Incremental improvement

Life is about steady growth and refinement

I’m still in the process of getting a few things ready for publication and updating my website/blog. Instead of a new haiku comic today, I wanted to revisit three comics I originally shared last month to see how I changed them. Tomorrow I will have another original comic.

I’m constantly fighting a battle between getting something right and getting something out the door so I can move on to something else. The upshot of that conflict is often what I share in the newsletter has to be edited or fixed before it’s ready to go into a more permanent form like a book.

Here is a haiku comic I sent out on February 11th when I was getting ready to return to regular newslettering.

Here is how the haiku comic will appear in my next book:

I wanted a sharper contrast between heaven and hell. I also wanted colors that more closely corresponded with emotions that words like “heaven” and “hell” often evoke.

Here is a second comic I revised. The original went out on February 14th in an email explaining my plans for the future of the newsletter.

Here is what it looks like now:

I was unhappy with the way the grass looked and I felt that the last panel didn’t convey the imagery in my head very well. It was while working on other comics that I realized what I needed to do to make this one look right.

The last comic I’ve made significant changes to was sent out on February 28th, at the beginning of my current daily streak.

Here is the original:

And here is the final version:

Previously, my comics were abstract. However, as I progressed through March and created new comics every day, a new style emerged. This comic didn’t match. I also thought the storytelling was weak. My kids told me that the first line sounded like I was pitching a new version of the Stephanie Myer vampire books—so I rewrote it. :)

Progress is never a straight line!

I’m not sure what the ultimate end-goal of these haiku comics is. However, it feels right to keep making and sharing them daily. It’s my small rebellion against an angry world.

I fight against hatred, rage, and bigotry with beauty, wonder, and curiosity.

Thanks for reading!

Be the weird you want to see in the world!

Cheers,

Jason