The Myth of the Perfect Idea

Why you should let your creative ideas flow

Recently, a comics coaching client asked me, “Are you afraid of running out of ideas?”

I used to be. I hoarded ideas, waiting for the “right moment” for them. I was afraid I wouldn’t do them justice, that they weren’t good enough yet, or that I’d run out of ideas if I used them up. It was a mix of perfectionism and fear.

But the “right moment” rarely came, and I just ended up forgetting the ideas. And since I didn’t act on them, I couldn’t learn from them either. Or experience the joy of creating art.

Now I create more and hold ideas more loosely. And now I find that the more I create, the more ideas flow.

And if an idea doesn’t work? It’s out in the world, and I can move on. Not every idea needs to be brilliant or fully realized—just putting them out there, even imperfectly, helps refine them or make space for better ones.

However, more creating doesn’t always mean more ideas—especially if you’re stretched too thin or trying to do way too much. I’ll dig into that next week!

Let me know in the comments: Do you ever worry about ‘using up’ your best ideas? How do you handle it?

Make Your Own Font Workshop

Only a few spots left!

I’m excited to be co-hosting a lettering workshop with fellow cartoonist and designer Susannah Hainley on March 25 (registered attendees will also get a recording if you can’t make it in person). We’ll be teaching:

• How to create your own custom comic font (a $1,000+ value!)

• The fundamentals of comic lettering

• Best practices for readability & flow

We’re offering this workshop because having our own fonts has been such a huge help in our comics, and we want to share what we’ve learned!

Susannah Hainley demonstrating the FontSelf iPad app that we’ll be teaching.

Check out my two recent posts on lettering:

• The One Thing That Instantly Improves Your Comics: Better Lettering

• 5 Essential Tips for Better Lettering in Comics

Graphic Novel Recommendations:

I had the pleasure of moderating the double book launch of Extra Large by Tyler Page and Botticelli’s Apprentice by Ursula Murray Husted at Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, MN last week.

If you're looking for wonderful books for 9-12 year olds, you should absolutely check out their fantastic graphic novels about coming of age, pushing against society pressures, and finding your place in the world!

Leif Love:

Spring has arrived in Minneapolis, and Leif is looking forward to watching the outdoors come back to life. Here he is last summer watching some impressive basketball in the Bronx.

Take care and keep creating!

-Katharine

P.S. Pre-orders are up for my graphic novel adaptation of Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt! Pre-orders make a huge difference for the success of a book, so if you plan to buy a copy, it would help me a lot if you pre-ordered it.