Are you investing in who you want to be?
When we invest in the thing that we want to become, it makes us want to become that person even more. Running just about everyday, I’ve started to see some of the same people out running, These people I pass by I thought was a one occurance are sinking more and more into my mind when I pass them by for yet another day.
Today I saw 2 ladies, who I passed by a few weeks ago, and they had their normal jogging clothes on that you’d wear running. They ran together, and I thought this was good that they had a partner to motivate them as they would run together.
When I saw them today, though, they had stepped up their game, they had invested in jogging uniforms, had new shoes and they matched from head-to-toe of lightweight running outfits. You could tell these outfits were new, that they had stepped up their game, and they had just told the world–“I am getting in shape”. They looked the part, and they weren’t taking “no” from anybody.
Were these different ladies than had set out? No. Had their mindset changed? Probably not. But something changes when we invest in the tools that will take us to the next level. Sometimes we can make do with a less expensive solution. But when we invest in the thing that we want to become, it makes us want to become that person even more. We have a vested interest in becoming that person because now we have put our money out there.
Can you get the same satisfaction with not spending a dime? Maybe, I’ve been trying to do that my whole life. But it seems that when I do spend my money on new equipment, or classes, or new books, I want to take my game to a whole new level. I am learning more. I am investing in the person I want to become, and I am going to be more valuable because I did invest in myself.
RUNNING WITH COMICS LESSON: Invest in yourself. Put your money into things that will make you a better person, solidify your position as a professional creator, and make yourself more valuable to others.
It really depends on the person too. DC great Klaus Janson emphasized that a genius could create art with a stick and pudding. Likewise, a naive novice could have the best equipment money could buy and get nowhere fast.
That said, it still does pay to get the best tools you can afford, be they pens, paper, erasers, paints, or computers. But you must never forget the most important tools you have: your hand and your mind. As long as you train these, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.
This is great advice, Max. You did a much better job articulating the point. We definitely don’t want to be superficial. Probably the best investment one can make is to learn the skills that will make them them a better professional in mind and body. Keep the mind sharp and the hand accurate. And just for the record I really like pudding.