Embracing “Good Enough” with Doogie Horner
Episode #327
Doogie Horner returns to the podcast to talk about his latest book, life as a multi-passionate creative, and his “good enough” philosophy. Join Jake Parker and Anthony Wheeler for this insightful conversation.
SHOW LINKS
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DOOGIE HORNER: doogiehorner.com, @doogiehorner
The Adventures of Invisible Boy: Monster Mash
Episode 173 with Doogie
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Your life affects your creativity. The skills you develop for other pursuits will benefit your art.
When illustrating a graphic novel panel, good content is the highest priority, followed by composition.
Making art “perfect” won’t necessarily improve the viewer’s experience. Learn to value “good enough” and stop making your creative process harder and your standards higher than they need to be.
Perfection isn’t the most inspiring trait a person or artwork can have. Sometimes handling imperfection well sparks new ideas.
SUMMARY
Comedian, author, and illustrator Doogie Horner is back on the pod with lots to share! His third book in The Adventures of Invisible Boy series is out now, and we wanted a peek into the process.
Doogie is a creative machine, having published three books in the last three years. We asked him about his work routines, how long it usually takes him to get from first concept to publication, and how his stand-up comedy feeds into his illustration work. He shared how he subtly evolved his style through the three Invisible Boy books, adding more refinement and technicality to meet the story’s needs. He shared his philosophy about learning to value “good enough”: he doesn’t spend excessive time perfecting a panel when the effort will be lost on the viewer. When he feels stuck, he asks himself, “Should art be this hard?” Of course, the creative process has challenging moments, but once you’ve reached a level of professionalism, many things become easier, and you should capitalize on that.
Speaking about his stand-up work, Doogie said it’s helped him feel ready for anything when doing book or library visits to promote his books. Children are the most unpredictable audience, but his comedy practice has made him adaptable and unphased in unscripted moments.
We were delighted to host Doogie again following his latest book release. You can check out the entire The Adventures of Invisible Boy series here.