Live Life, Get Weird, Get Inspired:

Why Stepping Away Fuels Creativity

You might think that staying home, buckling down, and getting to work is the most productive use of time in illustration and making comics. While that’s partially true—hard work is critical— going out and living life is just as essential to the creative process.

Mental Recharge and Creative Breakthroughs

Taking a break and getting outside is vital for mental health and creativity. The constant pressure to produce high-quality, imaginative work can lead to burnout, especially with tight deadlines. Stepping away from the drawing board to immerse yourself in nature or socialize can recharge your mind, reduce stress, and spark new ideas. Even something as simple as a walk or a drive can help shift your perspective and open up creative possibilities. In these moments of quiet, when you’re not actively trying to create, your brain has the space to wander, leading to unexpected solutions or fresh ideas that push your work forward. Personally, I’ve found that my 45-minute drive on my way to teach gives me time to develop concepts and plan projects in a relaxed, open-minded way.

Conversations and Adventures: Creative Goldmines

Equally important are conversations and the potential for adventure. Living life and interacting with people can be one of the most productive parts of writing. Over the years, countless ideas have sparked from casual conversations with friends or strangers at the bar. Sometimes I’ll retell an old story and remember a detail I’d forgotten, or a buddy will share a ridiculous experience that fits perfectly into a plot twist. Eavesdropping on a stranger’s odd remark or catching snippets of conversations can also lead to unexpected inspiration, like comedian Lewis Black’s famous bit about one of the dumbest statements that he had ever heard: “If it weren’t for my horse, I wouldn’t have spent that year in college.”

There are also the accidental adventures—those unexpected nights where you stumble into something surreal or hilarious. These raw, unscripted moments breathe authenticity into your storytelling, providing material that can’t be manufactured at the drawing table.

Capture the Moment: Keep Weird Notes

After these conversations or adventures, I make sure to jot down notes—usually in my phone or a pocket sketchbook I carry. These aren’t detailed transcripts but fragments of ideas, sparks that could lead to something bigger. If someone found these notebooks, they’d probably think they’d stumbled upon the ravings of a full-fledged funny farm resident or a monumentally maniacal madman. But these notes are personal triggers—odd details or what-if scenarios that help me generate stories.

For instance, “Petland,” a short story from my upcoming comic, Hellscape Americana was inspired by a friend’s bizarre solution to getting sick. Instead of visiting a doctor, they went to an exotic pet store and bought Fishmox, the fish version of Amoxicillin. Fortunately, the person in question didn’t meet the same fate as Melvin in “Petland”. However, the idea was odd enough for me to add it to my weird little notebook. When it was time for me to start writing, I saw my prompt: “Person takes fishmox. Doesn’t want to go to doctor.” This sparked the wonderfully weird what-if scenario in my imagination that became a finished story.

So, LIVE LIFE, GET WEIRD, & GET INSPIRED. Creativity thrives when you step outside the studio and embrace the unpredictability of the world around you!