Hey, guys! You know Penny Arcade, right? If you don't, you really should, the people there started with a web comic and built it up to a mighty ninja-wizard empire of awesomeness! (I swear I will buy a thesaurus and learn new words soon)
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| logo is property of Penny Arcade, folks, I had nothing to do with it |
Anyway, what I was going to say that the people of PA decided to make a reality show. All reality shows are set up, made up, tweaked, exaggerated. The people in reality shows are cam-whoring attention-seekers who would sell their own grandma to goblins, if it would mean screen time. Right? WRONG! Oh so dead, goblin-grandma-eating wrong! At least in this case. "Strip search" is the most fun I've ever had watching a "reality" show. There was no backstabbing, no plots, alliances, no over-the-top screaming and weeping into the camera. It was a group of 12 artists, doing their thing, going through some challenges and facing off for elimination.
What I found very refreshing about the show was that after elimination, the Creators, Mike and Jerry, would go have a talk with the eliminated artist. The person wasn't just discarded like the format of other shows dictates. They got to talk and say what their plans for the future are, how they enjoyed the experience of participating in the show and get advice from the Creators.
I found out about the show through following OhJoySexToy (if you're a minor, I will suggest not following this link) by Erika Moen, who was one of the contestants. I'm not exactly sure about the time-line and when this all took place, but it was nice to have all the episodes on hand at once.
Here are the important links:
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| image also property of Penny Arcade |
If you like good art and/or web comics, I suggest you check them all out. Every artist introduction page has a link to their own page, where you can find their comics, artwork, blogs, twitter account... Just take a look, it will be worth it!
Now, what I really wanted to talk to you about is what you and I can learn from the show. Every set of episodes covered a certain topic that a budding (or seasoned) comic artist may encounter. Dealing with fans and trolls, evil contracts that screw you out of house and home, making money through merchandise, promoting yourself at cons. I think these lessons aren't limited to comic artists. Anybody trying to make and sell things can learn a thing or two from this show and that is what I loved most about it. Behind the heckling, the silliness, there were serious problems being discussed and shown.
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| image came from otakusphere |
Do you know how to set up your booth? What will draw the most attention? How not to get ticked off by trolls? Personally, I have huge problems with that one. It's all very useful. There are such articles on etsy, but here you can see real people making some very real-people-type mistakes and being corrected. Maybe that's exactly what I was doing wrong and now I know what to do! Yay!
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| property of Erika Moen |
Another useful thing I've found through Twitter, is a lecture about self-promotion by Erika Moen. It's full of little bits and pieces you can't know beforehand, that you can't have learned unless you were in the con trenches fighting your way through booth barnacles (I love this term so dearly). For me, it's better to learn from people speaking and showing me things than from articles, so this format is perfect. Maybe it isn't your thing, in which case I suggest Etsy's Seller Handbook, which updates often and does have great advice, it's just that the video format works better for me.
To recap: Strip Search and the vimeo lecture about self-promotion are very useful things that I suggest anybody who wants to start their own art-related business should watch and learn from.
image credits: Penny Arcade, Otakusphere, Erika Moen
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