> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> I guess I'll start with the basics:
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> How old are you?

24
>
>
> Where did you grow up?
>

Goshen, NY
>
> Where are you living now?
>

Goshen, NY
>
> Which city would you rather live in right now: the one where you grew up
> or the one you're in today?
>
Um...er...
>
> Who do you work for and what do you do for them?
>
I'm an associate editor for ToyFare Magazine. I write articles, edit, and
get paid to be funny.
>
> Do you enjoy doing that sort of thing?
>
Yup. It's a dream job. Not THE dream job, but a dream job.
>
> What would you rather do, if you didn't have to worry about money?
>

I'd like to be a full-time freelancer and work from home. Ideally, I'd
like to write comics, TV shows and movies for a living.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> Moving on to bigwhoop-related issues:
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> What was the main reason you joined bigwhoop.org?
>
Matt said I could. Somehow, going on blogger or livejournal seemed much
cheesier.
>
> "One Smart Fellow, He Felt Smart"?
>
It's a tongue twister, a warm-up exercise we did before plays. I had
wanted to name my column in college that, but it was too long, so I went
for "Hijinx Ensue".

>
> Did you have any sort of weblog-ish thing before bigwhoop?
>

I had a site with pictures and such, but no blog. After bigwhoop, however,
I'm part of a comedy blog at www.bookofshenanigans.com
>
> What do you hope to get out of your blog?
>
I like to keep people I know up to date with what I'm doing.
>
> Are you happy with how it's going so far?
>
I wish I had more interesting things to say.
>
> How many of the other people with weblogs on bigwhoop have you met?
>
Only Matt and Furst.
>
> How often do you read the various bigwhoop blogs?
>
I mostly read Matt's, though I've been glued to Furstie's the last couple
days. I'll sometimes read Andy's if he's talking about comics.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> Hobbies and stuff:
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> The main thing I remember about you is that you're about to hit it
> big-time in the comic book market.  Was it a long road getting to the
> point you're at now?
>
Not to sound pretentious, but basically my whole life has been leading up
to this. :) From the time when I started actively trying to break into
comics, though, it's been a couple of years, and there were plenty of
set-backs along the way. And I still won't feel totally relieved until I'm
holding the final issue in my hands.
>
> Along those lines, I have recently discovered for myself how important the
> concept of "networking" and "making connections" is for being known and
> getting a job is.  Do you think being a successful comic book
> writer/artist is even more dependent on one's contacts than most other
> jobs?

I think it's probably just as important as other jobs, as I've recently
discovered the importance of tha for myself. What I did when I was trying
to get the comic published, though, was every time I got a rejection, but
the person said they liked the book, I had them make a personal
introduction for me with someone else who's in the industry. Personal
intros make such a difference.
>
>
> What sort of side projects are you working on that aren't part of your
> full time job or bigwhoop?
>
Aside from Book of Shenanigans and the comic, I'm at the beginning of what
I hope will be a successful freelance career, and I've done work for
Playboy and Stuff. Matt and I are also designing a computer program, I
write a twice-monthly column for the local paper, I'm pitching something
to a well-known humor magazine, I'm pitching more comics...I try to keep
busy.
>
>
> Any other hobbies you'd like to mention (poker, fantasy baseball, etc.)?
>
I'm not really a sports guy. I do enjoy video games, though.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> Big Issues:
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> How do you cultivate creativity?  Is it the kind of process where you
> hammer away at something until you like it, or is more of a wait for
> inspiration to strike kind of thing?
>
I definitely wait for inspiration, which isn't to say it's what I should
do. I should really spend more time writing than I do, but I'll usually
wait for a good idea to pop into my head.
>
> I think you are the first married person to have a weblog with bigwhoop.
> Do you think marriage has made you a more mature person?

I think being a more mature person has made me capable of marriage. I
think you really have to go into it knowing exactly what it is and that
it's what you want, but I've found it to be the best experience of my
life. I really highly recommend it to people.

>
> Briefly scanning your weblog, I noticed you mentioned some kind of embargo
> against ever living in LA.  What sort of aspects about LA would make you
> say such a thing, and why would you consider lifting the ban, if only
> temporary?
>
It's hard to say, because I feel so settled in Goshen now, owning a house.
But if someone called me and said, "We want you to be a staff writer for
'Lost' but you need to move to LA, I'd be there in a heartbeat.
>
> I think one of the reasons I've been procrastinating on this is because I
> don't really know what to ask you about besides writing comics.  So,
> here's a question from nowhere: is it ok for white people to listen to
> rap/hip-hop?
>
Sure. My opinion is, as long as you're not hurting anyone, do what makes
you happy.
>
> You have one to a few sentences to give one piece of advice to people you
> think might be reading this.  What do you have to say?
>
I think the most important advice I can give is figure out what you want
to do. Once you do that, anything you do can be leading to your end goal.
That and seriously stick to it, and follow up with people.

>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Anything else you'd like to add?  Feel free to add in your own questions
> and answers if you'd like as well.

Maybe we can do a bigwhoop.bigwhoop.org thing that's just a huge
discussion thread? I think we're a group of people who seem to like having
discussions.
>
> Thanks again for taking the time.

Hey, thanks for taking the initiative.

By the way, it's probably better to reach me at justin.aclin@gmail.com
Thanks!

Justin