Friday, November 8, 2013

Three Questions about Creativity with Christopher Hastings


A few weeks ago I was put on to the hilarious comic strip adventures of a character named 'Dr McNinja'. I was skeptical at first as to whether I would like it, but within a few minutes the odd sensibility of the humour, coupled with great illustrations, suckered me in.

I, like most men, was once a boy, and when I was young I appreciated the beauty of a well-drawn comic. However, as I got older I stop reading comics, passing over them because I mistakenly viewed them as lesser intellectual fare. I was probably too busy reading The Corrections.

I eventually realized my mistake, and comics like 'Dr McNinja' continuously remind me of the value of a great story and beautiful visuals.

The illustrator behind the 'Dr McNinja' series is Christopher Hastings, who created the comic back in 2004 and is now a writer/illustrator for Marvel, among other things. Being blown away by 'Dr McNinja', I decided to get in touch with  Christopher to find out the secrets behind his creative success.



 The first question I wanted to ask was where it he got his inspiration from in the first place, where did he start? As it turns out, he began drawing as a child, and found he couldn't put down his pen.

 "I've heard it said before that all children are artists until they decide to stop. So I just never stopped".

Another key inspiration for Christoper was that not only was this an activity he liked to do, it also gave him direction for the future.

"But I think when I started dramatically improving when I was about 11 years old, I started to really identify as an artist".

These days, motivation doesn't seem to be a problem for Christopher, but even he finds that stepping away from his work increases his desire to get straight back to it.

 "I think my brain just won't let me stop being creative. If I manage to have a weekend I can step away from work, I'm pretty itchy to get back to it by Sunday evening".

Sometimes the desire to be creative isn't enough for you to actually put pen to paper, so it helps to find activities or places that encourage you to act on your desires.

"If I'm going to get writing done, I definitely have to get in the right headspace, and usually that means making some sort of locational change. A short walk, and settling down at a coffeeshop or a quiet pub usually does the trick. Sometimes I'll take my laptop to sit on my fire escape if it's pleasant out. Really it's just about telling my brain "Time to relax. Time to write." and those little habits click it into place".

If you truly enjoy creating, then it should be pretty obvious, just as it is for Christopher. If you have to force yourself to do it every time, and if it not turning out the way you thought it would, maybe try something different. Or may be just try a change of scenery.

Listen to your creative impulses and put yourself in a place that optimizes your ability to indulge them.
Don't forget to check out the talented Christopher Hastings and his crazy creation 'Dr McNinja' via his website drmcninja.com

Christopher writes for the legendary Marvel Comics from time to time, and his credits include writing Fear Itself: Deadpool and  Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe. You can find out about all these and more at his personal website  http://christopher-hastings.com/

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