Steve Anderson's Blog

I got lucky today (by bundling up and going out into the cold to a known area where eagles fly) and got this picture.

It says to me, time to fly, or at least get off the branch and start looking for something.

This is a test of the Emergency Deadline System. It is 8:56 AM on a Saturday. I will spend at least an hour working on a model today. Back this evening to see how it went.

Just kidding, there is no such thing as “only a test.”

9:16 PM. I did get in an hour, and I feel much better for it. Here’s the thing about tests, they tell you were they are in the moment. So, you might not get graded or win a contest, but whatever you are doing is just that, whatever you are doing in the moment.

I’d rather spend an hour testing new techniques that turn out terrible than not do anything at all (this is the idea, plenty of times I’m tired after work and want to do just about nuthin – fight it. I did tonight and am glad I did).

Test out something. Go on, and while you do, enjoy the fact that you are out experimenting with the world.

I happened to see a note I made on April 12 this year about starting my second novel. Now, I’m 2/3rds done with it. That’s around 73,000 words (1,000 a day).

And I found a business card for Gumball Clothing Supply. One of my students is the owner and starting his first business.

https://www.facebook.com/gumballclothingsupply

Like his page, anyone with the guts to start something should get a little recognition here and there.

Your business, your novel, your painting, your anything, won’t start itself. Tomorrow, you will be older, but you won’t be wiser unless you did something today that allowed you to learn something.

Whatever it is, start. That’s how you learn, and eventually, it is why you will succeed.

This is my P.O. box.

Seriously, Post Office, you don’t have any Goo Be Gone?

Anyway, this is what I see every time I open it:

Unless Comcast is sending me another offer I ignore.

I would like your help in spicing things up, and it ties into whenever you are promoting your work. Giving a little can go a long way to improve your gets.

If you send me a postcard, the odder the better in my mind, I’ll send you one back. The ultimate postcard I’d love to receive is one that showcases what you do.

This is the postcard you will get back from me. Primo swag from my first novel:

I like collecting postcards, so if you’d like a Star Wars related one, let me know. And if you like surprises, say surprise me.

Send your post card to:

Steve Anderson

UrbanGorilla Productions

P.O. Box 600714

St. Paul, MN 55106

Have some fun, people, we are already through a third of summer.

On May 14th, I wrote:

Step 1: Set clear goals.

Finish novel.

Finish 10 models.

Finish 4 paintings.

Finish 1 medium size diorama.

Finish 1 small size diorama.

Check.

Now that Summer is underway, I thought it was a good time to check in.

1 Model done, check.

50,000 words of novel done (almost half), check.

Mom in emergency room, check.

Car transmission out, check.

One-third of summer gone, check.

Yeah, those last three were unexpected. The novel is still on track, but the others a bit behind. No need to throw in the towel yet, but I will have to stay focused to reach my goals.

How’s your summer going? If it isn’t going how you like it, now is the time to change things. The unexpected will always happen – sort of silly we call it unexpected, really.

If you aren’t were you want to be, adjust, and start heading back in the direction you want and not were circumstance has brought you. Summer won’t wait.

I paint for myself, I build models for myself, and I write for myself and anyone who will read my work (Thank you, Twentyoneminutesaday reader. You obviously have great taste).

When I started my novel, it was totally for myself, something I needed to complete before I leave this planet (i.e. death, I have no spaceship, yet). Once I finished, though, I was very happy to get it out on Amazon. I’ve been selling it for seven months. A few days ago, I got this e-mail:

I like the recommendation. It got me thinking that at least a few other people are getting this in their mailbox. Some will buy it? Maybe. And, if I didn’t do it, if I didn’t publish it, I’d be getting recommendations from Amazon to buy only other people’s books.

If you are creating something, get it out there. Don’t wait for perfection, the perfect time, or any other “perfects” that are keep you work hidden from view. Get it out there. Let people see it. Who knows, you might even find an audience you didn’t know existed.

Once you get it out there, let me know. I love seeing what other people are doing, and then you just might get to see your work mentioned on my site.

When some adult acts like an infant and justifies it by something that includes the words “inner child,” I’d like to spank them. They are totally missing the real value in embracing that younger part of ourselves: extra labor.

And, the best part about this laborer is that he/she isn’t bound by convention, has amazing creativity, and can prove it by turning a cardboard box into a spaceship/car/caste/etc. That’s the inner child I want on my work force.

At Wonderfest this year, I met a man who tapped into that in a great way. Marc Havican, who business card lists him as “Intergalactic Space Lord” is a modeler who told me he remembers building 3 in 1 car kits growing up. That’s when you buy one model of a car and you can build it in 3 different ways.

Now, as a artist/business man/Intergalactic Space Lord, he created Filmy’s Girls, which creates resin model kits. From his web page: At the heart of each Filmy’s Girls kit is a female heroine, posed in a tasteful way that is sexy, yet not offensive.  Each of our designs calls to mind the classic pinup style of Gil Elvgren, incorporationg a setting that tells a story in a humorous way.  We want our kits to bring a smile to your face, and to the faces of everyone who sees your finished buildup.

Here’s one:

Inspired by those old model kits (new car kits keep up the tradition, too), he wanted to make a resin kit that gave the builder options. Forget 3 in 1, this is 8 in 1.

The woman has an airbrush in one hand and you get three arms to choose from, two heads, and cool little figures to chose from to have her paint: Dracula, a dragon, a old classic car, and a tank.

Very cool. Regressing to the emotional level of a child is ridiculous. Regressing back to the creativity and wonder of our youth, genius. Your assignment, if you are goofy enough (and I hope you are) to accept it: go say hi to your inner child, and give him/her a job to do. You may or may not like the results, but you will have to admit they are creative.

P.S. There’s not a lot on his website right now, but there is a link to his Facebook page, which has good pictures of this kit and others. Check it out: http://www.filmysgirls.com/

For those of you who have been reading my post for a while, you know I like the artistic double down. This is when, after you find something that works, you double down and do twice as much or repeat the effort. This can be short or long term.

The idea is to create more and to also see if you have set your sights too low. For example, when I started writing my first novel, I set the bar at 250 words a day. I thought, “I can do this. It isn’t too much.”

It got me going, but I found soon enough that I could do more. I changed it to 500 words a day and finished the novel twice as fast as if I would have stayed at that lower number.

I work less in the summer, and up until today I have been going with the 500 words a day for my second novel. That kind of set up screams double down. You can’t just say I’ll do more, though, without a plan. This plan must include a change of actions.

I usually write some junk in a journal in the morning to clear my head. Later, I would write. Not any more. Now, I write my first 500 words in the morning when I would have journalled before.

This morning, I went to work ecstatic because I had already run (that’s another story) and written my 500 words. It felt great to start the day with my novel. How great would your day be if you started it writing, painting, playing an instrument, or creating in some way?

When I got home, I wrote another 500. At this rate, I’ll wrap up the novel right before I go back into full-time work mode. Love the double down. I’ll journal right after this, and actually has something to say.

You will never know your true limits unless you test them. Join me in a double down. I double dog dare you.

I was torn between two demos, which meant I got to catch only the second half of George Seletas’s demo Building outside the Box: Enhancing your kit to take it to the next level. I’m really glad I did.

At the end, after showing some of the work he has done (Google image him and you’ll see some very cool builds) and telling us where we can get lots of cool parts to add detail to whatever it is we are building, he made a recommendation: Get books by Scott Robinson and Daniel Simon.

I did, and Simon’s book came in:

He’s actually a car designer, too. He takes these ideas and makes them as realistic as possible. How much fun is that.

I write, paint, and build models. You may do something else. Good, inspirational books apply in all areas. Check this book out:

Real life, cold weather architecture.

Not sure what I will do with this knowledge, but glad I have it around (and yep, got it for 2 bucks on clearance. I would have paid 2.75 easy. I’ve also paid 50 dollars for a good John Singer Sargent book – it’s all about what you want in your life)

The next time you are talking to someone who you think has an interesting take on the world, don’t forget to ask, “What books (authors) inspire you?”

I just got back from the amazing Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Figure modeling convention called WonderFest and my head is still spinning.

Over the next couple posts, I’ll share more of what I learned and experienced.  For now, enjoy..Seriously, how amazing is that? Or…

The man who created and sells this figure (who is different from the person who bought it and made this impressive version of it) will get his own post.

I also heard prop masters and ship designers from Star Wars, Star Trek, and Battlestar Galactica talk about work, saw a rough cut of a great documentary on kids and monster movies in the 60s and 70s, along with a lot of good workshops on modeling techniques.

Like I said, there will be more posts.

Whatever you like, find out where others who like it gather and go.