“I hate comic books, by the way. I don’t read them. Not anymore. But somehow, it always comes to me, so I just do it. It is a job after all. But I got no love for it.”I was surprised to get this email from Mr M, who I’ve been trying to convince to do a comic book project. If you ever see this guy’s work, it will blow you away. He’s a great artist!
Below is the rest of his email:
“Hate comic books and that includes manga, by the way. LOL! As you know, doing comics isn’t very profitable for artists (unless you’re already working for big time companies), but if you’re working here in the Philippines, you don’t get much. You do a lot to finish a page and yet, you get so little. Before, I did it for fun. But I’ve been doing this ever since I was 16 and it’s now become a chore. So I guess that’s where my hate for comics comes from. Given a choice, I'd rather not work in an art-related industry. But still draw for fun. Drawing for work has become too tedious for me and maybe that’s why I don’t enjoy it so much. Haha! My God, I've become so bitter. But no matter, work is work.”
I replied to him and said, a couple of years ago, I was corresponding with Mr N, who has drawn for American comic book companies and he said something similar. Although, Mr N did not say he hated comic books. He just said he was tired of drawing them. He wasn’t excited anymore. It had come to the point when it felt like a job.
I once asked Mr O, a published author, would he be willing to leave is day-job if he was given the chance to write stories all day. He said, he wouldn’t. Mr O’s point of view is, if he writes stories all day, it would eventually lose it’s magic.
During my first year in advertising, I’d get so upset and frustrated when my ideas were shot down or when it gets revised to death. Mr P, one of the writers, told me, “You know, it’s a job. Just get it done and leave it in the office when you clock out. Tomorrow, you get another Job Order. And it starts again.”
It’s good advice to help you keep sane in a work environment like advertising.
At the same time, I’d like to think that one should do things with a passion or not do them at all. Especially, when it comes to your most personal of works.
My brother Brandie lives and breathes advertising; that any moment can be edited into a 30-second commercial; any image or picture can be turned into a poster. He almost never “clocks out”. He’s almost always on the hunt for the next big idea. For him, advertising isn’t a job. It’s his passion.
And for some people, like J. Michael Straczynski, creating stories is their life. He said, “I love writing. I write ten hours a day, every day. You've got to do it for one reason: to not do it is suicide."
Diana Schutz, who’s been an editor at Dark Horse Comics since the 1989, said, “… think of all the people in the world who just collect a paycheck, and every day of their life, they’re not personally invested in what they’re doing—how awful is that? This is my life. Making comic books and helping creators realize their vision is my life. I love what I do. I’ve taken that childhood love of mine, and it’s become my career, my passion, and my joy. Who wouldn’t consider themselves lucky to have that?”
Yes, it would be great and lucky to have that.
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