'm working with, or all of the above? Or should I strictly go teen drama and just talk about what I'm feeling on any given day? Again, what are your thoughts?

Shifting gears completely here, I read an article recently about the new X-Factor title in which it mentioned artist Ryan Sook (Arkham Asylum: Living Hell) who is the new artist of said title. This got me thinking about comic art and art in general and where it's headed in this modern era.

Let's focus on comics for a second. I have noticed a lot of comics deviate from traditional comic art over the past year or two. First with the insurgence of Anime and Manga resulting in Americanized manga, a hybrid style of superhero art mixed with manga which has rapidly become as common as Jim Lee style art in the 90's. Then with more cartoony styles surfacing here and there. And finally with dark, artistic styles that look nothing like your father's comic books.

And if you look at modern art a lot of it is also dark and very abstract, so this begs the question, where is art headed?

Once again, back to comic books. Now first off let me clarify that I am speaking unbiased right now, but I'll give my thoughts in the closing of the topic. But I was wondering merely from an onlooker's perspective, is there a point when art becomes too...artistic? Specifically in comics is there a point where comic art just becomes too abstract or is there a place for it? Does it depend on the mood of the story? Do as many people get behind alternative art styles as they do mainstream styles? And ultimately, does the art style take away or add to the story, and does it matter either way?

Same thing to a point in non-comic art. Is it too abstract nowadays, or is it right on the money? And is it really art (the abstract stuff) when anyone can slop paint on a canvas that looks like a mess, add a catchy title to it and be vague about its meaning to garner attention and cash? How do you differentiate between the pretenders and the real artists who pour their souls into their art?

And finally, does this darker, more abstract style of art say anything about our current society? Is it that we are more intelligent these days and can find the deep meanings in this enigmatic paintings? Or is it that we are becoming so dark and misguided that we find comfort in these twisted perceptions?

A lot to ponder there. My personal thoughts are undetermined largely. However I will say as far as comics I am more a fan of realistic art, but I do appreciate good art in other styles, and if it does fit a story then I'm all for it. But a lot of times I think not so good artists (and I could name quite a few) get the big jobs because their style is so different and not necessarily because they are good. In fact many don't have any grasp whatsoever on perspective, anatomy or storytelling, yet some of them have worked on the largest of books.

And in modern art I am actually a fan of abstract art, and that half encourages me and half disturbs me. LOL. I don't know, the jury's still out. What are your thoughts?

And the final topic of the day, or at least for the moment is about websites. Yep, I'm shifting back for the closing topic.

Currently I am working on a new web design for Midnight Studio Comics and a lot of comments have come up concerning what features and bells and whistles to have, what not to have, arguments over flash, and much more. The creators of the studio are all chiming in with their thoughts, which is what myself and the studio owner wanted, so it really got me to thinking. But rather than telling you my thoughts on it I figured I'd sort of survey you all to see what you thought about what an effective comic studio's website should have, shouldn't have and what would attract you to it and keep you coming back. So basically I'm just going to post a grocery list of items and you can expound on your thoughts about each of them or the ones you like, or the ones you don't like, or whatever. Basically it's just to get the thoughts going. After hearing all of your thoughts I'll clue you in on my preferences and things I agree with and disagree with after talking to a lot of people about it.

Flash (whether a completely flash site, or just a flash menu, or banners, or what have you)
Intros (whether they be full intro pages (flash or not) or intros that immediately take you to the main page, or whatever)
Navigation Bar (in terms of size, placement, what links to have, etc.)
Content (in terms of what a comic studio should have, from news, to updates, to previews, overviews, info on creators, etc.)
Design: Simple vs Complex (Simple being something like www.pulptheatre.com, www.arcanastudio.com or www.darkhorse.com, and complex (as complex as we'd want to go) being something like www.marcsilvestriart.com, www.nicitadesigns.com (any), or www.stormbringers.com)
Levels (in terms of navigation - what links to what, etc.)

I could sit here for and tell you my thoughts, good and bad, on all of the above, but I'd rather hear what you have to say.

So that's it for now. No negative stuff in there, or at least not much. Not much positive either, but at least it's interesting topics which will hopefully lead to good conversation, which is why I'm here.

B-Out