{"id":45311,"date":"2025-07-15T08:13:46","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T12:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/?p=45311"},"modified":"2025-07-15T08:13:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T12:13:46","slug":"breaking-bad-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/07\/15\/breaking-bad-habits\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Bad Habits"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Of late, I have been bedeviled by procrastination and waiting for inspiration like a train that is never going to come. Maybe a more apt metaphor is the train is sitting on the tracks, but it’s not moving. When times are good, it was just a matter of touching the pen to paper and the drawings or ideas would just flow. That isn’t the case right now, but I don’t want to just put my sketchbook aside and wait for the lightbulb to ignite above my head. I think I may have to step off of that stalled train, get behind it and push.<\/p>\n

Supporting cast of characters<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Punky <\/a>
Punky chick cornered <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Jock <\/a>
Jock guy in the woods <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Shaggy <\/a>
Shaggy has had too much of this spook nonsense <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

I’ve watched videos online about the creative process and the nuts and bolts of avoiding the pitfalls of insidious time wasters. The problem with these betterment videos is that they become the insidious time wasters that the authors warn about. Their business is not creativity — it’s betterment videos. The worst ones are the videos from “influencers”<\/em> (a term I hate) promising surefire methods of defeating procrastination via the use of their “app”<\/em> (another term I despise.) As is always the case, there is a nominal fee involved or, worst yet, a nominal reoccurring fee.<\/p>\n

The real problem is falling down the rabbit-hole of videos on a particular subject of interest or a completely frivolous time waster. Hey, this other video has a compelling title, and it’s only eight minutes long. I’ll give it a look. One video begets another video, and before you know it the day is shot. And the next. And the next. And I’m none the wiser.<\/p>\n

The problem is that I am consuming and not producing. It may work for the people producing the videos, but it doesn’t work for me.<\/p>\n

The trick is not to watch the videos. The time wasters can wait. Instead, I pick up a sketchbook or — what I’ve been doing a lot lately — is writing. I’ve got a few dollar store notebooks I’ve been scribbling into, and a thin looseleaf binder that I have been using to outline the Teenage Beast<\/em> story. When I have a little down time in work, I try to use it now either writing or drawing by hand. If I have a drawing going, I work on it, and if not, I’ll write some notes or work on the outline. Yes, I could type notes into a computer, but it’s too easy to open up a browser tab and jump to something else. I’m going to try to keep this in the real world with no other distractions.<\/p>\n

The star of the story<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Slash\" <\/a>
Slash <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Ink <\/a>
Ink and wash test <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The Teenage Beast’s growth spurt <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

I think the trick for me now is to plan this story out with an outline rather than making it up as I go along. It’s been fun, but I think it’s time to flesh this out and make something of it.<\/p>\n

Stay tuned.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Of late, I have been bedeviled by procrastination and waiting for inspiration like a train that is never going to come. Maybe a more apt metaphor is the train is sitting on the tracks, but it’s not moving. When times … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4953,49],"tags":[158,17,76,3661,5,23,5979,5937,480,5978],"class_list":["post-45311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-doodle-tuesday","category-it-came-from-the-sketchbook","tag-analog","tag-cartoon","tag-horror","tag-illustration","tag-joe-williams","tag-monster","tag-story","tag-teenage-beast","tag-usa","tag-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Teenage-Beast-07-13-2025-det.jpg?fit=640%2C435&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1ed1x-bMP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10303,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2012\/11\/05\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook-the-brush\/","url_meta":{"origin":45311,"position":0},"title":"It Came From the Sketchbook – The Brush","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"November 5, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This was a guy I saw a few too many times during my commute when I would take SEPTA's regional rail line. I think a college or two was along the line, and this fellow either worked at a college or was attempting to drown himself in debt piling up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adventures in Commuting"","block_context":{"text":"Adventures in Commuting","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/adventures-in-commuting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/the-brush.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/the-brush.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/the-brush.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10168,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2012\/10\/22\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook-the-little-black-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":45311,"position":1},"title":"It Came From The Sketchbook – The Little Black Book","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"October 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"A few weeks ago I decided to give the What I Like About Comics category a rest and blow the dust off of the It Came From The Sketchbook category shaking loose some of the drawings from sketchbooks I've got stacked around the studio. The name of the site is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "It Came From the Sketchbook"","block_context":{"text":"It Came From the Sketchbook","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Mickey-n-JM.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Mickey-n-JM.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Mickey-n-JM.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Mickey-n-JM.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10469,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2012\/11\/26\/the-girl-with-the-buddy-holly-glasses-and-the-betty-page-hair-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":45311,"position":2},"title":"The Girl with the Buddy Holly Glasses and the Betty Page Hair","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"November 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This was a gal I saw on the Market-Frankford El that got off of the train somewhere in University City. I scribbled down a quick sketch, and I did this on the way home from memory on the El.","rel":"","context":"In "Adventures in Commuting"","block_context":{"text":"Adventures in Commuting","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/adventures-in-commuting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Buddy-Page-Red.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Buddy-Page-Red.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Buddy-Page-Red.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":626,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2009\/10\/29\/route-23-fashion-plate\/","url_meta":{"origin":45311,"position":3},"title":"Route 23 Fashion Plate","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"October 29, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't own a car and wind up taking the bus or train when I can't get where I'm going on foot. I was on Septa's Route 23 Bus heading South when I spied this beauty. Putting it politely, this gal was somewhat grander than petite, but she was dressed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adventures in Commuting"","block_context":{"text":"Adventures in Commuting","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/adventures-in-commuting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fashion-Plate","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/Fashion-Plate.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22417,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2017\/06\/26\/sketchbook-dragon\/","url_meta":{"origin":45311,"position":4},"title":"Sketchbook Dragon","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"June 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I decided to set aside my toothy Canson XL Mixed Media sketchbook for a smaller, inexplicably smoother Canson XL Mixed Media sketchbook to sketch the toothy beast above. The newer sketchbook was purchased at a local Walmart strangely enough and is the same brand and make as a 7-inch by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "It Came From the Sketchbook"","block_context":{"text":"It Came From the Sketchbook","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sketchbook Dragon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/c1.staticflickr.com\/5\/4253\/35125850110_bb9b4f1aeb_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/c1.staticflickr.com\/5\/4253\/35125850110_bb9b4f1aeb_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/c1.staticflickr.com\/5\/4253\/35125850110_bb9b4f1aeb_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39340,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2022\/10\/20\/not-a-bad-little-sketchbook\/","url_meta":{"origin":45311,"position":5},"title":"Not a Bad Little Sketchbook","author":"Joe","date":"October 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I finished off another inexpensive sketchbook purchased from Target. I've had luck with the cheap little sketchbooks they carry so when we see something new on the shelves, we snag it. The paper was all right for dry media but wrinkled with anything wet which I expected. It wasn't a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "It Came From the Sketchbook"","block_context":{"text":"It Came From the Sketchbook","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/UCREATE-SKETCHBOOK.jpg?fit=500%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}