Wearing Different Hats

For as much as I call myself a writer and present myself as such, there is so much more that I have to be. For my webcomic alone, I wear the hats of a writer, an advertiser, a layout designer, an accountant, and an event planner (and that's just off the top of my head).

It seems that the last thing a self-publishing comic writer does is write comics, which is a common lament. But as easy as it is to complain about, I have to ask if it is worth it to do so. First of all, it certainly doesn't help fix those problems. Second of all, I have to ask if wearing all those hats is really such a detriment.

Where do ideas from writing come from? For me, they come from living life. They are the random thoughts that happen when you're doing a menial task like waiting in line. Sometimes they come from sitting down and writing, but if that was all I did, I can't imagine I would be able to sustain it indefinitely.

Taking on the various tasks of running a comic provides me with so many things to do that I will never get bored doing any one of them. It also allows me to gain a far deeper understanding of the business and world of webcomics. It means I am not merely a cog, but a whole machine. And I have never been unhappy to have more knowledge.

So for me, I am going to write when I can, do my other jobs when I need to, and make sure I have a big hat rack.