Chattanooga in January may not sound like the best time to hold a convention, but it seems to work out fine for the nice folks at ChattaCon.  Since I had never been before, I didn't really know what to expect.  Fortunately, it turned out to be a nice weekend.

My drive over was not the best of beginnings.  Due to a short detour I needed make, I chose to take Highway 64 from Memphis to Chattanooga.  If you have absolutely no agenda or time limit, it can be an adventurous drive.  I, however, had no such luxury.  Although, I have to admit, the sightseeing highlight of the trip was the frozen waterfalls adorning the rock walls that line sections of the highway.  They are truly impressive.  The many small towns areas, construction zones, and active blasting areas made for an interesting mix of scenery and speed limits.  One construction area even provided me with the experience of being passed by a duck.  It was not flying.

The host hotel, the Chattanooga Choo Choo is a railroad themed complex that is laid out in such a way that no matter where your room is or where you are supposed to be next, you have a bit of hike coming.  Happily, the weather wasn't all that cold and there are plenty of covered walkways and trolleys to help you on your way. 

In spite of a horrific backlog at the check in for your Con badge everyone remained in a good mood and eventually everyone got processed.  The dealer room was nicely laid out and next door to the meeting rooms where the panels would be held.

After a good night's rest and a fabulous breakfast buffet, I was ready to dive in.  My first panel was Refining The Inspiration featuring Stephanie Osborn, Bill Snodgrass, and Hunter Cressall.  This was a very nice insight into where we get our ideas and how we turn them into work.

Mythology and Mythical Creatures featured Phillip Sacco, Linda Donahue, Geoffrey Girard, and myself.  It turned out to be a spirited tour through the world's mythologies.  The audience really got involved and asked lots of good questions.

If you happen to see Doc Osborn on the program list at a convention, make sure you see his magic and comedy show.  You want to be on his side in the event of complete world domination.

I would like to thank all the great people that stopped by the booth and attended the panels.  I hope y'all had as good a time as I did.  For those of you just reading my work for the first time, I certainly hope you enjoy.

Just what is innovation?  Is it originality? Is it modernization?  Is it doing more with less?  Being imaginative?

With the New Year has come the mother of all hangovers, a recession.  Think of it as the penalty of for the excess of the last few years.  A whole lot of allegedly smart people spent a lot of time and a lot of effort to get us into this mess.  Ironically, it is going to take all of us normal people to get a grip on our own lives and take responsibility for ourselves to fix this mess.

So, just what does all this mean for us, the writers, artists, musicians, and other creative types.  It means we get back to our starving artists roots and create, adapt, and innovate. 

One innovation I would like to put forward is that of project planning.  I know that planning is somewhat of an alien idea in the creative sector, but without some idea of what you are trying to do for yourself you will find yourself floundering.  In tough economic times, it is crucial that you not waste time, resources, and effort.  It is hard enough to make a living artistically, now it may seem nearly impossible.

Making each piece that I work on into a project and trying to apply the basic rules of project management helps keep things in perspective.  There are three basic concepts common to all projects:

Time
Money
Quality

If I asked you which was the most important, you would most likely tell me that they were all equally important.  The answer seems so obvious you will probably give me a funny look to boot.  Sadly, equality among the basic concepts is a recipe for at best mediocrity and at worst the complete failure of your project. 

The terrible truth is that there is nothing equal about them.  Only one of the concepts can rule any project.  The other two just have to fall in line.

Think about it.  When was the last time you had all the funds you needed for a project?  I am guessing never.  All projects large and small have a budget.  You may not plan to have a budget, or have even thought that there was a budget.  I assure you, your life has a budget.

Obviously, there is always plenty time.  Well, lets say that your lease is up and you have to close your studio in ten days, so much for money and quality.  You have to get your stuff out or it hits the streets.  The costs and quality of the move have become secondary to the time you have left to get your stuff moved.  Here come the friends, pickup trucks, and trash bags to the rescue.

Certainly, we can still control the quality of what we do.  Quality is dependant on the time you have to do the project and the resources available to get it done.  If you have a deadline, you work will be the best you can do given the time you have.  Keep in mind, when you are making money artistically, time literally is money.  You can't sell or get paid for a work until it is done.

So how does this help out an artist?  Just keep in mind that all of your artistic endeavors are actually business projects subject to the cruel concepts of time, money, and quality.  Accepting these factors into your work may allow you to create for yourself just enough of an edge to succeed.