Getting it Together

I've been thinking about giving this blog more of a 'for up and coming artists' twist for a while now. I have a short list of topics to cover, but I keep coming back to time management, partially because it's something I've gotten much better about over the years, and partially because I feel I still have so much room to grow there.

Two weeks ago an old friend was shot and killed. It was an epic event that ground all gears to a halt among my circle of friends, as everyone mourned and put together an absolutely unforgettable wake and funeral, and we all supported each other.

While it was great that the tragedy brought so many people together, I couldn't help but notice how badly my art schedule was suffering. Two weeks is a VERY long time, especially in the illustration world. Normally I could have 1 or 2 finished pieces in that span, even with my full-time day job to contend with, but instead I've got a backlog, and nothing to show for that time.

So I'm determined not to let it overwhelm me in March! Here's my step-by-step plan for getting back in action:

Step 1. Purchase several cans of strong coffee. I drink Cafe Du Monde original New Orleans Coffee & Chicory because it's cheap, strong and awesome.
Step 2. Give updates to all clients, even if they're small updates. One of the worst feelings in the world for a client is thinking their illustrator has fallen off the face of the earth.
Step 3. Make a to-do list, and prioritize it. Know it like a mantra: The portfolio pieces I didn't get to do last month CAN and WILL still happen. I WILL get everything done.
Step 4. Update my @#$%# blog. I'll let you know if all this works.

I'll write more about time management later... when I have more time. Ha.

As a side note, I found one of my character illos for Dragon #384 on the Wizards site: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drcact/20100219