Balance and Connections

 "Dreams nourish the soul just as food nourishes the body. The pleasure of the search and of adventure feeds our dreams."

 Paulo Coelho 

"Where have you been?",  a lot of people have been asking. Taking care of work and responsibilities seems to be the response. What about what you want to do. What you dreamed of, or envision yourself to be. It seems that with the pandemic, more people are waking up and starting to take note about life and where they are headed.  The clock is ticking, and we need to take a moment, breathe and really think about what we want from life. 

 

It's not a mistake that people are trying to reconfigure their lives right now and make it count. That might mean finding a meaningful job, reaching out more to friends and family, trying to find a better work-life balance, and maybe putting a bit more energy into doing what you'd like to do vs what you have to do. 

 

I recently had an old high school friend visit and had a blast. A wave of nostalgia hit as we discussed old friends, our mindset back in the day, and reflecting on where we are now.  I remembered past passion projects and found a journal of old ideas that still seemed to have life. Weird, thinking back to when I had more time than money but that creative spark was there as I jotted down anything worthwhile. No shortage of ideas and promise back then. 

 

All this is to say that you need to find time to be creative. Find that balance between responsibility and creativity and feed your soul with those dreams that you're after. Find a way to make them become reality. Reconnect with your friends and family that support who you are and what you want to be. Hopefully you will make your mark and see fruition before that clock stops ticking. 

 
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Stay blessed!

Here is another post you may like:
3 Things to Help You Stay Positive

Overcoming Writer's Block Part II - The Dartboard Approach

 In our previous post, we went over 3 ways to overcome writer's block. Should any of those fail we have one last technique that always seems to work every time. We call it the Dartboard Approach. Some describe it as throwing ideas against a wall and seeing what sticks, but it is really much more than that. The nice thing about this technique is that it requires that you use both sides of your brain collectively; imagination/randomization and logic. 

It is very simple but quite effective. How does this work?  Here we go:

The Dartboard Approach requires 4 things. Occupation, situation, emotional state, and location.
Start like this. Randomly think of 4 occupations and write them down. Now randomly think of 4 situations. Do not try to lock them down to a location just yet. Randomly choose 4 emotional states and write these down. Now randomly choose 4 locations. You can be as specific or vague as you like with this one, but specific might be best. If it helps you can keep each list verticle. 


Now what you need to do is to match each of areas checking off the one's you have already used. Logic starts to come into play as you match these items. Once you have matched each of these areas,  more logic is involved to find your sequence of events to tell your story properly. See below.

As you can see, when properly done, you will come up with something extremely unique. There is a good chance that you may have not come up with something as fun and unique as this without this technique. 


I've never had a Dartboard Approach not work for me. Give it a shot!

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Check out these previous posts as well:

The Secrets to Overcoming Writer's Block
The Top Ten Tips When Writing for the Entertainment Medium
Types of Story and Why it Matters
Character Types Will Make Or Break Your Story
The Importance of Plot and Subplot

Must See Animation - Wish Dragon

Netflix has a cool animated film that is a must-see called "Wish Dragon".

WISH DRAGON

Animation is top-notch, the story is great and the characters will pull you right in. The trailer may not do this movie justice. I dare you to go for it and watch the movie. You'll see what I mean and thank me afterwards.

Enjoy and don't say I didn't tell you so. Do you have a must-see animation movie? Shoot me a message at jon@tripleadude.com. If it is a good choice, I will include you in the write-up.

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Into storytelling, comics, and animation?
Then get a copy of these must-read guides.

Click on the links below     
       

 

Idea Genesis
Generate solid story ideas at lightning speed.


                                              

Cartoon Production Resource Guide      
200 + top resources for artists, comic creators & animators.

Audio Production Resource Guide
400 + top resources for musicians, producers and filmmakers.

 

Triple A Dude Content Survey

We at Triple A Dude want to know your interests. We want your help in creating content that is exciting and more relevant to you as creators. Below is a survey link with five quick questions that should only take a few minutes to fill out.

We would love your help making this blog better.

Triple A Dude Content Survey

Thanks and best wishes!

David Bowie: Advice to Artists

Here is a clip where David Bowie gives his insight on artists. It seemed very appropriate for all the changes we have gone through this year. His advice still resonants with the truth that all artists should follow. 

Check it out here.

P.S. -What would you like to see more of?

Art & audio software tutorials?  More tips on creative writing? Industry news, and trends?

Don't be shy, please reply.  Shoot me an email at jon@tripleadude.com.


We love to see responses from you. Help make this blog better! 
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Free Stuff for the Holidays 2021

2021 IS HERE!
Thank goodness. Time for another free stuff round-up!

ART

Here is a cool video on Character Design tips: Good vs. Bad from the guys at BAM animation

Here is another link on the 10 principles of Character Design, with a bonus video at the top and a second video at the bottom with Adobe Illustrator Super Tips!

Want more art stuff like this?
Check out the Cartoon Production Resource Guide available on Amazon.



AUDIO

Here is a free Pro Tools ebook on "The A-Z of Pro Tools".

Berklee Online has 4 videos here: Scroll down to see them.
Music marketing, blues guitar, electronic music production & songwriting


   

The Producers Spot has freeVST's and sample collections here. Check them out.

Looking for a cool free audio or drum sampler? Check out this Bedroom Producer Blog post.

Want more audio stuff like this?
Check out the Audio Production Resource Guide available on Amazon


 3D MODELS

Sketchfab is a popular site for 3D models. Check out the free 3D section.



CODING

Here are the top 25 sites to learn to code for free. Check it out.

Don't forget to subscribe to get more cool posts and share this with friends and family.
Enjoy and have a Happy New Year.


Check out our previous: Free Stuff for the Holidays V


 

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Just in Time for the Holidays - New Book is Now Live!

 Here it is. The Cartoon Production Resource Guide is now live!

Do you or someone you know likes to draw? Would you like to create your own cartoon characters?

Have you thought about creating your own comic book? Need help with storytelling? Into animation? Want to know the shortcuts to get better quality and to work faster? What about pro drawing tips, background creation techniques, and pose reference?

Whether you are a beginner, semi-pro, or professional artist, this book is for you. 
200 + Top Resources for students, artists, animators, and comic creators. Get it here!

If you are a musician, producer, multimedia artist, or songwriter looking for resources to help with your creations or productivity, then check out the Audio Production Resource Guide.  400 + Top Resources! Get it here!

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