Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Part 7 in the publishing series.
7. Be a Pimp and Diversify.
For small mags, I think you gotta do this. At any given time, there are thousands of magazines running in the US. This includes industry only magazines. For example, there might be titles like: Sugar Beet magazine (not the one about whacking the stalk), Bowhunter (a mag about shooting down animals with a bow - this one is real and it's...
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7. Be a Pimp and Diversify.
For small mags, I think you gotta do this. At any given time, there are thousands of magazines running in the US. This includes industry only magazines. For example, there might be titles like: Sugar Beet magazine (not the one about whacking the stalk), Bowhunter (a mag about shooting down animals with a bow - this one is real and it's...
Part 6! 6. Hold it! Have balance. After reading my last two entries which would surely drive most people crazy, now I suggest to do something completely opposite. Be into what you do, but don’t forget what’s outside. A lot of publishing and DIY-anything is about sacrifice. People don’t tell you that part, but it’s true. You’re going to miss parties, shows, and your favorite TV show, and that’s part of the territory, but learning how to balance work and the non work is one of the toughest things to learn. Admittedly, I haven’t quite figured it all out yet. This is me picking off some snacks at Saelee Oh’s opening in NYC. Not an exciting photo, but look at the Red Vines font! You know that feeling, when you go out of town for a week, and you come back and it feels like you missed out on a lot of stuff? Maybe it happens less with internet and cell phones, but that weird feeling can happen when you’re trapped inside working on your project. Although the hard work is usually fun, it’s a good idea to pull your noggin out of your work, use the flim flams and join in on other things in the world. Another issue with being an editor is that even though the hard work you put in is valuable, not being part of the world will eventually make you useless to your own publication. Ideally, a long term editor or publisher or store owner should improve with time and not end up being a fossil. In GR world, we’re sort of fortunate, since the publication has always been based on whatever we’re into. That means, we don’t need to be up on the latest Asian American “rock star” who’s the invisible bassist of a top 40 band, the cute actress who’s in a film for a blink of a moment, or identity finding comedy / theater group. I think we can do the hermit issue if we wanted, and I’d put my money down that it would turn out interesting.
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Part 6!
6. Hold it! Have balance. After reading my last two entries which would surely drive most people crazy, now I suggest to do something completely opposite. Be into what you do, but don't forget what's outside. A lot of publishing and DIY-anything is about sacrifice. People don't tell you that part, but it's true. You're going to miss parties, shows, and your favorite TV show, and that's part...
Continue reading
6. Hold it! Have balance. After reading my last two entries which would surely drive most people crazy, now I suggest to do something completely opposite. Be into what you do, but don't forget what's outside. A lot of publishing and DIY-anything is about sacrifice. People don't tell you that part, but it's true. You're going to miss parties, shows, and your favorite TV show, and that's part...
Part 5 of this publishing series… 5. Multitasking Economizer. If you’re publishing, you have to be able to do this and be this (#5). I often hear, “I don’t know how you do all this.” I have no idea either, since I’m just doing it. This is my dad cleaning a pool. He’s pretty good at economizing since he worked in construction. That’s a big deal in that line of work. I’ve played some tennis when I was a little kid all the way through high school. I’ve played poorly, but somedays I played greatly. There was a day when I beat two players, both who went on to play NCAA division one tennis. They were really great. I was in the “zone”. Sometimes, doing GR stuff is sort of like that. There’s so much to do, and so little time, that if you’re not on top of things, the day can crumble quickly. Each block of a few minutes count, and from when I get up at let’s say 8am all the way though 6 or maybe 8 pm, I’m completely booked solid and doing things. I *don’t even take a meal in that time, and I don’t even notice! Luckily, it’s not like this everyday. But I still forget to eat.* I keep adding more stuff to do. Maybe it’s about multi-tasking. Maybe it’s having great help. Maybe it’s just about getting better at doing what I’m doing and economizing my time. This is something you can’t just pick up and start doing. You’re either wired for it, or you’re not. And if you’re not, then publishing will be that much harder. On the other hand, there’s days that just don’t amount to anything. Those are the worst. What’s the point of even working on those days? That’s just part of the job, and I couldn’t do it any other way. Here’s an example, if I watch a TV show, I’ve got a laptop on my lap and what might I be doing? Designing a t-shirt for GR, ordering products for the stores in the three cities, working on art show related anything, writing an article (notice how far down this is?), and so on. Maybe it’s because TV isn’t that great, but this is why I have a 12″ Powerbook (I’ve also had two 12″ ibooks) and not a 15 or 17″ one. How would I take it anywhere to do other things besides what people think I’m doing? The only problem is the show gets sacrificed a little, since I’m missing the tiny details and so on, but that’s less important, and I don’t sacrifice the work on my laptop. Only recently have I started using the Address book and ical on a mac. With these, I’m able to mainting my appointments better, and have people’s info literally at my finger tips. This helps a lot. *Side story: I once had an intern who was about 12 or 13. It was a special day for him,...
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Part 5 of this publishing series...
5. Multitasking Economizer. If you're publishing, you have to be able to do this and be this (#5). I often hear, "I don't know how you do all this." I have no idea either, since I'm just doing it.
I've played some tennis when I...
Continue reading
5. Multitasking Economizer. If you're publishing, you have to be able to do this and be this (#5). I often hear, "I don't know how you do all this." I have no idea either, since I'm just doing it.
This is my dad cleaning a pool. He's pretty good at economizing since he worked in construction. That's a big deal in that line of work.
I've played some tennis when I...