CBR: Where The Hell Am I - Jan 26, 2011

[CBR News]

Jason Aaron is joined by some of his comic book friends to illustrate the importance of having your own work space when you live a freelancer's life, be it a room in your house, an office park rental or something else.


Full article here.

[ian33407]

...thank you
so much

I see that you have the same problems than me to do your homework...

don't you have something to say about ....comics, mr Callahan ?
You used to be more...pertinent, I must confess.

[ian33407]

eeeeeeh...my mistake.

[DrVenkman]

Shit, I'll be your intern.

Luckily, I've been able to find some time when everyone is asleep to work on things for school. It's still difficult to find time though. The first thing I look for when I move is an extra room to have an office.

[JimmyDee]

Do I see a bunch of Lone Wolf & Cub volumes on your shelf there?

[Joe Burden]

Whilst my girlfriend and I live in our small flat it's tough, I'm drawing on the kitchen/living room table which I'm sure sometimes gets on my lady's nerves when I'm taking up the space and listening to my music, although likewise she keeps talking when I'm working

When we get a bigger house I've already bagsied the spare room and she's been kind enough to acquiesce, which I'm hoping will have the kind of effect mentioned above. I've never had a dedicated space to draw in, so I'm looking forward as much to arranging the books on my shelf (and toys on the windowsill) as anything else!

[1derer]

Great article Jason and Jason's comic book friends.

In regards to this: "Like the great Coach Tomlin says, style points don't matter. "

I would be to differ. An aesthetically pleasing/customized workspace creates a positive work environment. Your brain already associates "the office" with work, and if you make the office suit your tastes (as you clearly have) then the association with the office can also be "enjoyable space." When picking a space for working (or even living, such as my formerly messy room), I like to ask myself "if I didn't have to be here, how would I feel about being here?" If the answer is "I would want to leave" then I know I need to make some changes.

Having written that, you're definitely right about the "personal space" being the most important factor. When I've found my workspace in my flat occupied by people when it's usually free, the aesthetic benefits of that room are definitely trumped by the loss of personal control over it and the distraction of others. In those situations I gladly retreat to a secondary spot so I can create an environment I have control over, even if it's not as comfortable an environment as my primary workspace.

Once again, great article. I look forward to your columns each week.