Fame, Fortune and the Virtual Funny Pages
There are times, Dear Readers, when I seriously question my own dubious sanity. On the one hand, I have created an unusual group of (hopefully) entertaining characters which, as I go along, are hopefull gaining more depth and personality. I can see Boritom as potentially very marketable as an adult comic strip, and I would love to see it become an animated series on [adult swim] or Comedy Central.
On the other hand, it is a webcomic, and the percentile of genuinely successful webcomics (where the artist is actually making profit on their creation) is less than .01%, and even then, nobody's becoming a millionaire off this stuff. As cool as it would be to see RK Milholland or J. Grant and Mel Hynes retire wealthy and appreciated, with Choo Choo Bear plush toys in every Spencer's Gifts outlet, and "Two Lumps: The Animated Series" going on to last 12 seasons on Fox, I just don't see it ever happening.
And if it isn't going to happen to them, and others of similar repute and popularity, what hope does Boritom, at less than 20 unique hits a day on average, have at becoming the next Simpsons, or Family Guy, or even Space Ghost: Coast to Coast?
I have been told over and over again by people that I should be creating these things for my own enjoyment, that I shouldn't be focused on trying to make money at them. That's not me. I don't put hours into drawing and tweaking a comic strip because it's just fun. I do FARK Photoshop contest entries for Fun. I watch Doctor Who or a Godzilla movie for fun. Would you ask David Letterman or Howard Stern to do what they do for fun, and not pay them for it?
However, by the same token, Boritom is just not good enough to attract any major attention, and it's not particularly controversial either. It's more or less a Fantasy Sitcom in comic strip format, and my drawing style is very undeveloped. That's not to say that it won't get better, and it has certainly improved.
The question that troubles me of late, however, is whether or not Boritom is my Highest Point of Contribution. To put it another way, of all the creative endeavors I have and am currently embarked in, which am I best at?
If I had to honestly rate myself, on a scale of 1 to 10 on the various talents I try to explore, it would come out like this:
All of that aside, I am not planning on ending Boritom just yet. I have promised myself I will give it 500 strips. If, at that point, it is not drawing more attention, and is not being drawn better, I shall gracefully end the story arc and bring the strip to a close.
In the meantime, I will be focusing less attention on the strip at times, as I finally start making preparations to attempt to get some actual paid acting jobs. It is time I finally took the advice that I have been given most often (well, that and, "Forget about her, she's too young/stupid/mean/whatever for ya"), and focus on the one talent I have the most apparent ability in. The first step has already begun, as I am in the process of signing with an agency in the Phoenix area.
On the other hand, it is a webcomic, and the percentile of genuinely successful webcomics (where the artist is actually making profit on their creation) is less than .01%, and even then, nobody's becoming a millionaire off this stuff. As cool as it would be to see RK Milholland or J. Grant and Mel Hynes retire wealthy and appreciated, with Choo Choo Bear plush toys in every Spencer's Gifts outlet, and "Two Lumps: The Animated Series" going on to last 12 seasons on Fox, I just don't see it ever happening.
And if it isn't going to happen to them, and others of similar repute and popularity, what hope does Boritom, at less than 20 unique hits a day on average, have at becoming the next Simpsons, or Family Guy, or even Space Ghost: Coast to Coast?
I have been told over and over again by people that I should be creating these things for my own enjoyment, that I shouldn't be focused on trying to make money at them. That's not me. I don't put hours into drawing and tweaking a comic strip because it's just fun. I do FARK Photoshop contest entries for Fun. I watch Doctor Who or a Godzilla movie for fun. Would you ask David Letterman or Howard Stern to do what they do for fun, and not pay them for it?
However, by the same token, Boritom is just not good enough to attract any major attention, and it's not particularly controversial either. It's more or less a Fantasy Sitcom in comic strip format, and my drawing style is very undeveloped. That's not to say that it won't get better, and it has certainly improved.
The question that troubles me of late, however, is whether or not Boritom is my Highest Point of Contribution. To put it another way, of all the creative endeavors I have and am currently embarked in, which am I best at?
If I had to honestly rate myself, on a scale of 1 to 10 on the various talents I try to explore, it would come out like this:
- Comic Artist - 4
- Actor - 8
- Singer - 7.5
- Songwriter - 6
- Guitarist - 3
- Director/Producer - 2
- Writer - 5
All of that aside, I am not planning on ending Boritom just yet. I have promised myself I will give it 500 strips. If, at that point, it is not drawing more attention, and is not being drawn better, I shall gracefully end the story arc and bring the strip to a close.
In the meantime, I will be focusing less attention on the strip at times, as I finally start making preparations to attempt to get some actual paid acting jobs. It is time I finally took the advice that I have been given most often (well, that and, "Forget about her, she's too young/stupid/mean/whatever for ya"), and focus on the one talent I have the most apparent ability in. The first step has already begun, as I am in the process of signing with an agency in the Phoenix area.
posted by E. Adam Thomas at 8:35 AM
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