Dear Comics Students Starting Your Final Semester...
Cathy G. Johnson
Dear Comic Student,
It’s time. You are arriving at your final semester of comics school. Maybe you spent all winter break working on your comic. Or maybe you meant to, and it didn’t happen. Maybe you actually did do a lot of work and it just doesn’t feel like it. Maybe it feels like you should have gotten more work done than you did. Or maybe, maybe you really did do nothing. Maybe you slept in very late, everyday. You played video games. You watched a lot of TikToks. But what this accomplished was rest. You have rested. You have filled your gas tank. And now it’s time to really get started.
Something that is key to the mindset of being a cartoonist is having a healthy approach to labor. Comics are labor. They are physical labor and time-consuming. Labor isn’t a bad thing, it can be a very good thing. Labor for your career is a good thing. Labor for your education. Labor for your art. Labor for your goals. Labor for your freedom. This is all good. So it’s very important for you to have a healthy approach to getting your work done.
I know I say it again and again, but figure out healthy time management this semester. Keep track of your days. Keep a planner. Don’t rely on late nights, on grinding, on your youthful energy. We want you here for the long haul. We want you to make comics for years and years and years. And that will only happen if you approach it with healthy time management. Use your resources. Figure out what works for you.
Take hold of your career. While me and your other comics professors work as hard as we can to give you what you need, ultimately your career is in your hands. You need to guide it in the directions you want to take it. You need to put in the work. You need to build the connections. You need to find your weak points and address them. This is what will best serve you in your future. And it’s only possible with a healthy approach.
We are going to have an amazing semester together! Let’s get you to the finish line!