The Enemies of Growth - by Jessica Lanan

Over the years I have encountered a few creatures dwelling in my mind that can impede growth. Fortunately, these critters can be trained and kept in check. Below are my field notes from my experiences with the three most common species.

The Ego (Vanus Fragilis)

 Habitat: Your mind
Diet: Flattery and attention
Habits: Strictly solitary

The Ego is a sensitive soul. It craves reassurance and takes failure quite personally. Desperate to convince itself that it is valuable, the Ego and will avoid situations where failure might occur. "Don't enter the contest, don't send the manuscript!" the Ego will plead, because it's easier to say I didn't try than I didn't succeed.

Unfortunately for the Ego, failure is a necessary part of growth. We learn the most when we push ourselves out of our comfort zones and try new things. The best way to succeed is to increase our failure rate, and the best way to learn is to face our failures head on and look at what worked, what didn't, and why.

    Tips for Tempering an Ego:

• Avoid overfeeding. Egos gorge themselves on attention.
• Cultivate gratitude.
• Remember: The Ego is not you—it just lives in your mind.
• Set up a nice little Ego-cage in the back of your mind where it can stay out of the way.
• Stay away from junk foods like flattery, which lead to a bloated and irritable Ego.

The Critic (Incuso Virosa)

Habitat: Your Mind
Diet: Negativity
Habits: Venomous. Often nocturnal, brings up worries at bedtime.

A wild Critic can lash out at your work (or life in general) with potent venom. “You aren’t talented enough,” the Critic will whisper in your ear. “Look at this other person’s work. It’s so much better.” The Critic will dredge up your mistakes and mockingly parade them before your eyes at your moment of greatest weakness.

As terrible as it sounds, A Critic can be helpful if it is trained to come out only when needed. The Critic is handy when deciding which thumbnail composition is better and why, or editing that manuscript in the second draft. But if it starts telling you that everything you make is garbage or that you’re not nearly as good as so-and-so, it’s time to go back in the kennel.

Tips for Coping with a Critic:

•  Use a muzzle to keep it from biting
• Feed it as little negativity as possible. 
• Don’t let the Critic’s words become your own.
• It’s okay to tell it to settle down. (Yes, out loud. Try it, I dare you!)
• Critics shy away from laughter and fun. Remember fun?
• Surround yourself with positive, encouraging people.

The Sloth (Choloepus Languidus)

Habitat: Your Mind
Diet: Inactivity
Habits: None

The sloth really wants you to succeed. It does. But it would rather not give up its Netflix marathons and surfing Facebook on its phone.

The Sloth is the creature that will tell you that your first thumbnail is good enough. Why bother trying other compositions? It will discourage you from taking those figure drawing classes you need, because that sounds like a lot of work after all. If you have a feeling that you need to work on your craft but you never seem to get around to doing it, you might be contending with one of these creatures.

Not to worry! Sloths can be trained. When properly employed, a Sloth can stop you from becoming a perfectionist, particularly on the projects that just aren’t worth the time. If you’re getting paid a pittance for an illustration, it probably isn't time to make the Mona Lisa. All it takes to train a Sloth is a little bit of priority shifting and the adoption of some new habits.

Tips for Training a Sloth:

• Track your time and identify distractions.
• If online distraction is a problem, you can use LeechBlock (Firefox) or StayFocused (Chrome) to limit the sites you can visit during specific times.
• Put your phone out of reach and turn off notifications.
• Force yourself to work on a project for just 20 minutes. Chances are good that the Sloth will slink away as you start to have fun with the project.
• Work at a consistent time. Find a schedule that works for you.

In a Nutshell:

If you have a Critic, Ego or Sloth, don't beat yourself up over it. It's normal! Identify the species that is impeding your growth the most, and take a small step this week to help tackle it.

----

Jessica Lanan is a children's book writer and illustrator living in Boulder, Colorado. See more of her work at jessicalanan.com, on facebook or twitter.

The Value of Craft

The topic of the month on the Kidlit blog is craft. In this post, I’ll take a look at the definition, process, and importance of craft.

(Photo credit: Jen & Chris Creed)

Here are a few definitions of craft that I like (all from Merriam-Webster.com):

“An activity that involves making something in a skillful way by using your hands” 

“Skill in planning, making, or executing”

“Skill in deceiving to gain an end <used craft and guile to close the deal>”

Ok, perhaps not that last one as much. But it does bring up a good point, that our ultimate goal as authors/illustrators is to tell stories that use illusion to make a kind of magic that the viewer wants to believe in. In my experience, the most reliable way to do this is through developing a solid foundation in craftsmanship.

(Photo credit: Jen & Chris Creed)

Here’s a checklist I use when illustrating:

1. Idea (or project brief/manuscript)

2. Write outline/thumbnail

3. Sketch/brainstorm/experiment

4. Research 

5. Rewrite outline/thumbnail

6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 as many times as necessary

7. Finalize manuscript and thumbnails

8. Design characters, locations, and props. Make reference sheets for consistency.

9. Design compositions (at this point, evoke emotion using only basic shapes)

10. Line drawing

11. Value Study

12. Color Study

13. Final Painting

When I skip a step in this process, I find that I stop relying on the dependability of my craft and instead start relying on luck. I do think experimentation and a certain level of risk are important, but I try to balance them with organization and preparation.  

A teacher once told me, there are two ways to make a good image, you can either use time or method. If you use time, all you have to do is keeping working until you’re happy with your art…or pass out from exhaustion. If you learn the principles behind what makes art effective, then you can create a method that’s usually much quicker and less likely to make you pass out. That may sound really boring and stifling, but remember, you can have as many different methods as you want and you can also make experimentation part of your method.

Studying craft has reminded me of how important craftsmanship is to successful storytelling and communicating clearly with readers. I believe that every artist must find their own approach to craft, which I know is both encouraging and overwhelming. But I like to think it’s mostly encouraging, because you have the opportunity to create things no one has seen before in ways no one has ever imagined. So go out, do your picture book thang, and use craft as a tool to tell delightful new stories, I look forward to reading them!

(Photo credit: Jen & Chris Creed)

To close, I leave you with a few inspirational quotes about craft that always make me feel motivated:

“Try not to think of your craft as a business. Try to think of it exclusively as ‘personal work.’" - Marshall Arisman

“There is no ‘gift’ or talent so great that it can dispense with the need for fundamental knowledge, much diligent practice, and hard effort.” - Andrew Loomis

“The greats weren't great because at birth they could paint. The greats were great cause they paint a lot.” - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis