Fun & Hope

Remember Wayne’s World from classic 90s SNL?  One of my best friend’s husbands thought of this idea for a T-shirt for their toddler, and with some Mindy Indy magic, the T-shirts are alive!  You can get one on RedBubble.com

You can also get the design on a onesie or a hoodie in different colors.  Redbubble is awesome and you can print a design on anything like a sticker or a clock (potty TIME, get it?). Meanwhile – behold, the cutest model ever! (Used with permission :)

I started this project in late March when COVID cases were rising in NYC.  It was so great to work on something purely FUN and lighthearted during that time.  It was also fun to learn how to make patterns in Illustrator (the plaid on Garth’s shirt).  Always keep learning.

Projects like this remind me that even amidst the chaos of our world today, there is hope for creativity and new, fun ideas.  To my artist friends - even though it may seem bleak and that nobody has $, that’s just not true and there ARE people out there who value your work and WILL pay you for your skills and talents.  You just have to find them, or they need to find you, which is all about marketing, which I’m learning more about myself.

And part of that plan is that I’m revamping my mailing list.  Please reply if you’d like to keep getting Mindy Indy updates in your email!  Many thanks to all of you who have stuck with me through thick & thin over the years.  I appreciate your email support :)

MoCCA Fest Postponed & How to Work From Home

I feel like this is kind of old news by now, as the corona virus changes life for us daily. I aim to blog about once a week, not daily, but a week feels like an eternity now! Just to clear some things up, MoCCA Arts Festival is POSTPONED, not cancelled completely. Lots of events are being outright cancelled, but being postponed just means that the event will happen at a later date. Life will eventually return to “normal” for us, but none of us knows when.

Meanwhile, I was just talking with my room mate (who is now working from home) that sometimes my life as a freelancer seems chaotic compared to a stable job. Now, I’m feeling more stable compared to people with “normal” 9-to-5s that aren’t used to working from home. But I figured I’d share some tips on how to best work from home!

Business Tips: Working From Home

• Structure your day in some way. If you’re not quarantined, get out and jog or take a walk first thing in the morning instead of your commute. If you are quarantined, get yourself moving inside (also helps minimize depression).

• Take regular breaks & eat at regular times so life doesn’t seem like one long continuous day and you either snack on crap all day or forget to eat.

• Minimize distractions. Bosses are not hovering over your shoulder, maybe your pets or kids are around, and of course the internet is ever present. Working from home has its benefits but also challenges to focus. You WILL get distracted, but the key is to recognize when it’s happening and go back to your work. Example from today - my room mate got a text from her sister about the name of a character her son likes, so my room mate asked me about it. I realized the character was from Voltron, so I showed my roomie a clip of the show’s intro instead of explaining the whole thing in words. When the clip was over, I admit it was DIFFICULT to NOT delve into other Voltron clips! But I recognized this as a productivity trap and made the conscious choice to close the Voltron tab on my browser and get back to work. Now here’s a challenge for you: are you going to click on the Voltron link and binge watch the show, or are you going to get back to work?

DO FREELANCE TAXES EASIER Class!

Make the most of the grizzly “winter” weather by tackling your freelance taxes now instead of the spring when you’ll want to frolick outside! (Winter is in quotes because I haven’t seen much snow lately, but it’s still cold, gray, & rainy).

Each time I do my taxes I think of ways to simplify the process, and would love to share my findings with other freelancers. Note that this class is HALF the time for HALF the price of my past Business Basics for Freelancers classes! Only $25 for a 90 minute session. You will leave the class MORE EMPOWERED and CONFIDENT of TAKING CONTROL of your tax situation!

The class is Thursday, February 27 from 3P - 4:30P. Yes, it’s a time that only freelancers can go to :)

Caffeine Underground is always a great host for my classes - cozy atmosphere, yummy treats, and of course various drinks with caffeine in them! Make the trek out to Brooklyn for this class - it’s worth it!

Please sign up here - there are only 15 spots available.

I’m curious - what’s the one thing that you struggle most with concerning taxes? Just reply to this email if you’re on my mailing list. If you’re not on my mailing list, just email mindy at mindyindy dot com. Also feel free to ask me any questions concerning the class! Thanks and hope to see you there!

Vision Board 2020

I was inspired to make a vision board for the next decade. What kind of life do I want to have in 10 years? Confession - I’m older than I look and there are many things that I’ve always thought would happen eventually, but they haven’t happened yet. Well, I need to take steps to MAKE them happen in the next 10 years and be more PROactive instead of REactive. It was surprisingly easy for me to brainstorm all these things - they’ve been in the background of my mind but I haven’t really put pen to paper on many of them. As a visual person SEEING your goals is super important!

AER HEAD was the first thing I thought of, but I’m talking about the WHOLE SERIES here, not just issue 1. #1 is a goal for just 2020. If I can complete an issue per year with one Kickstarter per year that would be fantastic.

After I had my main ideas, I wondered what it would take to achieve them. They fell into 3 main categories: time, money, spirituality, or some combination thereof. Having a more abundant mindset is more on the spiritual spectrum, whereas I definitely need more money to get an art studio space. Also gotta say that even though I do all this crazy planning, I need to make more room in my life for spontaneity/enjoying life more, which is hard to do when I need to be so disciplined in art creation.

I came to the conclusion that before most of these things can happen, I need to focus on creating a more sustainable art career first. In the next blog you’ll see my separate action board for that. Note the distinction between VISION board and ACTION board. Vision boards are nice ideas to look at, keep in mind, and be inspired by, whereas action boards are specific actions you can take to achieve your vision.

Action

What are some big life goals on your mind you’ve been thinking about for awhile? Make a vision board! I just used a big sheet of paper, construction paper, and a marker. Make it fun by writing in different styles, cutting fun shapes, or using different colors. If you’re not that “artistic,” you can type out words in different fonts in Microsoft Word. Cheers to your success in life, career, love, pets, etc in 2020!

Saying Goodbye to A 7 Year Web Comic - No Tears: Life With FD / FD Heroes IRL

The only thing you can count on is change! I’ve really been blessed to work with the Dysautonomia Foundation on a very niche and meaningful web comic for the past 7 years, but now the foundation is going in a new direction. In 2012, I met David Brenner and his son Michael at a small comic con in Jersey (Toys on the Hudson in the fall). David (then director of the foundation) had been thinking of a FD comic for awhile since his son loved comics. He loved how my Misfortune Cookie mini comics featured unfortunate subjects in a lighthearted manner, and knew I was the right fit to make his ideas a reality.

The very first No Tears: Life With FD comic! Created in January 2013

Backing up a bit, FD stands for Familial Dysautonomia, a rare Jewish genetic neurological disorder that effects the sensory and autonomic nervous systems. For example people with FD may have trouble swallowing so they need a feeding tube, as in the comic above. I’ve also done a few comics featuring the BiPap machine, because sometimes people with FD have trouble breathing while sleeping. The comic’s title has a double meaning - one of the symptoms of FD is the absence of overflow tears / corneal drying. The title also encourages FD patients and their families to have hope through their daily struggles. Topics in the comic series range from dealing with specific FD situations, like Crisis, to social scenarios of persons with disabilities, and more. The comic has always had a light-hearted and touching theme focusing on the closeness of families.

In the beginning, David wrote the scripts and I hand drew (and even hand-lettered) the comic, coloring it on the computer. It would be posted each week on the foundation’s Facebook Page.

In 2016, sadly David Brenner passed away from cancer and was dearly missed by all. I wondered if the comic would continue, since it had personal ties to David himself. But the interim director, Paul Schack, was happy to continue the comic. It became more of a collaborative endeavor, as I suggested more script ideas and eventually wrote the scripts all by myself, with some edits by Paul. This is the first comic script that was all my own. I also switched to creating the whole comic digitally using my wacom tablet, and turning my handwriting into a font for digital lettering.

Previously the comic had different characters for each strip, with a few recurring characters like a family with a newborn baby with FD. But when I wrote the script, (and also thinking of fresh subjects for the strip) I had lots of creative freedom to explore subjects like special needs dating with recurring characters Adam and Ariel. And I also loved featuring FD Man and FD Girl (top comic) for positive messages! David originally came up with the idea for FD Man, but FD Girl was one of my additions to the comic, and they made a great team!

In late 2018, the Dysautonomia Foundation hired a permanent new director, Lanie Etkind. Again, I wondered if the comic would continue. In 2019, Lanie and others at the foundation suggested focusing on real people who had FD for the comic, like a spotlight. Thus, “FD Heroes IRL” was born! People with FD who were interested in being featured reached out to me and I asked them some questions. I then created a script from their responses (this is much like how I work with people to create custom comics). The FD community loved the new comic too! Andrew S’s comic, above, was personally very inspiring to me because he didn’t let FD stop him from going on an awesome road trip!

And well, since the community is small (it’s a rare disease affecting only 200 people on Earth), the comic has seemed to run its course. I’m so happy to have been involved with the FD community and have contributed to making their days a bit brighter through the comic. Really, it’s amazing the comic has ran for 7 years! I’ve learned so much about FD and always tell new people I meet about the disease and the comic when they ask about what I do as an artist. Spreading awareness!

Comic in memory of Scott Fass, who passed away from FD.

I found the comic work I’ve done for the FD Foundation to be incredibly rewarding and I feel like the comic touched people’s lives, even if in a small way. I like working with non-profits because of the meaningful impact. For a few years I also did a comic for the RLS Foundation called “Night Walkers.” When one door closes, another one opens. I’m definitely open to continuing my comics journey with other non-profits! Please forward this blog post or tag someone on social media who you think would be interested in working with me to create comics that have a positive impact on people who may be going through struggles of any kind.

DO TAXES EASIER Business Basics for Freelancers THIS WEDNESDAY!

Are you a freelancer and haven’t done your taxes yet? If you’re near NYC, please come to this special edition of Business Basics for Freelancers that’s focused on taxes! The tax deadline is approaching, but there’s still time to get organized and file for an extension if you need it, and even make a payment plan so you don’t have to pay all at once. Please join me at Caffeine Underground this Wednesday 4/10 from 2-5p (yes, freelancer time!).

SIGN UP HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/do-taxes-easier-business-basics-for-freelancers-tickets-59648198367

Tickets are $50 online and walk-ins are $55. If you’ve taken my other classes before, you can get a 50% discount with a special code.

As a freelancer myself, I’ve figured out a bunch of stuff for my own taxes that I want to share with others. Taxes are probably some of the hardest things to tackle as a freelancer, but I’ve found a way to streamline my taxes so they’re more manageable, and I can help you formulate a plan to do so yourself.

Thanks!

The Evolution of my TO DO wall + Next Business Class!

The next Business Basics for Freelancers class is here!  I'm trying out a new venue:  Caffeine Underground in Bushwick!  Having it at a cafe is great because you can also get caffeine and food during the session.  Please sign up here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/business-basics-for-freelancers-tickets-48501544425

So I've been wanting to do a blog post about the evolution of my "to do" wall for awhile, and I have a free post about part of it on my Patreon.  Since the business class is approaching there's no time like the present to delve a little more into it!  Part of the class focuses on productivity and organizational skills, which is at the heart of succeeding at any project.  I don't get into THIS much detail about the "to do wall" in the class but this is my blog and I do what I want :)  The main takeaway from this is to try new and different things with managing tasks and projects to see what work, and what DOESN'T work.

"To Do Wall" #1

I read "Getting Things Done" by David Allen and started a "to do wall" like this.  I'm not going to go into the whole GTD method here, but I realized the need to divide tasks into "paid" (teaching, weekly comic) and "unpaid" (cleaning, figuring out computer problems, etc).  I also made a huge category for "unpaid but could possibly lead to $" which as an artist, a lot of things fell under.  There's no guarantee that I'll make a killing at comic conventions, so every task associated with those fell under that category.  Also personal art projects.  In any case, I realized the need to organize this further.

"To Do Wall" #2

There, that's a bit more organized.  I divided tasks into time categories, like ones that may only take 15 minutes vs a half hour.  However, you'll see the "career" portion of the wall has a TON of stuff.  Part of GTD is a "brain dump" which means getting everything out of your head onto paper, but the method lacks how to prioritize.  So I ended up having a lot of "good ideas" on my "to do wall" that were very low priority ideas, and they became overwhelming.

"To Do Wall" #3!

TADAA!!  Much better!  Those previous "to do walls" were also from the time I was teaching comics part time, but when I switched to full time freelancing, I had to make a major change.  I got to control how I spent every hour of my day, so what would my ideal day look like?  I go over more of this in the Business Basics for Freelancers class on Tuesday August 21st, from 2-5p at Caffeine Underground, 447 Central Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11221.  Early Bird tickets are $50 online and walk-ins are $55 at the door.  Hope to see you there!

PS:  Hope these "to do walls" weren't too overwhelming.  This method works for me, but you may find a better method that works for you to keep track of tasks. 

Next Business Basics for Freelancers Class: Sunday 7/15

I've had a growing interest in my Business Basics for Freelancers Class!  The next one will be held once again at Anyone Comics in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.  It's coming up soon - Sunday July 15, from 2-5p.  Register here at Eventbrite:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/business-basics-for-freelancers-tickets-47556957139 Tickets are $50 if you get them online or $55 at the door.

As for everyone I met at Motor City Comic Con who's interested in the class, I am going to make an online course in the future.  Thank you for your patience!  I've already accomplished a lot since going FULL FREELANCE a week ago, but I'm still only one person.  New to this & future courses is that I'll talk about different forms of scheduling & prioritizing as a part-time freelancer VS full-time freelancer.  I'm amazed at the changes I've been able to make in only one week... like checking off things on my TO DO list that have been on there for months. 

I don't know why I geek out about stuff like this... it's really bizarre... but I'm glad to be helping people get better at freelancing!  Hope you can make it to the next class, and have a happy 4th of July!

Next Business Basics For Freelancers Class!

If you missed my last Business Basics for Freelancers class, I'm having another one in 2 weeks on Wednesday May 9, from 6p-9p!  With the arrival of spring, we tend to find the energy to get out there and DO things we've been putting off all winter.  Now's a great time to sharpen your business skills to become a more successful freelancer! 

This time, the class will be at Anyone Comics in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (1216 Union St).  They have a very nice downstairs area where they've held lots of fun events I've been to before (and they have not only one, but TWO bathrooms!  I'm probably the only one who gets excited about the bathrooms, but really... it's LUXURIOUS for NYC & you'll be comfortable being in the class for 3 hours).  This class is open to ALL freelancers, from musicians to painters to event planners & more. 

Click for more info and registration:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/business-basics-for-freelancers-tickets-45478802322 

And PLEASE spread the word!  Even if you think the class isn't for you, do you know someone it WOULD be good for?  The more I talk with other freelancers, the more I realize just how much the topics I cover (keeping track of projects, banking, taxes, productivity) are needed in our communities.  Hope to see you and some of your friends there!

New Month Resolutions

Well it's that time of year again.  For the past 5 or so years, my New Year's Resolution has been to finally finish volume 1 of my comic series AER HEAD, without much result.  I realize I never made a REALISTIC step-by-step plan of HOW to accomplish that goal before (for example, getting all the drawing done in one month is NOT realistic under my current schedule or any previous schedules).  But now, because I've been implementing productivity techniques for various goals and projects for awhile, I think I can finally start to make more progress on AER HEAD.  My strategy this year is to set super small monthly goals instead of one huge resolution.

I've also divided my goals into 2 areas:  creative and non-creative.  The non-creative goals are usually financially related.  For example, for February, my non-creative goal is to get all my taxes done before the end of the month, while my creative goal is to write the over-arching outline of the whole AER HEAD series.

When setting these small monthly goals, it's important to seriously take into consideration how much time you can devote to each goal each week, which is something I didn't do in the past.  I've set in my calendar 4 hours a week, from 11pm-midnight M-Th, to work on these goals.  I'll alternate M/W creative goals and Tu/Th non-creative goals.  This leaves me with 8 hours per month to devote to my creative goal, and 8 hours for the non-creative goal.  With my teaching hours and freelance projects, this is a reasonable time I can dedicate.  If my schedule changes, I can add more time, but this is doable for now. 

I also realize that even at taking 8 hours to draw one page, it will take 2 years to finish just the drawing portion of AER, but hell that's more than what I'm doing with it right now.  I've made a road map for myself, and it's OK to deviate from it, but I have to have a concrete place to start.  I've planned up until June, but no farther because life changes and I'm always adjusting plans accordingly.  And that's OK.  Give yourself the freedom to be flexible with your goals.  I'm also curious about some of YOUR goals too!  Would you like to share any of your creative or non-creative goals?

Recovery 2

NYCC turned out to be pretty great this year!  Tabling with Jennie Wood was super as always :)  Very thankful for lots of repeat customers - thank you!  Thursday was surprisingly intense.  However, I got a bad cold last week and lost my voice for Thursday.  Luckily I got in to see a Dr. (yay Obamacare!) and got anti-biotics, so I actually started to feel better before the weekend hit, and was back to full speed for the busiest days of the convention.  Because if I hadn't gotten to see a doctor, I imagined myself just getting more miserable for each day of the show, and losing $ or not making as much as I could have.  Conventions are pretty much the worst place to be if you're not feeling well, especially if you have to work at one.  

Because I wasn't 100% on Thursday, I ended up being a day behind on my sketches for people with multi-day passes.  On Sunday I was just taking orders and drawing them this week.  Finishing up the last few now, such as Breakdancing Ryu.  I was wondering what a cool pose would be for him, because you always see him in fighting poses, but martial arts kind of looks like breakdancing, so voila!   The more I sketch characters, the more I like to draw them in funny/ironic situations, like Captain America grilling hot dogs in an apron, or the Flash just sitting there relaxing.

Results from the tip jar experiment!  This time the question was:  Which show is funnier?  South Park or Family Guy?  Family Guy won by a quarter!  $1.50 vs South Park with $1.25.  Yeah, not many people voted, but this time I had only half a table, whereas in Baltimore I had a whole table with room to spread out.  At NYCC, there was SO MUCH stuff going on, that only a few people noticed the voting cans, and most people passed before I could point out the cans after saying my usual speech.  This leads me to think that when I have a half table, maybe the small real estate taken up by the cans could be used better to display the Daily Misfortune books instead, and maybe I should save the tip cans for when I only have a whole table.  The experiment continues.

Oh and the Comic Performance went well!  I recorded it, and will upload it to YouTube sometime.  Many thanks to all who came!  It was so much fun I want to do more!  I have plans.... (rubbing hands together evilly....) 

The life of a freelancer happens in very intense spurts, with recovery periods after.  I've noticed a correlation of my working habits after days of intense work at a comic convention or coloring gig - I always take a full day to relax the day after.  Lots of sleep, no plans for work or even social activities, just chill time for a whole day.  The following week, I find it hard sometimes to get back into the groove I had with other freelance work before the intense burst hit.  But I always get back on.  Listening to productivity podcasts helps too - more on that in a future blog post, perhaps!

Tax Time?

This guy does my taxes, haha!  I'm fulfilling my New Year's Resolution of doing taxes early this year!  Last year I was so busy during tax time with conventions and freelance work that I had to do them a bit later and pay a fee.  But February is a great time to get your taxes done because it's a slow season for everything.  And it's cheaper!  For the past 3 years I've gone to Brass Taxes and they've been so helpful each time - I've really learned a lot and each year I become more organized when it comes to figuring out deductions and such!  If you're a freelancer, I STRONGLY encourage you to seek help from a professional accountant to help you with your taxes.  It's well worth the cost!  Cheaper than H&R Block by a long run.  Companies like H&R Block and TurboTax don't know how to give you the deductions you deserve, so seek out a person who specializes in taxes for freelancers.

Yes, it does still take time to sort out tax stuff yourself before you have your tax appointment, like finding all the documents you need, categorizing all the deductions, etc.  But wouldn't you rather be doing it now when it's freezing and you have no plans than be stuck inside on a beautiful April weekend?

HAPPY NEW YEAR! YAY 2015!

Happy New Year!  This is one of the holiday comics I created for the FD Foundation - over 100 comics and still going strong!  I should really share more of these...

I was on vacation for 2 weeks in Michigan - one of the great things about freelancing is being flexible with my work hours.  However, I still had to work very hard to accomplish all my projects before I left for the break!  But now I'm back and the new year is off to a great start!  One of my 2015 resolutions is to do even better with the business side of freelancing.  I have lots of other exciting ideas and plans in the works and I can't wait to share them with you! 

The Daily Misfortune continues!  So my apartment building is pretty old and has these heat pipes that make such awful loud screeching noises that wake me up in the middle of the night.  Last Saturday they made the place super hot!  Not only because it was warmer weather outside, but those pipes were on full blast all day and night!  The next day, even though the temperature outside was the same, inside it decreased dramatically.  Someday I'll live in a place with my own thermostat. 

Chamira Studios

I flew back to Michigan this morning for a friend's wedding this Saturday!  I've known Chamira Jones (soon to be Chamira Young) ever since our days at the University of Michigan School of Art & Design.  She's been doing very well freelancing with her own company, Chamira Studios!  Chamira does graphic design, illustration, logos, and photography.  Her site is totally crazy amazing!  Not only is her artwork beautiful and professional, but the site has lots of cool animated sorting features (it's hard to explain in words, but you'll see on the site).

Chamira even put a link to mindy indy in a special "Friends" page :)  Yay for fellow artists supporting each other!  You can see my link to her site in the "Blogroll" box just on the right side of this page.