Allison Types

I first want to apologize for being a bit MIA lately. All of a sudden I got crazy busy at the job that pays me. Add in some planned travel, unplanned travel, the city catching on fire, August being one of the most difficult months for a lot of people and TA DA! No blogging for me.

But today I am completely unmotivated to do yard or house work, so firing this baby up!

I was asked a few weeks back by a friend if I thought a blog post about friendship and business would be something I would want to talk about.  I thought it was a fantastic idea, one I have touched on briefly before but haven’t really gone in-depth.

So here we go.

I THINK TRUE FRIENDSHIPS ARE VITAL TO A SUCCESSFUL CAREER

Now there IS a difference between “being friends” with someone and “being friendly friends.” I’m friendly friends with a whole lot of people. Social media has certainly expanded that list. Every year, I meet more and more people in comics and publishing. So the friendly circle continues to grow, as does the good friend circle.

The difference for me only involves a couple of points that really all revolve around a level of trust. To me a “friend” is someone you would help no matter what, someone to share the things you can’t talk about in public, someone you could call on for honest advice, someone who would stand by you and help you in your darkest, lowest place. And someone who grounds you when you’re at your highest.

That all being said, I can honestly say except for maybe two people in my life and my family, all of my really good friends I met through doing business of some sort.

Some of them I met, became friends and then ended up working with. Some of them I worked with, then ended up becoming friends.

Sometimes my Director of Photography, who I haven’t gotten to see very much lately, calls me just to check in and chat. We talk about his kids, wife, film equipment, funny things that happened to us lately and tons more.  I often talk to one of my closest friends about the state of the comics and publishing industry along with possible solutions, for hours, cause we both know all the players, the in’s and out’s of the publishing business, etc… I love those conversations.

My BEST friend is also my business parter, as well as my husband. We tackle everything we do as a team. Working each problem and celebrating each victory, together.

I would do anything for these guys. Yes, ANYTHING.  And in turn, I know they will always be there for me when I need them. I love all of them and am very glad and proud to call all of them my very good friends.

GET TO THE POINT ALLISON.

(It does explain why I am a con junkie. CON= GET TO SEE MY FRIENDS) Anyway.

I’ve come to realize that without friends, Chris and I would’ve never gotten to the place we are in our lives professionally. And because we were willing to open ourselves up to accepting help from friends, we’ve become strong advocates of helping other friends pursue THEIR endeavours.

Which I think is really cool, personally.

There is nothing I love more than making introductions, making all my friends, friends with each other. If that is beneficial professionally for them both, all the better.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A FRIEND LETS YOU DOWN IN BUSINESS?

Listen, we have been royally screwed by people we thought were good friends. That’s what happens when you put yourself out there. Did it completely suck? Absolutely. But in the end all crappy stuff in life is just a lesson you need to learn. And without those experiences, we wouldn’t be the people we are today.

I also became friends with a debt attorney in AZ. So there’s a silver lining. (sometimes you have to dig deep for those linings)

If you let the few bad eggs spoil the whole lot, well, you don’t have any eggs. People can suck. It happens. Move on.

TRY TO BE A FRIEND TO EVERYONE

Now not everyone is going to be “your people.” Sometimes it just doesn’t jive. You don’t have to be best buds with everyone.  But if you make an effort from the get go, everybody wins.

This has always been my philosophy. Comes in real handy when things start going wrong and is awesome when things go right.

AND BESIDES

Who wouldn’t want to be friends with the coolest most talented people on the planet?

A

I know that this sounds a little cliché. But it wouldn’t be cliché if there wasn’t a solid kernel of truth there.

To simplify, I am going to speak in terms of the comics industry here but this really could be applied to any creative pursuit.

So this is the thought you should always have in the back of your head while singing “It’s a Small World”:

EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERYBODY.

And in ways that would surprise you too. Like they don’t just know each other from doing business with one another or meeting and hanging out at a con.  Some of them were best friends in college, or are married to someone’s sister.

Let me give you a personal example:

Matt Sturges (comics writer extraordinaire) met my husband when they were 18 at freshman orientation for college. And were roommates for years before either one wrote any comics.

I knew Mike and Laura Allred 7 years before my husband and also knew a number of other comics professionals prior to meeting Chris simply because a guy I was dating was friends with them.

So my point is, we all talk to each other. Editors at one house talk to other editors at other houses. Creators and publishers have relationships with the comics press. Creators are friends with other creators even if they have never worked together. Cause as I have said before, it’s all about relationships.

Which is why you should treat your reputation like gold and conduct yourself professionally.

What does that mean in real terms? I’ll be happy to tell you.

MAKE YOUR DEADLINES.

Now I understand that this sometimes can fall by the wayside when “life” gets in the way. But don’t let “life” become a habit. And when it appears that there is no way you are going to make it, tell your editor.  They usually have already built some time into their schedule and can accommodate the delay. Hiding under a rock, not answering emails, just pisses people off.

DON’T BE DIFFICULT.

I know that your original idea on how to write that issue of “X-Whatever” is the most perfect idea in the world, but if there are notes and changes, really step back and think about them before you decide to go to war to defend it.  Pick your battles.  If there really isn’t a way to accommodate the notes, then say so, but don’t be disagreeable every time.  Because in a lot of cases (most cases really), being challenged makes your art better and you a better artist

DON’T PUT ANYTHING IN WRITING THAT YOU WOULDN’T WANT ON THE COVER OF THE NEW YORK TIMES WITH YOUR NAME NEXT TO IT.

The internet is forever. And while you can try to remain annonomous using aliases and whatnot, people can find out who you are if you give them a reason to. So while you thought that jokey fake twitter account that cuts people down to make you feel better was a brilliant idea, it’s actually very stupid and can limit your career in a heartbeat. Also, that’s just rude.

EMAIL HAS NO TONE.

Be careful how you word email correspondence.  Whether you are a creator or editor or marketing person, make sure you read over all email correspondence to make sure something can’t be taken the wrong way.  I have talked many people off ledges because they took an email the wrong way when their brain read something that wasn’t on the page.

IF YOU REALLY HAVE A PROBLEM, TALK ON THE PHONE AND WORK IT OUT.

Your checks are always late or an editor is calling after your work hours. Constant changes at the very last minute. Whatever it is. If you don’t say something to inform someone of the problem, they can’t resolve it. And talking on the phone, prevents the “email has no tone” issue. You will find in most cases, the fix is a simple one.

Hope that was helpful.

A

So you want to be a creative. And be an overnight success? Ha! That IS hilarious. Cause they don’t exist.

If I have learned anything from watching my husband work at being a writer for the last 14 years, I’ve learned that it takes a while.  And not only does it take a while, it’s hard, a lot of work and not necessarily a financially lucrative career.

So today we are going to start at the beginning.

IF YOU CAN STOP WRITING, DRAWING, or whatever you want to do, THEN THINK ABOUT DOING SOMETHING ELSE.

Seriously.

If you can stop doing those things for days, weeks or months, you really need to think about doing something else for money.  Because the odds are just going to be stacked against you from the get go. Being a creative is REALLY hard. Not everyone has the STUFF or the self motivation and drive. And that’s okay.

Now this next one is for the real newbies.

THE FIRST STUFF YOU WRITE or DRAW PROBABLY ISN’T VERY GOOD.

And if you have one idea and not twenty more percolating in the back of your head.  Start rethinking your long term career strategy.

So now that we have gotten those basic points out of the way, let’s get to the real hard stuff.

So let’s say you are ready to go, whatever you have chosen to do. What do you do next?

YOU HAVE TO MEET PEOPLE AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.

You find out where the people are that you need to meet in order for someone to hire you. Today, this is not that hard, I mean, it isn’t hard to figure out where people are going to be. Let’s just take comics for instance.

There are conventions all over the country, all the time. And I swear, the entire comics industry is on twitter in some way shape or form. But the internet won’t help you build the relationships you need to build.  It might help you open the door or window, but face to face encounters are what really seal the deal.

So what do you do when you get there? Do you tell your pitch to every editor you can corner for five minutes?

HELL NO.

Hang out in the bar. Be friendly to EVERYONE you meet. Follow proper bar etiquette. And NEVER talk about your stuff, unless you are asked.  But keep it short.  People like to talk about THEMSELVES. So let them. Be honest. Don’t sell yourself like you are the next great gift to the industry. People like to come to that conclusion on their own. And THAT is key.  If it seems like the conversation is lagging a bit, make your exit.

YOU WILL NOT SELL ANYTHING ON YOUR FIRST OUTING, OR SECOND OR THIRD.

This strategy takes time. It is a long game. If you are present at different shows and people like you, things will happen.

You have to be a human being. You are not just your pitch, or novel, or comic. Because fundamentally, when companies and editors decide to risk money on your idea, it’s because they trust you, like you AND they like your idea.

Trust doesn’t come instantly. So many others have come before, talking a good game that ended up being ALL TALK. So everyone that has made it to a certain level HAS BEEN BURNED. Someone might think your idea or art is fantastic, but until you can build a relationship where they can trust you, you might as well be another manuscript in the slush pile.

Granted, there are multiple factors to opening the door to become a successful creative. Building solid professional relationships is only one of the many facets of creating a long term successful career.  And I know that there are many exceptions.  But trust me when I tell you, it can only help better your chances to build your career on a foundation of friendship and trust.

A