“It’s to make you happy when you finish it” — Neil Gaiman
Adams Notes | Weekly Edition 004
Five finds.
I’ve done a lot of reading. Trying to figure out what a fairy tale is. Tolkien called it a soup. Gaiman calls it Ice Cream. I guess they agree, it’s to provide nourishment in some degree
"It's a fairytale," I told him. "It's like an ice cream. It's to make you feel happy when you finish it." — Neil Gaiman
I’ve tried each of these four unsexy time-saving habits, but never all together. They are so much more powerful as a set!
People are getting ‘excited’ about twitters new ownership. In the meantime, great content is still getting put out, like this thread..
4. This video is also by Chris, but on youtube instead, in it, he mentions the concept of syndication on social media. Make content (art), and put it on whatever platforms would have you. If you skip the video, take this quote.
“Are you capable”? Ask yourself this about tasks you’re thinking of blowing off, maybe you don’t feel like doing something on your to-do list. Ask, is it physically possible for you to do it, if it is… do it. Self-talk is everything.
I learned about Ultradian Cycles. And how there are 2 maybe 3 peak 90-minute periods in a day when you are most effective. Like when Mario picks up a star in the video game. It’s something I’ve been partially aware of from experience, but understanding the science adds a new dimension to my productivity and how I plan my week.
The question, Which of these 5 points did you find most interesting?
Some things I Posted this week.
I mused about the steps
We talked about Journals
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👾 In the past weeks I’ve been building up momentum for my latest book project. It really feels like pushing a rock up a hill so that I can push it over and use the momentum.
Let me tell you a bit about the book…
There is a trend toward new looks on classic fairy tales, and I’m working on something in that genre. Now as I work, I feel it’s important to keep up an online presence. Not every day like I used to, but targeting certain key moments.
One of these moments is Folktale Week. It’s a set of drawing prompts to set us off retelling folk stories through illustration. I know for a fact that the industry pays special attention to this event, so I’m really excited to participate.
I’m also using my participation in the research phase of the book I’m doing.
This way I’m circling around my main topic without attacking it directly.
I’m broadening and deepening my understanding before attacking it directly.
Here are some questions I’m considering.
What is the difference between Myth, Fairy Tales, and Folktales?
Who is it for?
What is it for?
What is my role in telling these stories and how can I do it well?
What are recurring themes and what do they mean?
So far, I see fairy tales as a kind of game played between the teller and the audience. It is not set in a time, that would be a myth. It’s set in a place outside of time. The story is an invitation to enter this re-created place.
The tales we have are like figures in a toy box, some have names but they represent tropes, the wolf, the giant, the fool, the king. Single words are filled with meaning, meaning that will be stretched by the end of the tale.
There is also magic in fairy tales.
The magic of naming. The practice is the power of words.
With words, A wolf may become big and bad.
A king may become a fool or a fool might become a king.
What role will the pictures I make have in this art form made of words?
How will what I do help or hinder the telling of the tale?
Am I the audience or am I the storyteller?
Questions are better than answers. And this last question feels like a useful one for an illustrator.
Perhaps I will approach folktale week as an audience. Listen and experience the story of the Prompts, and merely note down with pictures what I experience.