How to move to your spot

What is the industry? What can I do with my skills? Who is watching? Who is listening? Where can I go?

These questions will be discussed in-depth, if not answered, in this course on going forward with your talent and vision. 

It's not easy for an artist, but with some training, and especially, a network of colleagues and mentors, you can begin to navigate the professional world.

Course curriculum

  • 01
    Introduction to Professional Practices
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    • Welcome to Professional Practices
  • 02
    Week One: Intro to Professional Practices
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    • Week One: Intro to Professional Practices - art making, philosophy and the everyday
    • Notes on making art
    • Two Questions by Lynda Barry
    • Zadie Smith - In Defense of Fiction
  • 03
    Week Two: presenting your work and talking about your practice
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    • Week Two: how to present your work and talk about your practice
    • Notes on presenting your work and talking about your practice
    • How to Make Comics and Cartoons by Liana Finck
  • 04
    Week three: setting goals and meeting deadlines
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    • Week Three: setting goals and meeting deadlines
    • Notes on how to set goals and meet deadlines
    • BONUS: Managing Your Workflow with Beth Trembley
    • BONUS: Internship tips from Joan Hilty
  • 05
    Week Four: getting your work out there - submitting to comics anthologies, magazines and collections vs. self-publishing
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    • Week Four: getting your work out there - submitting to comics anthologies, magazines and collections vs. self-publishing
    • Notes on submitting comics to anthologies
    • BONUS: Editor of The Nib on pitches that work
    • BONUS: Publishing - Tom's Story: Mini-Comics
    • BONUS: Publishing - Tom's Story: Self- Publishing and Distributing
  • 06
    Week Five: deciding between self publishing and a publishing house
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    • Week Five: deciding between self publishing and a publishing house
    • Notes on book publishing and writing a proposal
    • Eyes Too Dry (Chapter One) by Alice Chipkin and Jessica Tavassoli
    • Rosalie Lightning Pitch PDF
    • BONUS: SAW presentation by Robyn Chapman from First Second
    • BONUS A Writers Life by MariNaomi
    • BONUS: Publishing - Tom's Story: Small Publishers and Being Seen
    • BONUS: Publishing - Tom's Story: An Agent, A Big Publisher and More Self-Publishing
  • 07
    Week Six: life after school - how to maintain a comics community
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    • Week Six: life after school - maintaining a practice and comics community
    • Notes on maintaining a practice and a comics community
    • BONUS: A compost heap of thoughts, suggestions and tips from Tom Hart
    • BONUS: Internship tips from Joan Hilty
    • BONUS: A compost heap of thoughts, suggestions and tips from Jason Little
    • BONUS: Justine Mara Andersen Surviving Clients Video

  • Emma Jensen

    Instructor Bio:

    Emma Jensen is an Australian artist and editor based in Gainesville, Florida. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Masters in Creative Writing, Editing and Publishing, including a major creative work in graphic form titled, ‘What We Don’t Speak Of’. Since graduating she has worked as a comics educator for various Australian organisations including the State Library of Victoria, Yarra Youth Services and Express Media. During that time she also worked as an editor for independent and educational publishers, and as art editor for youth magazine, Voiceworks. She has been publishing and exhibiting comics regularly since 2015, with her work most recently included in kus #37 ‘Down Down Under’ and Ink Brick No 10. She joins SAW as an instructor after coming to Gainesville to attend the year-long intensive program in 2018-19. You can read collections of her past work at issuu.com/emma.jensen.

    Emma Jensen

    Instructor