being humble
ar·ro·gant ( P ) Pronunciation Key (r-gnt)adj.
Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance.
Marked by or arising from a feeling or assumption of one's superiority toward others: an arrogant contempt for the weak.
...I had a conversation with a friend today about artists and how they treat their fans. I remembered a run-in with then longtime idol Dave Stevens. I used to think of him as a god , and being at my first Comicon I had my chance to meet him. Walked over to his booth which had a large version of one of his paintings behind him and said hi -which was met with a disinterested stare. Mustering the courage I asked if I could have his autograph, to which he said "as long as I don't have to draw you anything" -that flipped my switch- I snatched my book back after he scribbled his autograph and replied "well, you didn't have to give me your autograph either" and stormed off. At that moment everthing I had of his art was worth a peso. Many people told me that I was overreacting and the artists who work comicon are constantly hounded to draw things for fans and it gets a bit tiring. But, during the same comicon I had the immense fortune to meet Don Bluth who was promoting his (then) new movie "Titan A.E.". I was floored with how incredibly cool he was. And without batting an eyelash he asked me what my favorite Bluth character was. "Daphne" from Dragon's Lair was my reply, and within literally seconds I was the proud owner of a Don Bluth sketch and autograph. He was the saving grace for that Comicon trip who made me forget about the earlier incident.
I guess it stuck with me. It's better to be gracious rather than put off by the people who actively look for buy your stuff because they dig what you do. I've seen many artists on both ends of the spectrum, but the most successful ones know not to be jackasses in front of their fans. It's a first impression that leads those people to pull out their wallet or just walk on by.
...I'd like to say I'm more Don than Dave, but I'll leave that comparison to you. :-)
P.s. - I also met Mike "HellBoy" Mignola, Evan "Milk and Cheese" Dorkin, Kieron "Black Heart Billy" Dwyer, and Kyle "Why I Hate Saturn" Baker who are all fricking gods too.
P.p.s - Met Phil "Uncle Owen" Brown of Star Wars fame, who I still believe was an animatronic corpse. Very sad.
Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance.
Marked by or arising from a feeling or assumption of one's superiority toward others: an arrogant contempt for the weak.
...I had a conversation with a friend today about artists and how they treat their fans. I remembered a run-in with then longtime idol Dave Stevens. I used to think of him as a god , and being at my first Comicon I had my chance to meet him. Walked over to his booth which had a large version of one of his paintings behind him and said hi -which was met with a disinterested stare. Mustering the courage I asked if I could have his autograph, to which he said "as long as I don't have to draw you anything" -that flipped my switch- I snatched my book back after he scribbled his autograph and replied "well, you didn't have to give me your autograph either" and stormed off. At that moment everthing I had of his art was worth a peso. Many people told me that I was overreacting and the artists who work comicon are constantly hounded to draw things for fans and it gets a bit tiring. But, during the same comicon I had the immense fortune to meet Don Bluth who was promoting his (then) new movie "Titan A.E.". I was floored with how incredibly cool he was. And without batting an eyelash he asked me what my favorite Bluth character was. "Daphne" from Dragon's Lair was my reply, and within literally seconds I was the proud owner of a Don Bluth sketch and autograph. He was the saving grace for that Comicon trip who made me forget about the earlier incident.
I guess it stuck with me. It's better to be gracious rather than put off by the people who actively look for buy your stuff because they dig what you do. I've seen many artists on both ends of the spectrum, but the most successful ones know not to be jackasses in front of their fans. It's a first impression that leads those people to pull out their wallet or just walk on by.
...I'd like to say I'm more Don than Dave, but I'll leave that comparison to you. :-)
P.s. - I also met Mike "HellBoy" Mignola, Evan "Milk and Cheese" Dorkin, Kieron "Black Heart Billy" Dwyer, and Kyle "Why I Hate Saturn" Baker who are all fricking gods too.
P.p.s - Met Phil "Uncle Owen" Brown of Star Wars fame, who I still believe was an animatronic corpse. Very sad.