Are you great at seeing potential in projects and people but you lack follow-through? Maybe you find it easy to start things and inspire others to do the same but you’re haunted by a long history of unfinished projects and broken promises?
Or are you productive, dependable and great at finding more efficient ways to do things but you often lack initiative when it comes to your own projects and relationships?
Discovering where we land on a Dreamer/ Doer spectrum is often the first step in identifying our own strengths and weaknesses. By identifying our strengths and weaknesses we can become happier, more productive and more fulfilled, creative people.
It’s Not That Simple:
No artist is completely one or the other.
In my near-decade of experience working with, teaching and mentoring artists in many areas of life (both professional and personal) and of varying levels of experience (complete newbies to animation industry vets), I’ve found that creative individuals tend to possess strong Dreamer or strong Doer qualities. Our individual strengths tend to land closer to one end of the spectrum or the other but we are, of course, unique individuals.
I present this simplistic framework (the Dreamer/ Doer spectrum) to simplify the process of identifying our own strengths and weaknesses. I hope to generate many conversations here and in your own interactions with others about personal strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, I hope this framework and the insights it can provide will deepen our happiness, fulfillment, productivity, creativity and relationship with one another.
Are You A Dreamer?
Dreamers are visionaries. We are great at starting things, generating ideas, questioning the system and inspiring others. We identify potential in others and we are great at finding opportunity.
We are not intimidated by risk and we tend to have pretty high self-esteem. We are generally very positive people who attract positive people and the resulting positive vibes feed our visionary mindsets.
But Dreamers tend to lack follow-through because once the buzz of the vision phase has passed, we lose interest and are tempted to move on. We might even act before a vision is fully realized, writing checks with our mouths that our bodies can’t cash. We can get people excited to work on something even when we haven’t really thought it through and only after several reality checks do we realize it was just our own “flavor of the week” and we can’t deliver what we thought we could. At our worst, we Dreamers can litter the ground with broken promises after our floods of inspiration quell.
Do you find yourself starting lots of projects and never finishing them? Do you commit to too many things and get spread too thin? Is your stress level way higher than your level of productivity? It probably means that you’re a Dreamer.
You need to meet my friend The Doer…
Are You A Doer?
Paper Wings Apprentice Matt Scheuerman Is A Consistent, Focused "Doer"
Doers are dependable, consistent and focused. They are great at finishing things. They tend to have their work lives and personal lives in balance and they often have very healthy, realistic perspectives on the “doability” of projects.
They don’t get spread too thin with commitments and they tend to be good decision-makers.
They might have fragments of ideas for a personal project but it’s difficult for them to form a far-sighted, cohesive vision to follow. They might lack vision and rely too much on others (Dreamers) to determine their own sense of purpose. At their worst, Doers can get stuck in a mental cycle of cynicism and disappointment.
Do you find yourself lending your doer gifts to others but find it difficult to initiate? Do you feel like a slave to the structural environment of your day job and find it difficult to go “off the map” and innovate? Are you of risk-averse or shy? You might be a Doer.
A Dreamer’s raw ambition and fearless momentum might be just the thing you need to get out of your creative rut.
Collaborate Or Converse:
Creator-owned content is often a solo effort but we could do more to apply the perspectives and lessons of other creatives with complimentary strengths. Invite the voice of the other type into your process. If you’re a Dreamer, it’s good to surround yourself with Doers and vice versa.
Neither of the extremes is entirely healthy. Both Dreamers and Doers must rely on one another to attain a healthy balance, professionally and personally.
This Is Where It Gets Dangerous:
You could discover that you possess strong Dreamer or strong Doer qualities and then spend the rest of your creative life trying to become the other type. That impossible pursuit will only lead to further frustration and disappointment.
My advice? You do have to learn from the other type thus strengthening certain areas where you are weaker but you will also drive yourself crazy trying to become the other type.
You benefit from knowing whether you’re more of a Dreamer or a Doer, yes, but you also benefit from bringing people of the other type alongside you to challenge you, to grow you and to complete you.
Take Action:
If you’re a Dreamer then you need Doers who aren’t cynical but will ask you hard questions about the “doability” of a project. You need Doers to question your commitment to a project and to help you assess what a project will cost in money, time, emotions, relationship and energy. Doers will keep you focused to the finish.
If you’re a Doer, you should surround yourself with Dreamers who can help you realize a broad, cohesive vision for your own ideas. You need Dreamers to ignite your passion and to constantly remind you of your potential and unique talents. Dreamers can help you pick a destination and you can chart the path. Dreamers will help you find your own identity outside of your day job or your upbringing etc. and they will inspire you to take risks.
Where do you land on the Dreamer/ Doer spectrum? Write down three people who have complimentary strengths and invite them into your circle of trust.
COMMENT & SHARE:
Examine the chart above.
Which of these strengths and weaknesses do you possess? What other strengths and weaknesses do you possess?
Where do you land on the Dreamer/ Doer spectrum?
What qualities do you need to learn from the other type and what types of people do you need to join with in collaboration?
{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }
man, I love this site! Bravo again guys
Wow great post! I just happened to stumble on to Paper Wins by linking around to a bunch of different blogs. So much great and encouraging content! This post in particular really made me think. I would have labeled my self more of a doer, but after reading this and some of the replys I think there might be a little bit more dreamer in me than I give my self credit for. Of course I see the negative traights of both in myself more than the positive! I feel like I often have trouble bridging the gap between the dreaming and doing. I can get into dreamer mode or doer mode, but the two seldom exist together on one project. I have long list of projects that I’ve started and fizzled out on, and I also have many completed projects that are have lost almost all of there initial vitality.
Anyway, thanks so much for what you guys are doing. Knowing you’re not alone is so encouraging! I don’t have much contact with other artists so stuff like this means so much!
Great discussion guys! I love this: “taking on personal projects you may not think your ‘ready’ for” really helps with artistic growth, which is something I’m learning as well as many people here. Comics are great for that.
Storytime! Haha. I am such a Dreamer, it’s a bit ridiculous. I’ve been one as far as I can remember.
One instance that stands out in my mind is in second grade when my best friend and I decided to write and illustrate a large series of tales surrounding our character “Mr. Banana.” This was going to take us places and becoming a best selling series. I still feel guilty for not going through with it (we made a few short stories, but nothing to the extent we wanted). Another time was when I was in 5th grade, perhaps, and I decided to animate the entire “Secret Garden” book, using cell shading animation of course, on plastic sheets. I got two cells finished.
I never completed these and other projects to any amount of significance, but I guess that all this enthusiasm and craftiness helped me end up somewhere pretty cool when I was able to focus it.
I never amassed any awesome anthology, unlike my brothers, who are complete Doers. They have binders and binders full of hilarious Sonic the Hedgehog comics they wrote and illustrated since they were very young. The guilt I feel for not having as much to show for my ideas is something I’ve felt my whole life.
HOWEVER, you can always learn to use your traits to an advantage. Here’s a good article on structured procrastination (on the front page): http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/. I’ve definitely found having a list and small goals help to increase productivity, which we’ve used in the apprenticeship program here, by sharing tasks on sites and apps like Wunderlist.
Hello Paper Wingers! I learned about this blog via The Dreamer a while ago, and I’m currently going through the podcasts and blog posts. I may be a little late, but I feel that this is as good a post to start on as any! It really touches on my primary issues with starting a webcomic. I’m currently a university student (which keeps me plenty busy) and I’ve been working on developing a webcomic for the past year or so. My problem is that I am 100% dreamer. I can’t count how many projects I’ve started, and even gotten far into, only to then lose my creative momentum and pounce on the next idea that comes along. Now, there are some projects that I’ve been consistent with over the years, but I’ll always work really hard on them for a time, then let them fall aside, only to come back to them later. I realize that this isn’t something I can do with a webcomic. Which makes me wonder if I should even try, knowing that I’ll likely stop in the future. So (using information from this blog!) I gave myself a small, attainable goal – to create the 20 page-or-so backstory for one of my characters. I’m going to keep working with small goals like that to test my commitment to the project. And we’ll see where it goes from there! Maybe I’ll bring out a little of my doer side.
A really great analysis. I love reading things like this because it gives me a lot to think about with my art and working style. I wouldn’t have thought of the two categories of Dreamer and Doer, but I can definitely see how myself and friends from school could fit into the two.
I think I definitely lean closer to the dreamer side. I love starting projects, generating ideas and concepts, but I always feel like I don’t have time to finish and get stressed out too quickly. I can finish a project, but it probably takes a lot longer than it should..
I really wish I could surround myself with other doers in a more immediate way. I moved overseas, so a lot of my fellow artists are miles and hours away, so it’s hard to really get any feedback aside for the occasional FB comment :/
But I’ve been following some of you guys’ advice from an earlier piece about setting goals, and that’s actually helped me get more work done, so I don’t feel like all hope is lost
If I can get back stateside, I’d like to surround myself with more focused artists, who can help me set and keep realistic goals. Hopefully they can lend me a little productivity too ;D
Great post on personal assesment. I’m near the edge of the DOER-side of the scale, somewhere between the “E” and the “S.” I think the only Doer weaknesses I don’t have are Lack of Vision and Shortsightedness.
Totally late to the conversation here! Love this idea and the graphic that you came up for it, Chris. I’d say at this point in my life, I’m a Doer. I think I shift between these modes quite often.
I get in the Dreamer mode when it comes to conceptualizing and developing a project. At the beginning of a project, I find myself much more loose and inspired. Once I start DOING the project, I become a Doer. At that time I lack the initial inspiration that I once had begins to fade, and becomes more work-like. It’s then that I have put myself in check a reignite those initial feelings.
I do find that talking with my circle-of-trust helps to do that. Sam Kirkman, Mark Harmon, and Chey Rasmussen have been three of the most amazing artists that I’ve been able to know. Often times they just remind of the greatness of the projects that I’m doing. Recently doing a podcast with Sam and also Paul Caggegi about EXPIRATION DATE certainly helped to stoke my creative ambitions/inspiration on that project.
I also find that just going back to my initial sources of inspiration helps. Often that is the works of others who have influenced me. Also, the initial sketches that I’ve done are so full of energy and remind me of the Dreamer mode that I need to bring back into my project.
Thank you for sharing this, Chris. This will help me to be more aware of my strengths and weaknesses that I have in my creative process.
Check’s in the mail buddy!
You do the same for me my friend.
I believe I’m somewhere in the middle, although I do have a certain leaning towards dreamer. But when I get started on something I get it done quickly and usually in 1 or 2 very long sittings. The problem is getting started. I sit and play everything out in my head, but then I try to get started and it’s like pushing a cart up a mountain so I can start the ride down the other side. I’m pretty sure I learned my small amount of doer-ness from being surrounded by them in my family. I’ve learned over the years that having a deadline for everything helps, even if I miss them, because then I feel a little guilty and that keeps my working on finishing it.
After glancing at the chart and thinking about it, I realized that when I decide to collaborate, it tends to be other people who have the same leaning towards dreamer. It leads to along drawn out conceptual stage that gets us no where when we realize we forgot to record everything, and all we have left are some sketches.
I definitely fall on the “Dreamer” side of things. My wife falls on the “Doer” side, and so we’re able to keep each other in check.
I think my personality definitely aligns more with the Doer. I am very efficient in getting things done when I decide it needs to be done, sticking to deadlines, and setting realistic goals.
However, I am still in high school so this tends to apply more to my schoolwork than my artwork. I think because I have never had the opportunity to focus on my art as much, I have trouble considering it as priority over my other schoolwork, even though I want to major in game design or animation. I maintain a very high grade average and am used to doing hours of homework every night. However, now that I am taking my first art classes in school, I find myself putting the art homework off until last, even though it is the homework I most want to do! I think there must be something wrong with me. I guess I would say that right now, I am a doer without the time to do. However, it might also be that I have only recently decided to take art seriously and have previously regarded it as a hobby to do in my very limited spare time. That’s part of the reason I can’t wait to get into art college so my schoolwork IS artwork. Or maybe I should wait to judge myself until art becomes more of the focus of my life (rather than making it through the last months of senior year while learning lots of stuff that has nothing to do with art).
Hey Twinsane8 you are definitely starting out the gate good and early. Keep that drive now because it will be invaluable. Your doing it right. Pay attention to all the basic things you need for a firm foundation, and when you get into art school, you will blossom. So glad to have you here sharing with us! That too shows a maturity and seriousness about your craft.
Thanks! That really makes me feel a little more confidant. It’s tough to know if I’m doing the right thing when the only people in the entire school who feel the same way about art are my twin sister and my art teacher. Other than that, I don’t really have any “artist friends” which is another reason I can’t wait to get to college.
As a freshman in art school I can tell you that keeping that high grade point average has it’s own advantages. I got a duel art and academic scholarship, but the bulk of it was academic. It helps that some art schools like RMCAD are just happy to have kids who take their academics just as seriously as drawing. Even in art school there are classes like Art History and Writing Composition that will need to be passed.
That said, definitely keep up the art. Having a reasonably good portfolio that shows you understand some fundamentals can make getting into schools easier, especially when some art schools require certain kinds of pieces in that portfolio (Like a still life or landscape.)
Art school is definitely worth it though when you know you don’t want to do anything else. I decided that I wanted to go to art school in Sophomore year when I finally realized I spent more time in class and outside drawing rather than studying. Luckily I’m a quick learner so my grades never suffered too much.
I didn’t realize I really loved art so much and wanted to make a career of it until about my sophomore year either. That year I took my first photoshop class, and since then, I have taken the drawing, sculpture, and painting classes my school offers (which are unfortunately very limited because we only have one art teacher). Right now, I am taking AP art, mostly for the purpose of improving my portfolio.
I just applied to SCAD, and am currently waiting for a decision, but if I get accepted, I hope to get some pretty significant academic scholarships and some artistic ones too if I’m lucky.
Thanks for your reply. It’s great to hear from someone in a similar position as me, closer to my own age and someone who’s not a professional, or part of the industry yet
although I love reading everyone’s comments on this site.
I always knew I loved it, but in my family art was considered a hobby until I broke the cycle. I’m mostly self taught. My high school was pretty limited in art classes as well. They didn’t even have an AP Art Class.
It’s a good plan. I went to my school once for a tour and knew that was where I wanted to go. I never would have had the funds to go without a scholarship though.
It’s no problem.:) I was happy to see someone else around my age as well.
I might be one of the rare examples of someone who identifies more as a Doer. While I can get some good inspiration from time to time, the vast majority of my ideas aren’t terribly original. They’re just my own spin on something that already exists.
As far as being my own task master, though, I do a fairly decent job at that. My time management skills could be better, especially juggling a day job on top of all my other art activities. Still, I do all right.
I’m one of the most task-oriented people I know in the art world and I have no problem finding stuff to do to keep me busy. My problem is breaking my boundaries and really, truly being creative. (Kinda hard to do that when I’ve got a schedule).
Hey guys/gals!
I don’t chime into the conversations here very much because I’m a pretty laconic person (despite being pretty verbose on twitter). As you now know, I am also a consummate Doer. I wasn’t always this way.
As a kid, I was a HUGE Dreamer. I was also very verbal about my dreams. I’m not sure what happened but over time I’ve learned to hold my cards fairly close to my chest. This doesn’t mean that I don’t dream big, it just means that I tend to put a cap on those dreams and focus instead on small obtainable goals. I often filter myself so that I won’t be “let down” when something doesn’t work the way I want it to.
Contrast this with Chris. Chris comes to me with ideas that make me say: “How the heck are we going to do this?”. Chris dreams big and doesn’t filter out ideas just because he can’t see the path that leads to the end.
I’m actually surprised that Chris and Lora have put themselves so far onto the Dreamer side though, because as you probably know, they consistently deliver quality art/projects.
I am a Doer. For sure. However, I won’t forget to try to become more of a Dreamer.
This topic really hits home for me. I am firmly entrenched on the dreamer side of the spectrum: never quite finishing projects, dragging my feet on details work (like finishing my website functionality and design) and getting distracted by new ideas.
After more than a decade of writing and rewriting drafts of my novel, I abandoned it and decided to try telling stories in webcomic form. The process and posting schedule for my comic has been really beneficial in keeping me focused, even though I am still prone to taking on too much in trying to improve my artwork or working on side projects.
My wife is the opposite: a complete and total doer. She is practical and very productive and kicks me in the rear when I neglect housework, social niceties or my health. She would be the perfect collaborator, but the risks associated with a career involving art scare her to death and she has real trouble envisioning the possibilities.
Right now we’re just too far apart on the spectrum to collaborate artistically like we do in so many other areas. We are making progress in supporting, organizing and inspiring one another creatively, but like any worthwhile relationship, a collaboration is something that develops over time.
Your post really resonated with me! While my collaborator and I learn a lot from each other in terms of personality, actually collaborating on a project has be fraught with peril.
We approach story creation from entirely different perspectives, which often leads to frustration and defensiveness. We’ve spent years trying to learn how to work with each other, because we both are really excited to do a project collaboratively, but it’s still baby-steps. As you said, a collaboration is something that develops over time! Best of luck to both of us!
This may be a dumb question, but how do you get a picture as your avatar?
Also, I’d just like to acknowledge the crazy amount of talent that visits the site. I’ve spent a lot of time just clicking on the links to the commentor’s personal web pages. My RSS reader has gotten quite a lot of subscriptions from here.
Ben, you can go to gravatar.com and associate an avatar with your email address. Many blogs have a plugin to import the avatar when you make comments.
Thanks! Just set it up and am waiting for it to take effect.
I’m such a grab-bag of those traits that I’m frankly not sure WHAT I am. If you’d just given the titles I would have said “Doer,” but going through the list I’m not so sure.
I have a really potent, but potentially dangerous, combination of traits. On the good side, inspiration strikes easily and I have a strong vision of what I want to do, combined with a results-oriented view and the ability to complete projects. On the other, I hyper-focus to the point of overwhelming people and stack up promises until I inevitably start to fall through on them. This puts me in a state of constant stress, and since I am very dependent on others to feel that I have worth as a human being, when I fall through on any promise, no matter how small, the failure throws me into a negative spiral of low self-esteem.
I bring this up to highlight on Chris’ point about finding people with the opposite traits. I’m fortunate that my main collaborator has complementary weaknesses/strengths. He’s great at seeing potential, going with the flow, and keeping perspective. If I trip up and fall through on something, he can give me perspective on what’s really important. He helps me have fun with projects. At the same time he sometimes lacks focus and initiative, something that I have in spades, so I can help keep things on task.
Finding somebody who is not just my opposite dominant type, but who fits in terms of my strengths/weaknesses in BOTH categories, has vastly improved my ability to succeed overall.
Yeah, I think you’re getting the point, Robin.
You don’t even have to decide in order to get something out of this Dreamer/ Doer concept. The point is to just get us thinking about our own tendencies and how we can fortify our weaknesses through relationships – collaborations and friendships.
So as two Dreamer-dominant types, who do Lora and you have to balance out the Doer side of the scale? How did you find those people?
The Paper Wings apprentices have been a HUGE help in getting stuff done. Chris mentioned Matt above and he was instrumental in getting the PW website & ecosystem off the ground. We couldn’t have done it without him and Zach at the beginning.
Robin – Mike has also been an important “Doer” voice in all of our dreaming.
Looking at these categories I definitely identify as two-thirds Dreamer, but I’m not sure if the right term for the other third of me is Doer; something I’ve heard a lot of people describe me as is “Go-getter”.
I think there’s a difference because being a Go-getter is having the street smarts to know how to get yourself in situations that force growth into a better Doer. Maybe it’s less of a type of personality and more of an action plan to make yourself more balance and able to reach your longterm goals.
Example:
1. Fix up a portfolio (even if you don’t think you’re ready)
2. Apply for every job ever that vaguely relates to what you want to do
3. Hear back from about 1 out of 20 (and none of them that get back to you will be the ones you actually want)
4. Do the crappy jobs anyway (even if it kills you; this is forced growth!)
5. Lather, rinse, repeat
Gradually you will hear from more jobs you actually want to do, since you’ll have the portfolio and client list to get their attention. You will also learn a lot about time management, organizational skills, professionalism, and other skills that will at least make you enough of a Doer that it’ll bleed over into your personal projects, and suddenly you know how to manage that comic series you’ve wanted to start but has always seemed overwhelming.
Oh, Sarah… …but “Dreamer and Go-Getter” lacks the power of alliteration.
You have a wonderful and possibly rare blend of Dreamer/Doer. I know it took you more than a few attempts to get your comic off the ground, but all these other experiences you finished well truly prepped you for that!
I am so firmly planted in the “Dreamer” category. Recently I found my self no longer being mad at myself for not “finding the time”, but for not “making the time” to create. I’m so easily side tracked by home life and other errands when I really need to set aside time every week to work on projects.
With how happy I am when I’m fully consumed by a project, you’d think I’d make it a higher priority. There just seems to be some kind of hump that I have trouble getting over.
Would love to hear on the podcast which of the two you each were and how you worked to include parts of the other.
Great stuff, Ben!
I placed myself and Lora on the chart above. This is not a fine science and Lora might not even agree with where I placed her. She’s definitely more of a Doer than I am but we both lean WAY towards Dreamer!
I’ve got the opposite problem Ben. I’ve gotten into the bad habbit of neglecting the chores. I used to have a real nice back yard. Now it looks more like scenes from that show “life after man.” Ballance is really hard, especially after years of neglecting your creativity.
ha ha! One man’s backyard is another’s laundry pile.
It was a lot easier for me to keep house when I didn’t work here. But now I trained myself to turn a blind eye to mess while I’m working so that it doesn’t interfere with my work day. But it’s sometimes hard to get out of the “I’m working” mode and back into the house work mode…
LOL. Sam, if I somehow gave you the impression that I was good at chores, I’m sorry. My back yard is one Thunder-Dome short of being considered “Post Apocalyptic”.
Yea! I’m not alone! Sad thing is I’m a gardening specialist for my living day job. :O
I find this to be true when I switch to my doer mode, as well. I do not go in that direction, enough. I often neglect tasks in view of my creative goals. Though, I can be productive and do a lot for one project for a while and then burn out after I am finished and restart my engine for the next project. So, I guess I land in the dreamer category more often than not.
I think Chris got me pretty close. I might be a bit closer to the Doer side, as I have a tendency to follow through on stuff, and finish things. I also am not a huge idea generator the way Chris is. He’ll have 15 projects on his mind at any time. I’m never that way.
That being said, I do tend to find myself stressed out and over committed a lot. No matter HOW much I cut back. Once I’m in that place where there’s breathing room in my life I usually find a new endeavor to put on the plate. That’s not good. It puts a tightness in my chest more days than not…!
Yeah, I wish we had a team of social scientists who could formulate an effective test that Wingerz could take that would really assess our Dreamer/ Doer percentages. I’d be interested in how that plays out person-to-person…
That kind of relates to my odd little problem. When I’m in the middle of a project and things are falling in to place, I feel incredibly happy and fulfilled. Its in that moment that I think I’m definitely a Doer. But way before I get to that point, I’m filled with ideas and fully realizing projects in my head while struggling to just start. That’s why I think I’m more of a Dreamer. Its really weird.
I think the percentages themselves are not even actually that important. It’s more being aware that there are two complementing “forces” like that out there. That in itself, I’m sure is a huge help to many to figure out how to improve their workflow, or what qualities to look for in collaborators.
At least that is the case for me. Although my dreamer attributes are currently predominant, I think I go through phases where some doer traits come out more. All this I am realizing because you took your time and made a neat little chart. So thanks for that.
Also…this is wrong, but the word “dreamer” brings instant visualizations of Lora’s comic to mind. Each and every time. Well played guys.
That was Chris’s subliminal goal all along: sell more Dreamer books! You found us out!
I’m a dreamer (with maybe 30% + doer … which sometime fluctuates) and I realize my wife is a doer who embraces vision … how convenient.
Speaking of Dreaming & Doing, anyone going to CTNX? (I know of some of us who are). Hope to see you there!
Yeah, Scott! I’ll see you there! I’m doing a panel on Character Design on Saturday morning with Jose Lopez and Nate Wragg and I’ll be at the DTS Booth from (I think these times are right) 4-7 on Sat and Sun. And otherwise, I’ll be at my booth with Jason Pruett all weekend.
Hey Scott! I’ll be there. I look forward to seeing you there!
GREAT! now ya got us looking in the mirror again. (said playfully with a touch of ambivalence)
Why do I find self examination so uncomfortable? It’s like going to the doctor. you know you need to, but you put it off until it’s absolutely necessary. I’ve spent years wrestling with a “Great Santini” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06KmezV_1ns&feature=related of a conscience. Nothing I ever did was good enough. Now that I’ve finally beat him, I’m trying to make sense of exactly where it’s pushed me. I’m definitely a Dreamer, but now that I’m Doing, I often find the need to turn around and shut that “Man” up!
Does that make any sense?
Sam, you beat me by two minutes at posting. That totally makes sense. You feel more empowerment because your dreams are actually coming “true” and the “Man” is probably someone who seems to lack vision and he can’t “see” your new growth. I had this before as well and am happy to say that eventually they will see it, especially if you don’t “shut them up.” In my situation, I used my new sense of empowerment to dream and do things to benefit the MAN’s desires. I listened closely to what was most important to the man, found the parallels with my own goals and desires, and went for it. The road got quite bumpy, but it the end I had added so much to the company and the Man knew it too. I felt more like a friend than a slave (lol). Keep conquering your dreams, Sam – one manure pile at a time!
My Monday morning ritual. Consciousness, Coffee, and Carousing with my Wingers!
Give me a shovel! That Pony’s gotta be suffocating!
I love this ritual!
I’m more of a dreamer, which is actually incredibly frustrating where my skill level is currently at. I could be almost be considered a complete novice when it comes to drawing. I have talent for it, but I lack the education or tools to bring some of my visions on paper. Since art school isn’t currently an option, teaching myself is incredibly important, but because focus and realistic expectations is something I struggle with, it’s really difficult to figure out how to go about learning everything i want to/need to learn to get me where I want to go. I do really well when I am shown techniques etc, and then go from there, learning on my own definitely requires a lot of doer treats. At least I know, when my skills start getting to where I need them to be to start putting visions down on paper, there will be no shortage of ideas for things to do.
I am also a Dreamer (at least two-thirds of me, anyway), and I’ve had kind of the same problem. I did try art school, but I had to leave after a year in which I didn’t learn as much as I’d hoped. It’s tough to be self-taught, but it’s definitely possible, even for people like us!
If it helps, the hugest amounts of progress I’ve made as an artist have been when I’ve taken up big personal projects, whether I think I’m “ready” for them or not. The pressure and large amount of consistent work that goes into making comics is perfect breeding ground for break-throughs: finding your voice/style, narrowing down problem areas, discovering which parts you love and do the best.
Thanks for this. I just looked at your work, and I love it!
Taking on personal projects is exactly what I have been doing, it has definitely helped some with artistic growth. Although not exactly in the areas I am looking to learn, so maybe I have just been picking the wrong projects.
I suppose I must finally be getting to the doer part of me. Although I am not getting things done as quickly as I would like, I am starting and finishing projects. I have a long way to go to get to a similar spot where you are, but reading your words definitely served as great inspiration, so thanks again.
Sarah, you’re comment about taking on personal projects you may not think your “ready” for is such an encouragement. I get twinges of that with the personal project I’m currently working but I think it’s a good point that challenging yourself to something that’s a little scary is the best way to grow!
I think I’m generally more of a Doer, but if I embark on something big, the Dreamer in me sometimes doesn’t know where to start. Luckily, Paper Wings has loads of resources on how to get started!
I found this to be true as well. Even though I had higher level art training, I had seen the holes in what I learned from the beginning.
What I have found to be helpful is surrounding myself with people with like minded goals. When you can meet with them in person and you can help each other push forward, it helps significantly. Be encouraged, we are all striving to be better than what we currently are.
An intriguing article! I hope to hear you guys discuss this further in future. Which do you consider yourselves?
You can see where I placed Lora and myself on the chart above. Where do you land, Paul?
Definitely a doer to a fault, not giving many projects the time to be dreamt fully for fear of over-promising and under-delivering. Ah – noticed the little indicators there!
I definitely lean toward the dreamer side of the scale. It’s only been in the past few years that I’ve learned to find more productivity and balance, and to actually get stuff done (especially comics, as I have always had tons of ideas but never followed through).
Things that have helped: a job that requires me to set my own schedule and and get stuff done without people looking over my shoulder; podcasts like this one; and doing webcomics (that weekly deadline, even if self imposed, really helps).
Great advice, Robin. That’s exactly why Lora and I are so passionate about personal projects!
A job that requires me to set my own schedule has definitely helped me as well!