Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

Host Your Own Personal Award Show

Think of the Oscars, the Grammies, the Webbys - none of these are each just one award.  They all have several categories.  There are several qualities and roles to look out for, and you can analyze your projects in very much the same way.

Think of what qualities are most important to you.  For example, if you make Flash games, break it down into Best Gameplay, Best Graphics, Best Sound, Funniest Story, Most Interesting Scenario, and so on.  Customize the awards to what you value.

Beyond The Loading Screen: December

There’s a quote by Douglas Adams that goes, “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”  I undertook this project to get a number of things done; namely, publish my book, make my cartoon show, and revive my company.  However, behind all those tasks was one big giant goal, and that was to get my life started.

How To Not Suck At Non-Verbal Communication

“Petrification is not ignoring; it is actually a state of not noticing.”
-”Kuragehime,” regarding a freakout so severe it makes the main characters go BSOD.

Job interviews, networking, and basically every social interaction includes non-verbal communication.  I suppose that nice little habits like proper eye contact and not fidgeting are supposed to come naturally, but they sure didn’t come naturally to me.  Therefore, I have devised a series of techniques that can help.

Think Of A Wonderful Thought

Any happy little thought?

Well, no, actually.  This one’s a bit more specific.  Think of the time you were happiest today.  What were you doing?  Were you writing down something clever you thought of, playing a really fun game, or maybe having an enjoyable conversation with a friend?  It doesn’t have to be OMG-super-amazing.  Just pick the high point, and write it down. 

Then, tomorrow, pick your happiest moment again and write it down.  Keep doing it for each day until you have about a month’s worth of Happiest Moments, and then read it back.  Do you notice any patterns?  Do those thirty nice experiences have something in common?

These can be good indicators of what changes you need to make, or what areas of your life need more attention.

If your happiest moments tend to involve a certain activity, like brainstorming a novel, then that can point you towards fannish or even progeeky behaviors on which you might want to spend more time.  This was probably already obvious to you.

But what if your happiest moment was getting away from something, like leaving at the end of the workday?  That’s a much stronger indicator that something in your life needs a change.  Career (and life) changes are hard, but if your day revolves around, well, it being over, that’s a warning sign.  Life isn’t for tolerating; it’s for enjoying.  If you’re stuck, you can get yourself out of it, but first you need to identify exactly what’s causing all the “meh” feelings.  Shake things up and make way for your happier moments.

-Tamara Hecht

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 7: One Week Left! - Toning: Dealing with the Earthquake Was Easier

Well, today, we had that 5.9 earthquake southeast of us and for Ayne, she really appreciated it; the distraction allowed her to actually take a break and field mails, tweets and posts from people freaked out about something that's considered a minor distraction in LA and/or Tokyo.  

It also let her relax and think about her toning a bit.

Write a Character Resume

Do you hate writing resumes?  Yeah, me too.  But even if you don’t think the process is fun, there are ways to break out of the anxiety and writer’s block.  I recommend starting with a fake “practice” resume. 

In The Name Of The Moon

“I’m Usagi Tsukino, age 16, in the first year of high school.  I’m a bit rash and a crybaby, but I'm actually the agent for love and justice, Sailor Moon.”
-Usagi Tsukino / Sailor Moon, last line of the series.

I have a strong sense of what is important to me, and an internal monologue that loves to rant.  These two things often fall together.

When I see injustice, my first instinct is to rant about it to myself: complaining, but also saying how I wish things were different. It formed into something of a speech on how I wish I could use that passion to ameliorate the ubiquitous suckiness.  And over the years, it began to sound like a mission. 

The Kobayashi Maru....Sorta

“Never promise to do the possible. Anyone could do the possible. You should promise to do the impossible because sometimes the impossible was possible. And if you failed, well, it had been impossible.”
-Terry Pratchett, “Going Postal”

I always thought it would be great to have everyone face some kind of test they couldn’t possibly beat.  It’s like getting a tiny scratch on a relatively new car - unfortunate, but once it happens, you can finally stop worrying about keeping everything perfect.  Unfortunately, life doesn’t offer many situations in which success is not the #1 priority.  It can be daunting to venture outside your comfort zone, but if you never do so, then you will never stretch your boundaries.  Therefore, we need a place where it is okay to fail.

Become Your Own Hero

“I’m the hero!”
-America, Axis Powers Hetalia

Here’s an exercise that can help motivate you. 

Make a list of your heroes.  They can be people you know, historical figures, fictional characters...  Anyone you want; it’s your list.

Next to each person’s name, write down why you think they are awesome.  Are they tenacious types who never back down?  Do they handle setbacks with grace and poise?  Did they come up with something brilliant because they had the brains and courage to question anything and everything?  Write it down.

Now there’s two things to do with this list.

One, check if there’s a pattern about the people you choose to admire, or the traits you admire them for.  That should give you some insight as to your personal values.  Maybe there’s something in there you hadn’t noticed before.

Two, plan to take on those traits yourself.  Every day, do something that builds towards one of those characteristics.  For example, if you admire someone for their adventurousness, then challenge yourself to venture outside your comfort zone.  Dive into that novel you’ve been nervous about committing to writing.  Take up a real sport if your sporting ability is limited to those versions which require a Wii remote.  Challenge yourself. 

Role models aren’t for copying, they’re for inspiring you.  You don’t have to do what they did, but you should aim to be like them in terms of the qualities that make them stand out to you in the first place.  Often, what you admire in others is a reflection of what you want to see in yourself.  Little by little, become your own hero.

-Tamara Hecht

League of Evil Jobs

Even if you’re having trouble thinking of what kind of geeky job(s) you’d want, I’m sure you know exactly the kinds of jobs you DON’T want.  Think of them like your dream jobs’ legion of evil twins.

Write down the top five to ten jobs you’d least want to do.  What do they have in common?  Are they tedious?  Do you have to follow strict rules or work within a strict hierarchy?  Do they force you to be social if you don’t like that, or isolated if you don’t like that? 

Now, think of the opposite of each of those qualities.  For example, if it’s the tedium that bothers you, then your key words are innovation, change, and new experiences.  So write down all the jobs you can think of that give you that excitement of new experiences and let you experiment with new ideas.  This list should point you in the right direction.

-Tamara Hecht