The last two weeks have been a blast. Back-to-back events involving my doctoral research, comic book script, art and animation expos, and a bucket load of books that hit my purchase list have kept me on my toes.
Research during a pandemic
Most of us have had to work from home since COVID-19 introduced itself to the world. It has been the same for me for the most part of the last 5 months. September’s arrival marked the beginning of the final year of my doctoral studies and I’ve spent the last few weeks working intermittently between home and the university.
Science is a collaborative effort and I’m thankful to the support I have received from my colleagues who have assisted in my research especially during a period of time where most research facilities are running at smaller capacity. While this has generally led to a lower results yield, I count myself lucky in that the majority of my research was complete prior to the shutdown.
Looking ahead, I have also had the chance to engage in some networking for science writing by getting a membership at the National Association of Science Writers, successful registration in a Science Write-a-thon event, submitting a few pitches to scientific journals (fingers crossed, I get to write about my research, the wait has been killing me), and starting a medium account where I also share my posts on The Procrastinating Scientist.
Lightbox
On that note, I made a giant leap in progress when it came to my efforts in pursuing a career in art and animation. Shout out to the Lightbox team for setting up an amazing expo over the course of a hyper-content loaded weekend.
The expo provided a wonderful insider look at the animation, arts, and comic book industry. Networking was also a big plus with sponsors and representatives from Disney, Pixar, etc. More than anything else, the expo provided a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Be it if you are an amateur or a professional, there were no distinctions and the event altogether served as a wonderful community experience where everyone could learn from everyone.
An awesome source of inspiration, Lightbox left me wanting more. I cannot wait for next year’s expo in an experience that I heartily recommend to anyone who wishes to pursue a career in animation or the film industry.
Script and a whole lot of books
Attending Lightbox expo with a writer’s background (as opposed to an artistic background) gave me unique insights into my own progress with my comic book script. In art, it is very common for the instructor to advise the student to step back from his piece every now and then to gain a larger perspective of his project’s goal.
My experience at Lightbox made me do the same. My recent struggles in transcribing my script into art notwithstanding, I had to take a step back and recognize that there was still much left to do in organizing the plot, not to mention the plot holes that have been creeping out of nowhere in recent days.
It has been a steep learning curve but one that I have appreciated very much. It helped to find common ground in my struggles with many professional artists and writers who attended the expo. With that being said, I have made great progress in demolishing my original draft and elevating it toward greener pastures with every passing day. My goal is to have a fully polished script alongside preliminary concept art ready by the end of the year. Whether I make the deadline is up in the air but I know I’m going to enjoy every bit of it.
This brings us to the end of my two-week adventure. I hope you’ve all had a great weekend and I will see you soon with another post. My newly bought bookshelf speaks to the volumes of reading I will be doing in the coming weeks, so look forward to some book reviews in the near future.
The Pensive Reverie 