Shoot From the Hip!

Much like the gunslingers of the Wild West, creatively "shooting from the hip" above all requires trust in yourself and lots of practice!  There's something valuable to be found in discovering a new creation as you move forward, putting one line or brush stroke down at a time, knowing you CANNOT go back.  It's one of the main reasons I love working traditionally; nothing wrong with working digitally, I do that as well.  However, when you set certain limitations for yourself in the process, it can sometimes force you to find creative solutions that you would not have thought of otherwise.  For example,  I drew the above warm up sketch all in ink, starting with a ball point pen, then 2 different brush pens, a china marker, and finally a white paint pen to highlight some areas (NOT to fix anything).  I try to keep all my warm up drawings loose and permanent because those limitations force me to trust myself more with each line and brush stroke and help me to learn from past mistakes.  Believe me, you'll remember your past mistakes much better and quickly learn to avoid making them again when you don't have the ability to UNDO (Control+Z).  So give it a try with your warm ups or any creative work you're doing and just remember to TRUST YOURSELF!  You may not get it the way you want in the beginning but after lots of practice, you'll be a bad ass, "shoot from the hip" gunslinger just like in the Westerns!  

- SAM LOTFI 

Let's Go!

Holidays, vacations, research trips, a just for fun trip, or an ESCAPE!  Whatever it might be for you, it can serve as a place of rest and a fountain of inspiration!  Honestly though, for a variety of reasons, we may not always be able to drop everything and go.  That doesn't mean you can't use your imagination and various free resources (ahem the internet) to explore those places, get inspired and let that inspiration flow into your creative work.  Yes, I realize that sounds a little cheesy but we all did it when we were kids, some of us stopped using our imaginations while others have continued to this day.  Either way, your imagination is still there for you.  Dust it off and use it.  Creative imagination is like a muscle, the more you exercise it, the further you'll be able to go.  It's your method of travel, especially if you're working in sci-fi or fantasy genres.  Go for a drive anywhere in the world with Google maps street view feature.  See different cultures, places, and creatures.  Make recipes from those places and eat something you've never had before.  You never know what you'll find.  Have fun & keep making your dreams a reality one day at a time.  

Feel free to comment or share this post. Thanks!

SAM LOTFI 

Bite Size Repetition...

  Some encouragement (for artists and writers, because we all need it sometimes):  Whatever it is you want to do, whatever is burning inside of you, it's vital to carve out time everyday to make your dream a reality.  If we don't, we can become dissatisfied, jaded, maybe even a little bit of a grump.  Your family and friends do not like spending time with a creatively frustrated and grumpy artist or writer.  

  BITE SIZE!  Even if it's only 5 minutes.  If you commit to 5 minutes each day (preferably same time each day), make it YOUR time and don't allow anyone or anything (phone/internet/social media/etc) to interrupt that time, soon it will grow into 15 minutes or maybe even more.  You'll have your head in your own world and we all know how time flies when you're having fun.  No matter how much or little time you spend toward making your dream a reality, it is time well spent.  A big block of uninterrupted time (say between 3 - 6 hours or even a whole day) would be ideal, but we DO NOT live in an ideal world.  Life can be messy and stressful to say the least, but ask yourself these simple questions and answer honestly:  How long am I going to continue being dissatisfied with how things are?  How far am I willing to go to make it a reality?  I've worked crappy customer service day jobs that suck out your soul.  I've also worked with other animation/game studios and had the privilege of getting to know some amazing talent.  No matter the studio or the project, most (if not all) of those artists/writers have personal projects they'd love to work on one day.  Most of them are super thrilled to be there and happy to work on those big projects, but that doesn't mean they don't still want to do their own thing.  Whether your the one in that crappy non-creative day job or at a big studio on a big project or the freelancer, you can still feel dissatisfied if you're not making the thing that's in YOUR heart!  That short story or novel that's been rattling around in your head for years, that comic book, that film etc, whatever is burning to come out of you.  Let it out!   

  START, FINISH, REPEAT!  Show up for your 5 minutes everyday, even if you can't think of what to write or draw and spend the whole 5 minutes staring at a blank piece of paper or a blank screen.  It's still time well spent because you're building a routine that will eventually become a productive habit.  And if you stare at the blank paper long enough, for no other reason than sheer boredom you'll start drawing or writing something.  Maybe that something is just getting all the bad ideas out of your head or maybe it could turn into a something good, but you'll never know if you don't show up everyday.  Your new mantra is START, FINISH, REPEAT!  Don't stress over making it happen quickly.  Life can be stressful enough, you don't need to bring it with you.  Leave it aside and have fun for that 5 minutes.  It's yours to enjoy!  Eventually, it all adds up and you'll be amazed at how much you've accomplished with just a few minutes everyday!  And as a positive side effect, you'll be much more pleasant around family and friends.

  Please feel free to comment or share this post, thanks!

- SAM LOTFI   

Here's to Creative Exploration & Discovery!

WELCOME creative explorers one and all!  Here we are!  A space for creative exploration and discoveries!  It has taken me some time & effort (especially since I'm not very tech savvy) to put together a website where I can do just that and share it with you!  Feel free to follow, subscribe, bookmark or whatever it is you're supposed to do nowadays to keep up with my latest work.  Look for sneak peeks from the drawing board, see artwork in progress, and read new stories!  I may even include tutorials from time to time since I genuinely enjoy teaching and talking about comic book storytelling.  Feel free to leave a comment or if you have a question, use the CONTACT page to send a message.  Thanks! 

- SAM LOTFI