Taking care of your artsy body

If you're an artist, you are at risk for certain injuries: carpal tunnel, neck pain, back pain, and a variety of hand and arm injuries. This is because you are using those parts of your body all the time. Normal, not-artist people use those parts of their body regularly, but have lots of times during the day where they let those muscles sit lifelessly.

As an artist, you draw for fun, work, and release. And, let's be honest, drawing uses more muscles than typing or video gaming (sans wii and kinect, etc). You've got these muscles from your fingers to your neck all tight and focused and tight and working and tight and, did I mention tight? Yeah, they get super tight. And if you're not careful, you can make them flip out, as I did this last week.

It's happened to me before. When I work, I get into a zone and usually don't surface for many hours. I have had more than my fair share of days spent from wake til sleep drawing, music blaring, the world totally tuned out. That's my style. So my muscles, every few years, suddenly seize up and give me agony for a week or so. It's always sudden, unpredictable, and pathetic. I end up camped out in my Daddy's heavenly recliner for the duration (he's the best ♥Dad♥ for giving up that chair to me, even though he has a bad back and loves to relax there best of anywhere else), staring at daytime TV (American Pickers, anyone?) and whimpering for my Momma to bring me food when I'm hungry to help me get out of the chair when I need the bathroom (she's the best Mom, brings me all the muscle relaxants, tylenol, food, and heat packs I need ♥♥). Sounds fun, and it is in a way, except that I am in endless pain that never stops, I can't lift my head on my own, and can't turn or chew too much or swallow without pain. Do you understand? It's the worst pain ever. EVER.

So, I highly recommend, to you artists out there--even if you've never had this pain, you probably will--I recommend you set a timer when you're doing your art and take a break every hour. Go on a walk, watch a movie, have a nap, read a book, but let your arm and neck and back rest. It's frustrating, I know, but it doesn't even come close to how frustrating being a slug is when your brain is working and still being creative.

Take care of your body, and let it last longer and do the things you want it to. It's the reason you can do the things you do. Don't abuse it.

Strung Out, starting the engine

Since I'm basically graduated (one fluke of a class to take), I'm on the hunt for a real life job. And between hunting, I'm putting together Strung Out stuff, starting with the website.

http://strungout.allicomics.com

So far, it looks pretty good. It even has stuff in the 'about' section. I'm trying to decide to what to put elsewhere, but I figure that'll come together with time.

I'm going to start drawing Strung Out when I clean out my room. It's unbearably cluttered, with junk crowding my walls and spilling on my floor (literally, metaphorically, and figuratively). I'm going to clean it out, put everything away, and clean off my desk. I'm also going to start making use of my lap desk (less a lap desk, more a large-foot-breakingly-heavy-flat-thing-with-a-handle). 

The fact is, though, I could easily make an excuse to put off Strung Out more and say, "Well, there's no space to work. I'll start it when I have work space, which will be when I eventually get my own place." But let's be honest, when will that happen? WHO KNOWS. And I am miserable not drawing comics. 

So there we go. My two goals are to find a job and start Strung Out. ASAP.