I've read several places that the number one question asked of successful cartoonists is "Where do you get your ideas?". One of them, although I can't remember which one right now, answered "If you have to ask that question, then don't try to take it up as a career". While I'm not sure if we need to be quite that severe about it, it does make a good point.
It's fortunate when a cartoonist has something that he or she really wants to say, something that they think is really funny/profound/whatever. That way, the ideas come more easily. In case they don't, however, there are lots of things that you can do to stimulate the idea process.
First, I think it's important never to censor your subconscious. Aceept whatever ideas you get. That's how you begin the essential dialogue with your subconscious. If you're critical of what you get, your subconscious gets the point quickly, and it chokes off the flow. Somewhere in your head is the best possible direction for you to take with your comics. So, do yourself a favor and listen to your own ideas.
I try to never set foot outside the front door without a notepad and pen. You can get ideas anywhere, at any time. If you don't make a good note of it, it's often gone when you try to remember it later. Besides that, get some kind of big notebook and start what I've heard called a caption bible. You may not believe this, but mine has enough captions to draw cartoons for another ten years. That's not to say that I'll use all of them, or even most of them, but they're a good safety net when you're feeling dry and need to jumpstart yourself. It gets your juices flowing just to read them.
Off and on through the years, I've woke from sleep in the middle of the night with my head full of cartoon ideas, and I've written as many as fifty at a time this way. It's as if my mind works on cartoons all the time, unknown to my waking consciousness. One time I asked my subconscious, out loud, if it would please only do that when I'm awake. If you can possibly manage it, it's great to get up earlier than necessary, so you can sit quietly with your notebook every morning. All kinds of ideas may be ready to come through if you make time for them.
For some reason, I've also gotten a lot of cartoon ideas while riding the city bus. Something about riding the bus makes them flow, and that's when having a pen and paper comes in handy. A lot of cartoonists admit to having a fear of the blank piece of paper, or a blank computer screen. I used to wonder if I would ever run out of ideas, but now I realize that's never going to happen. You can also brainstorm and get good results. Write down some topics, and then make notes of whatever comes out of your head about them.
Many times I've been excited about a topic or character, only to find out later that it was a one idea pony. That's how I ended up drawing the things I draw. If the ideas keep coming, those are the ones to pursue. There are several topics I've wanted to draw very much but can get no ideas about them. That's one of the most frustrating parts of cartooning for me. If I could will ideas to come in specific directions, I would surely do it! But I've learned over the years to trust my subconscious and the process and be grateful for what I get.
No comments:
Post a Comment