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Hmm. I'm feeling a bit off lately.
I have orders to make...plenty of them. This is good because orders = money, but I'm daunted by how many there are and that causes me to procrastinate. So, I'm creating without joy right now, in fits and spurts when I can force myself to do it.
I'm definitely escaping on my bike too much...just putting on my i-pod and taking off. Sometimes that's good because Char comes with me, which is sweet. Sometimes I'm all alone and I don't realize how fast or far I'm going until I pull up in a daze with a cramp. That's not excercise. That's running away.
I mean, it's silly to feel this way. Working is good...I'd be lost without it. And of course everyone knows I love to ride my bike. I'm just feeling a bit unbalanced and stretched thin lately, like a watery pancake mix. Like I might break.
Also, I'm sabotaging myself. I'm playing video games instead of reading a book. I'm thinking about getting old, quite a bit. This is really starting to bug me, the getting old thing. I look in the mirror and my face doesn't match my spirit, and I can be vain so...it bothers me. More than that, it frightens me. It's not like you wake up one day and, surprise; you're seventy. It happens slowly, and lately I'm seeing the new lines my face will fall into as I age and I'm seeing my grandmother...my own mom. The clues are there and they scare me. I'm not ready for old age, the same way I'm never ready for winter in November each year.
Is this a midlife crisis I wonder? It's not as fun as I'd heard. I thought it'd mean I'd go to Europe alone, or have a fling, or install a hot tub or buy a motorcycle. Instead I just feel anxious and stretched thin. Hmm.
But enough whining. I need some practical advice. For any of you out there with DevArt accounts; how many comments do you reply to? All of them? Just the first page? I have a monster of a backlog of comments and I always try to at least say "thanks" but the sheer amount is so massive that it'd take hours to do at this point.
Also, another DA question...I'm getting a LOT of "Ooo I want to make that" comments. Which of course is copyright infringement. Like, to the point where kids are contacting me, asking for my PATTERNS so they can TRY TO MAKE A MASK. Now, I don't own the idea of maskmaking, heck no. But I sure as hell do own my mask designs. Should I continue to ignore these comments (which is what I've been doing so far) or do I come down on these kids like the wrath of god? Surely they must be kids. Adults wouldn't dare suggest something like that to an artist...would they? I suspect I'd be accused of being a bitch if I explain copyright law to a 13 year old kid who really likes my dragon, so I'm reluctant to be honest with anyone there.
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I have a bad tendency to procrastinate, too, when I'm feeling overwhelmed. My to do list is the only thing that keeps me on track. I have to see everything there in black and white, with the deadlines. Then I just start checking them off, one by one. It doesn't mean there's any less work, but at least I can calm down enough to get it done.
The biking is great for you...but not if you're overdoing it all the time or using it as a method of escape. I don't think you should quit ('cause then you'd just feel miserable in another way), but limit yourself. Maybe get a watch with an alarm so you can alert yourself when X amount of time has passed. It's up to you to find the right balance, but maybe that would help keep you in check a bit.
I don't think there's anything wrong with playing video games instead of reading! Mix it up a bit. As long as the games aren't taking away from something else (family time, work, etc.), just have fun!
Mid-life crisis...probably. Unfortunately, time marches on whether we like it or not. I see it in myself, too. I've already got my mother's/grandmother's hands! I don't know what to say about trying to alleviate your fears...I guess I'd just ask why you're so frightened? Well, ask yourself that, I don't need to know! lol What is it about aging that distresses you? Then you can try to confront it. My mother jumped out of a plane for her 50th birthday...though not everyone is quite so extreme. ;)
DA comments - I finally gave up after a while, and I don't get nearly the response that you do. I think it's okay to respond to specific comments (those who leave detailed comments or ask questions, etc.) and just do a generic journal entry or something thanking everyone else.
As for the pattern issue. Argh. This is one thing I detest about DA. There's such a huge number of plagiarists that you can't tell the folks who just want to learn something new to those who want to rip you off. And as this is your livelihood, you have to err on the side of caution.
I would do two things. First, point them toward your tutorial. That gives an excellent overview of how you make your masks and for anyone who is really interested in giving it a try, it provides plenty of information to get started. Second, I would put up a notice somewhere (in each deviation description, in a journal header, wherever) that explains that you are a professional artist and your patterns are copyrighted (or is it trademarked...hm...it's been ages since I read up on it). It won't prevent them from imitating you if they really want to, but it's a bit of an explanation and a CYA.
I don't understand why they would need your patterns anyway. You can get the gist of it, just from looking at them (and definitely from the tutorial), so unless you are intending to replicate the mask (which would be infringement), you don't need it.
It's probably kids asking this stuff (as they tend to be the ones who think it's fine to just copy from other people), but I would redirect them by saying, check out my tutorial to find out how I make my masks, but use your own creativity to come up with your very own pattern, something unique to you. So it's s rebuff, but a positive one. It'd probably be more effective than just quoting copyright law to them, y'know?
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The age thing has me in a funk because it can't be altered, can't be reasoned with, is inevitable. I'm a bit control-freaky, possibly. I have a long history of saying "well if THAT doesn't work then I'll just do THIS", because I'm a fixer. But there's no way to reverse time, you know? And it's finally starting to take a toll. And I don't like it, especially when it shows in my face.
I think a specific DA journal entry aimed at answering all the questions at once is the best idea, really. An overload of info (even though I thought I already did that in my tutorials, TWO of them...but whatever) that will cover every possible question I might get regarding my craft and my art. I don't mind sharing my craft, but it's career-suicide to share my designs. Something along those lines. I'll work it all out when I'm less pissy about the subject (I just hope I get to "less pissy" soon 'cause I've been so funky lately).
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