Chewing Pencils

Have you heard about the phenomenon that is “Snakes on a Plane”?

Perhaps this is the first time in history that the general public have had such a huge influence in how stories are told in popular culture. The reports state that there was even a four day re-shoot based on what fans were suggesting around the Internet world. Fan posters and merchandise sprang up well before the movie was released, and it seems the hysteria surrounding the film is far more interesting than the film itself!

Popular culture is often snubbed by the art world. Probably because it IS popular. But popularity means lots of people, and lots of people means lots of opportunity for the cartoonist/illustrator.

With the emerging “Snakes on a Plane” culture, there is no studio executive in charge of what happens. There is no art director or editor calling the shots. What happens is determined by the people. Thus, if you can produce an image or series of images that taps into this popular culture, there’s a good chance of some significant income and exposure.

It’s probably too late to get much mileage out of “Snakes on a Plane” now. The time to do that was three or four months ago so search engines could rank your work high in the listings and put you in a good place today. BUT, “Snakes on a Plane” will pass quickly, like all pop-culture things do. It’s time now to look for the next wave and get on board as quickly as we can.

Don’t tell anyone, but I’m a bit of a Star Wars fan. And the original, unedited versions of the first three films (Episodes IV to VI) are about to be released on DVD. This is big news. I mean BIG news in some areas of culture. There’s plenty of scope to start producing cartoons and illustrations and hopefully ride the wave of Star Wars hysteria to a few extra dollars in the bank account.

Perhaps you have an interest in a different area of culture. Make the most of it and see if you can get your work firmly entrenched in the cultural mindset and maybe even become a pop-culture legend!