TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS INTERVIEW QUESTION SERIES #1: COLLEEN DORAN

Welcome to the first in a monthly series of question interviews I have sent to several people about the connection between technology and the arts. The subject of technology and the arts is one I’ve always had a vested interest in, from making fanzines on copiers when I was in high school to connecting with people through the internet on blogs and the other opportunities the internet can offer up to artists. But with those opportunities for artist to grow and shine, technology has also always been a double edged sword for the artist and the consumer also with pirating hitting artists and consumer fraud for those purchasing the works of artists. I hope to get a better understanding from this series of what is being felt on the subject not just by me but by others. I also hope you enjoy reading these interviews as much as I have as they have come into my inbox.

To start the series we are starting with an artist I respect not just for her art but also for her views on issues of creator rights, piracy, publishers, and the harsh realities self-publishing can hit you with.

Colleen Doran was a name I first discovered in my local comic book shop when I was in college and looking for any comics outside the big two. What I found was A Distant Soil and though I fell away from reading comics for a few years, a year or two ago I discovered her website and now I’m falling for the beauty of the story which is one of the best space epics I have ever encountered once again.

For more detailed information on Colleen check out her ABOUT page on her website:

The answers to all questions are presented right from the emails I received.

QUESTIONS FOR COLLEEN DORAN

-Hi Colleen! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me! I will try to keep this short but cover as much as we can. You have seen many changes in publishing in the comic industry being one of the people right there at the forefront of the independent shakeup to creating an internet presence for yourself through your blog and now having your series A Distant Soil appearing on your website, Do you believe things are headed in the right direction for artists when it comes to technology?

*Not when the primacy of the author is not respected. We need to instill in people the importance of supporting creators and their work. This myth that all creative artists are rich spoiled brats is pervasive. That they ought to be grateful for just having someone look at their work. It's nuts. That's like telling a cook he ought to be grateful for making a fine meal, or a doctor he ought to be grateful for being given the opportunity to heal. This is a job. It is hard work, it usually takes many years of study to excel, and few ever make any money at it. The average artist makes less per hour than a day laborer.

And art isn't free, even for the creator. It costs money to produce the work. It costs money to buy the supplies. It costs money to live while you are making the work.

Where is that financing going to come from if people think all art is free?
Information is free, but art and entertainment is not.

I find it interesting that even some of the internet gurus like Jared Lanier have rethought the matter. The copyleft movement isn't working out like they planned.

-You have always posted entries on your blog about artist rights, health benefits, and many other areas of great interest. You have made your blog such a friendly place for artists to find information that is helpful. Is it ever overwhelming having so many people seeing you as someone who can help?

*Unfortunately, yes. I spent the last weekend clearing out about 620 emails. I still have 180 to go. I can't answer them all personally anymore, and some people have very unrealistic expectations about what I can do for them. Sometimes they get hostile if they don't get an answer right away or if I don't have the magic formula for their problem. It can be stressful. But it's very satisfying when I do get to help someone.

I hope to help people help themselves. I don't want to be a guru. I want to give people tools, or point them in the right direction.

At the same time, I don't think some of the fans realize how much time and effort I put into this. I spend hours writing some of these articles that also take time to research. They are read by thousands of people, and they make a pittance. I do this as a public service, but

I have no choice but to be frugal about who gets my time and who doesn't.

If I encounter someone I think will excel, I will go out of my way for them because I think there will be a tangible return on the investment. And that tangible return means the future of their career. I want to see people do well. Not everyone will do well. I make a judgment and proceed on that judgment. It is entirely subjective, and I make no apologies for those choices.

I am sure there are several editors who are sick of hearing from me because I am constantly emailing them with info about creators I think are promising.

I just got a note from Charity Larrison this week: I was able to hook her up with an agent who was looking for the right artist for a children's book gig. She got the gig, and they are already looking at her for another. That makes me deliriously happy! That's why I do all this. I like to see good, talented people moving forward.

-Have you ever gone the pdf route or considered doing so with your work? Any big reasons for or against? This is my preferred way of getting my work out but I know others have problems with going that way.

*The key to a successful webcomic, in my humble opinion, is regular contact with your readers, creating an environment where they make a habit of visiting every day and feel involved in the process.

Since just about anything published is torrented in five minutes, I can't compete with pirates. I see so many people coming to my website looking for torrents of my own work.

I make them very aware of how their regular viewing of my work online helps me to finance more work. I don't have an emotional breakdown over every pirate. But it's not about me, it's about all creators and their rights.

I like having my website where people can come and read my book even if they don't have a dime. The more traffic I get, the more advertisers pay me. And people in China, South Africa, Russia, Estonia can read my book. I love that. Creators who have advertising supported sites are giving the readers what they want: easy access to the work. And creators get a return in the form of advertising dollars. That's a win-win.

-With piracy issues for every form of art when it comes to technology at large and what seems to be a twisted view by some that all things should be free do you think the pros will out run the cons when it comes to the effects of technology and the arts?

*Of course. If people can't afford to produce the work they stop producing the work. In future, the problem may become so acute that it will be even harder for professional creators to create original work - deep, thoughtful work - because the time involved to create it will be impossible to finance. I'm working on an original graphic novel for Vertigo right now: it will take me over one entire year of full time work to draw. If someone weren't paying me for that, there would be no way I could afford to produce it on my own. Each page takes about 15 hours to draw, at least. How would I do that without up-front financing? And where will the up-front financing come from for the next book if people don't buy the current work?

This book has the best drawing I have ever done, in part, because I am being paid well enough that I can afford the time to give every page the full attention and effort it requires. If I were making, say, $20 a day working on the same thing as a webcominc, I'd starve to death. If people decide to pirate it and download it the day it's published, then how is the publisher to get a return on the investment of the money they gave me to spend an entire year of my life drawing this book?

When people pirate the work of an artist, they are saying "The hours of your life are worthless to me." So, if those hours of my effort are so worthless, why are you reading my work?

Too many people see art as some kind of spoiled brat's hobby. Since artists are so desperate to be seen, they should be happy merely to be seen.

And many very popular arrogant creators who made their names on the backs of major publishing operation financing - and the lecture circuit - have got an "I've got mine so screw you," attitude toward struggling creators. That idea that it is worse to be obscure than to be pirated is a false dichotomy.

I spent many years getting ripped off by print publishers, and I don't appreciate getting ripped off by publishers I never signed a contract with. Pirates are making money selling advertising using the labor of others. I can't think of any other profession that would appreciate having to work for free, but most people don't see art as work.

If I could not get paid for my work, I simply wouldn't publish. I couldn't afford to. There is no incentive. Public criticism, rejection, the cost and the time sink - it wouldn't be worthwhile. I would simply produce for my own enjoyment, keep it to myself, and make a better living with a day job, no doubt. I have a farm. I won't starve. I grow my own food.

-Here is my off the wall questions. If tomorrow it was decided there would be no more paper books how would you see your art continuing?

*Online. Assuming it makes money. Without income, then it would be something I would have to do only for me, but I probably wouldn't publish anymore. I really can't sink thousands of dollars into an online publishing scheme if I don't get a return on that investment. I get joy out of creating the work, and I love it when people enjoy it, too. But I can't afford to buy that reader love to the tune of thousands of dollars a year in online costs. As long as my online work is in the black, I will continue. If a day comes when it is not, I will have to rethink the matter.

Fortunately, my online publishing scheme is in the black.

And I have my readers to thank for that. I am deeply appreciative of their conscientious support of my work.

They truly understand what this means to me, and they enjoy what I do.

Win-win again.

-Thanks Colleen, and again Thank You for taking part in this series and answering these questions.
The next Interview in this series will be posted on September 22 as I ask Lea Hernandez questions also about art and technology.

I highly recommend reading Colleen Doran’s website for any artist and anyone for that fact who loves comics. Also if you have never checked out any work by her, purchase some of Colleen’s work here, read her comic online starting here, or visit your local library and see if they carry any of her books.

And as always support your local comic book store, Mine is Famous Faces And Funnies

TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS INTERVIEW QUESTION SERIES #1: COLLEEN DORAN