tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25473451.post6774941501513917928..comments2024-03-17T19:22:37.877-04:00Comments on Mike Lynch Cartoons: Useless AdviceMike Lynchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06589354018554341768noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25473451.post-88638244024823213232013-07-08T11:58:12.109-04:002013-07-08T11:58:12.109-04:00I could write a whole essay on this topic. Maybe I...I could write a whole essay on this topic. Maybe I will sometime....<br /><br />A few years ago I was nervously preparing for a big talk at a comics convention. A syndicated cartoonist (name rhymes with Flephan Flastis) gave me some advice: "People aren't coming to your talk to find out how YOU got there; they want to learn how THEY can get there." That was a good insight that helped me focus my talk, but at the same time made me realize how useless any advice of mine would be.<br /><br />Someone wanting to follow my career path would need to have been born when I was born, had the jobs and experiences I had, be willing to wait about 30 years to get published, and then have their envelope end up on the right person's desk at the right moment. That's a microscopic circle in a big Venn diagram. My path isn't duplicable. Everyone has a different story about how they made it, and none follows a formula.<br /><br />I think the best one can do is suggest some good general strategies, and maybe highlight some blind alleys to avoid. My general advice goes something like: Try a hundred things and, if two or three of them work, do more of that. Working hard and showing up on time will set you apart from most of your competition. Luck favors the prepared and alert. Act like a professional even if you aren't yet.<br /><br />So while your advice about meeting and talking to pros is good, I'd put a big asterisk on it. They won't tell you the secret to success because there isn't one--what worked for them probably won't work for you--and don't expect them to change your life because they can't (with a few very rare exceptions, one of which I witnessed myself). <br /><br />Finally, I'm sure you remember Steve Martin's foolproof advice for becoming a millionaire and never paying taxes: "Okay, first you get a million dollars. Then...."Brian Fieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com