It's never as easy or straight forward as it looks...

A couple of times recently I've seen suggestions that what we do as creators in some way makes our lives seem easier than those of other people, because we are living the dream, have fans, and get published, etc. etc. Not like 'real' work. As if we don't know true stress, hard graft, genuine sweat and toil.

I don't know how, or even if, it's possible to change that mindset. I know when I was younger I dreamed of doing exactly what I'm doing. I did not, of course, understand how tough it would be! And while I'm proud I stuck at it, I've come to see the job is not simply having the talent to write and/or draw. It's much more complex than that. It's doing it EVERY SINGLE DAY, no matter how you feel. It's never missing a deadline. It's rarely getting a holiday. We have to sell ourselves, understand the medium, and play to the gallery - at least to some extent! And more, and more and yet more.

It's extreme arting.

It's under-appreciated, and sometimes hated. It's being a sensitive soul - as most artists are to even begin to translate reality into fictional 2D spaces - and somehow attempting to develop a thick skin.

But easy? There's nothing easy about what we do. Our eyes dim, our joints ache. We go to bed shattered - just like everybody else. Most days we are completely alone with ourselves and our thoughts and our tools.

The kind words help! The support really does help! Believe me. But when you see us smiling, holding up our comics, that is not our day to day life. Not even close. When I'm in the flow it can be wonderful, but when you hit that wall and have to do it anyway. And when that wall lasts days and weeks... but still, you do it. And you do it well.

It's not the life people imagine. I am SO damn tired right now.

I still would not change it though. And I still feel blessed.