The Case For Independence

Back in the early 2000s, my friends and I used to loiter on the stoop in front of my college dorm.  We’d have our laughs and discussions, and every now and again, a really hot girl walked by.  In that moment, the music stopped and all eyes were on her.  Only one of us would be the bold moron to chase after her in the hopes of finding “love.” This is the essence of what it means to “chase tail.”

On one such occasion, an incredibly attractive high-roller-looking kind of girl walked past the stoop.  Everyone shut up for that moment, but we all had an idea of what she might be like.  Yeah, she was dressed high class but she would run you dry.  And all of us, being college students, were for the most part broke.  Then exited the brave moron to chase said girl.   He walked with her for blocks, then scored a dinner date, drinks at the bar and a dance at a club... only to return to the stoop the next day broken-hearted and with an empty wallet.  We never asked what happened, because obviously nothing did, but he went around acting as if he was owed something.

The following week, he did it again.

The Marvel/Disney v. Gary Friedrich case definitely has the artist community in a rage.  It’s a gray area for sure, and it could really change the way artists (designers, writers, actors, etc.) do business with their patrons (employers) in the future.  

The “Work for Hire” clause in each contract signed tends to be overlooked by many.  And creators who ignore that deceitfully-dressed sodomy stick will also forget to bring the legal lube later on.

Michelangelo doesn’t own the paintings on the Sistine Chapel.* The Catholic Church does, as with so many other famous Renaissance artworks of the time.  However, the artists are given proper credit for their work, and justly so.  In my belief, credit for work done can be more valuable than the cash compensation awarded.  Credit is a way that many artists, writers, etc., are able to keep their livelihoods and support their families...or cats.  So when people like Jack Kirby, Bill Finger, Gary Friedrich and the likes lose that recognition for creating memorable icons: artists should hide their kids, hide their wives, and hide their husbands cause they...you get the idea.  Lawsuits like these make a great case for independence and why artists should not blindly submit their creations for a paycheck.  When your job is to create for a company, you have to understand that you are legally giving up your creation for the compensation of wages.  Artists in advertising, freelancers, and many other artists behind the scenes understand that their work under a “work for hire” contract basically means at the end of the day, they own nothing.  Nothing.

As a creator, the last thing I want to see is my labored creation taken from me by a corporation and my livelihood in ruins because of it.  Why should/would I give my multi-million-dollar idea to a corporation who’s already got a multi-million-dollar empire if what I’ll get in return is a measly wage with no residuals or recognition?  Granted, having a name like Marvel/Disney backing a project would help bring my idea to many more people, but at what cost?

There are way too many creators, artists, and writers chasing tail, hoping that with a gal like Marvel behind their property, they’ll make a claim to fame, but they rarely do.  I’ve worked at quite a few independent studios who’d recite that they wouldn’t produce their own short unless they had a buyer.  Like saline to a homeopathic tonic, I’ve seen many friends who think grabbing an investor would help make their remedy more potent.  But in each case they continue to water down the most crucial part of their creation: ownership.

I’m disappointed with Marvel/Disney for not giving their prolific creators the credit they deserve, but I don’t know if I can wholeheartedly stand with Gary and the gang.  

In my own, correct, opinion*, if you’re that invested in your creation...do it yourself.  You might not make as much money, or any money at all, but at least it’ll be yours.


.v
*In the interests of practicing what I preach, full credit goes to my lovely partner, Colleen Johnson, for the Michelangelo comparison and the phrase “My Correct Opinion.”

Sargent Study

Back to Basics

Thought some life drawing was in order after that Draper drawing.

Don Draper -

My sad attempt at painting Don Draper.

AMC - Consider an Animated Series for the web with Echo Bridge Pictures

Fan of the comics, fan of the show.  This piece was a must!  

It's been a while since I took some time off, honestly.  Spent the last week visiting family, very close friends, trekking cross country, and taking some much needed rest.  While on my trip, my head was flooded with all kinds of ideas for things I'd like to do: write a novel, a new screen play, songs, poems, new business ideas, adventurous activities like skydiving and sorts.  I wrote many of them down in my sketchbook, and others I'm still planning out.

Something did come to mind though while I was out just the other day: every hour I spend surfing the net, watching TV, facebooking, or what have you; are hours that I could have spent writing or drawing, creating or producing something worthwhile.  That every hour lost to consumerism, I lost an hour to make my life much more enriched.  Granted, we all need reasonable downtime, but I guess I'm coming to an age where I really begin to value my time... especially when we see it moving by so rapidly.

Been listening to a lot of Charles Mingus this week.  Incredibly inspiring :)

Weekend Update

You might have seen this floating around NYCC this year:

My good friend (and writer) Keith Miller and I put together this little comic book project called 'Aspects.'  From what I've been told, it was received fairly well that it's attracted some very promising prospects.  When I was younger, I had always dreamt about doing comic books, but after producing my own short films in college, that passion sort of faded off.  But after doing animation for nearly a decade, I have to say that I really had a great time working on this.  We got a few more issues to go, and hopefully this little dark-side comedy will be easily accessible to those interested in reading.

What I Been Up To Lately

Been busy at the studio. You can keep up with all the goodness on the blog!

http://echobridge.tumblr.com

Hitting the Shelves

Some artwork for a comic book project I've been working on with ever-so-brilliant-and-witty, Keith Miller.