Season's Greetings 2012-2013 !

Hello folks !

It's already that time again !

I missed greeting you Merry Christmas 2012 but it's still in the season right ? :)

So, here I'd like to share our Season's Greetings at Jotter Production.

A little bit of confession.. it was actually rushedly made =_=;;

It was about 1.5 days before Christmas when I asked Fifi if she had made any image for the Christmas and New Year. She said not yet and got no idea on what to draw/paint.  

Then I sketched something for her. Just some random idea about Santa and Rudolf got lost in the middle of somewhere.  So, they were looking right and left to find the way out. 

You can see what happened next in Fifi's blog post here :

http://fifixu.posterous.com/happy-christmas-2012

She had written a step by step of it :)

I hope you find this as an interesting post. 

Merry Christmas 2012 

and 

Happy New Year 2013 !

I wish you a great year to live in next year !

btw, I also sketched something else on Christmas day. 

Here, it is. Enjoy :)

12.12.12

12th December 2012 ~ 12.12.12

a pretty triplet date that we, this generation, will hardly experience ever again.

What are you going to do today ?
Birthday ? Asking for a date ? Getting married ? Do something crazy to be memorable ? Or dunno don't care ?

The last time I was being able to celebrate a triplet date was on 9.9.99
That was when I just got into the university and being under the orientation period.
By that time, me and my same generation school friends, were too tired to remember that the day was 9.9.99 when that late at night, we were escorted by our seniors to the big hall to find out that they have set up an art installation.
To be honest, I doubt that we really got the message from our seniors LOL. What the heck was it again ?? (I'm sorry, guys !)
Then we were asked to write down some message in a book as a commemoration for the rest of our life. Which actually.. hey ! where is that book now ? :D

Some of us, me for example, wrote a prayer, a statement of our wish by that time, of what or who we want to be. I even sketched something if I remembered correctly.
I don't know about other people...
At least... it did become a special experience in the end hahaha.

Anyway, despite of doing anything special today. I did something important yesterday on 11.12.12,
that would have been the first big step into a series of change in Jotter internal development.
Cross my fingers, I hope the best will happen to all of us here.

In the end, so... if you asked me, what am I going to do ?
I'm just going to celebrate today with a bottle of beer and cheer for whatever you are going to do today (plus write a blog post).

Cheers, folks ! :)

Questions about Passion

If

If you stop doing or thinking about what you're passionate of after 8 hours of working, can you still call yourself be passionate of what you do ?

If you convert your creative thinking into paid-time slots where you refuse to be creative outside certain paid-time slots, do you really enjoy your so-called-creative job ?

If you stop thinking what you're passionate of at weekends because you think it's time to take a break and rest or meeting some friends who are not into your subject, are you really passionate of what you do ?

If you don't want to do better tomorrow of what you've working on today, are you really passionate about it ?

If you stop doing what you're passionate of because someone else tells you to, are you really sure about your own belief ?

Because,

I talk about what I'm passionate of even when I'm having my brunch/lunch/dinner, when I'm with friends on the weekends and always looking for ways to make my skills at what I'm passionate of keep growing from day to day.
I'm thirsty, I'm hungry, and I know that I'm just a stupid fool compared to many other people. I want to get better not because I have to, but because I wish for it earnestly.

I met some people and ask about that, they said that it's natural for me to be doing that way because I'm the co-founder of my studio, and the manager at it.
So... passion is (heavily) affected by role and title ? Is that true ? Seriously ?

I thought, If I'm really passionate about something, I'll try to invite they who are not interested into my stuff, show them how to enjoy my stuff so if they're just not informed enough - they might find interest in my stuff ! If they didn't, oh well, I guess they have their own interest and passion. But at least I always try. The more people into my stuffs, the more fun it is, so that I can discuss and talk about what I find fun with more people !

Somehow, I find that it IS really different when people talk about having a job where it's doing what they like and what they are passionate of.
For example,
"Hey, I work in this studio because here I can work on what I like (read : drawing, making concepts)!"
That is actually different with
"Hey, I work at this cool studio where I can work on what I'm passionate of (read : drawing, making concepts)!"

Why you ask ?
Because, people who's working for doing what they like, they won't do anything they don't like ! Even though it will actually help them to get better at the stuff. Or to help the studio get better so that he can do more what he likes ! This kind of person, mostly will grumble or quit the job, because he doesn't like the job anymore ! :(
A big contrast to they work because they're passionate about it.
They tend to do anything necessary so that they can prolong their time working on what they take as part of their life.
So what if they have to do what they don't like ? If the job is out of their basic job description, if the money is not considered "gratifying" by other people.
If I'm passionate enough of what I'm working on, I believe that all the hard (and smart) works will pay off in the end.
If it's not, then it's not the end !
I won't quit it half way !

Yet, 

I do understand if filling in our stomach is still our 1st priority no matter what. Otherwise we won't even have the energy to do what we're passionate of.
But, to quit it and move to another subject...
Man, how dare you claim you are passionate about what you do ?
Why don't we sit down together and think of ways on how to be able to keep our passionate job while meeting the fundamental needs.

Say,

can you tell me how long, how many years are you going to live ?
How many years you can spend with your fullest spirit, brimming with hope and top stamina you can call it as your "prime time"?
You know, your lifetime estimation subtracted with your early childhood times and old times ?
No, I'm not saying that you will not be able to do what you're passionate of when you gets old, but it is the truth that you won't stay full of stamina and resourceful forever, isn't it ?

Now, please tell me, how many years in that "prime time" of your life, you want to spend them doing what you are passionate of ?
Is that enough ?

Do you want to spend your life working with people who share the same passion as you ? Or not ?

Please CMIIW

Wreck-It !

In my whole lifetime until today, there are only two animation movies that can make me feel really really happy watching them.

The first was the Incredibles (2004).

The second one is Wreck-It Ralph (2012) I've just watched last week.

They both are beautiful crafts.

Watching them makes me feel that all hard works will pay off in the end.
That people can do such great things.
That they can make SUCH A THING !

Watching Wreck-It Ralph made me out of breath.
May be that's how it feels to be a fanboy ? Just like when women watch Twilight saga, I guess ? Hahaha...
Well, I did feel satisfied, awestruck, wondering how I can make something like that, so damn jealous with the guys who made it happened. What had you been through to be able to make this masterpiece ?!?!

I say, if you missed watching it on the big screen, you should regret for life.

Why I'm so excited about this movie ? (beware of spoilers !)

Ok, I don't dare to call myself as an expert of movie making.
However I want to point out some amazing features of Wreck-It Ralph.

1. It's a natural blend between old and new things, between asian and western cultures, between game world and the rest of us. Even though you aren't from the old generation, or you are not a gamer, you will still be able to enjoy the story. And if you ARE from the generation who first met Mario, Qubert, etc., you will definitely able to relate your life with the story ! 
2. There's no plot holes. The script is very very neat ! The scriptwriters are God-like ! Well, there is a questionable fact that Vanellope still has her glitch even though Sugar Rush has been reseted. But this "glitch" from the story is needed there in the story to make it wholefully complete !
3. The designs are amazing. You can find refreshed old designs, derivative designs from already available games in the market, new designs special for this movie and convertible into new games. The development team also designed for various themed of settings, characters, props and all for every game world, yet they all are able to blend as one movie. Kudos to them !
4. The sounds, voice acting and BGMs are awesome. You can feel the changes in era, game genres, and whole as family movie. They even got AKB48 to do the Sugar Rush song and Owl City for the main theme :D 
5. The animation works. The animators were really paying attention to how pixel art game characters from old games should act and move. The rest are unquestionable Disney & Pixar standard I guess. 
6. The story is profound. Well, every person might relate for a different reason or message to the story. And that's why this movie's story is really really good. It's able to make a good cocktail of background stories for everyone to gulp, yet there's no "funny" taste left on the tongue. Nothing feels being forced. So darn natural !

If you'd like to find out more about this movie, may be you'd like to listen to this podcast from Wired. 

And have a look at some of the beautiful concept and design development arts from It's Art.
Here are some...

  

Find more in their original sources please :)

And Rich Moore, sir ! You and your team got my biggest kudos !

A True Dreamer

A dreamer who is stuck in his/her own dream and dreaming that without decent amount of effort, his/her dream will come true as an obvious and natural thing to happen next in his/her life
... is a true Dreamer, isn't it ?

Because if he/she works hard to achieve his/her dream, then he/she is a realistic person.
He/she knows that he/she has to learn lots of things including things he/she doesn't like or even hate.
He/she knows that he/she has to eat his/her own shits if needed to make the impossible.. possible.
He/she knows that to make his/her dream comes true, he/she needs to stay alive to do that.

He/she knows that he/she must not running away or lost in delusions if you dream enough, hope enough, "believe" enough, eventually, subconsciously, your body will move like what your mind tells you and the universe will bend to your will.
Juusssttt like that. Magical !

A dreamer whose dreams become reality, stops being a dreamer, is not a true dreamer. Because, if it has become a reality, it's not a dream anymore.

Yes, I'm not talking about : "If you've achieved your dream, then dreams a bigger dream !".
That's absolutely not my point at all.

So, are you a dreamer ? Good.
A true one ? ;P

You Hate Revisions ?

Sometimes, I wonder why so many people hate revisions.
I mean, they are generalizing all kind of revisions to be bad.

This is the ultimate blow to my mind these days.

Translation : "Reject Revisions. Relieve fussy client, fussy editor, wicked boss and overcome tight deadline."
(disclaimer : sorry, i don't know who made this. so, i can't credit him/her. i found this on facebook)

Even though it's only a joke, a satire I suppose ? This is really ridiculous and misleading. Either to junior artists and potential clients.

I think, what you should not support is not fighting against revisions but selfishness.

Look, who doesn't like revisions ? Take a bigger example, don't you want your life ever getting better ? What about your skills ? Your relationships, may be ?
You yourself is the fussiest client ever existed. You want a nicer client, an always agreeing editor, a boss who will pay you for doing bad works and never want to have deadline for your own work (like you'll live forever. yeah ? or you are the one who will enjoy and pay for your own work ?)

The real problem here are the selfish clients, selfish editor, selfish editor and poor time management.
They are your real enemies.

They don't respect the agreement, your service, your effort, your hospitality and sometimes don't trust you even though they've let you as the pro to get the job done.
Bad clients are the ones who abuse you.

However, when you accept an order from a client. It IS your job to make your client satisfied with your work. Meaning, your work fits his/her circumstances and need. If he/she didn't find your work fits in, you gotta fix it and make your work fits in. No excuses.

So, revisions are not the bad apple here.
It is selfishness.

Nose

Traditional painters are really on a different league. No layer mix can help you.

Studying the real shape, form and colors of only a nose, tired me up...
I'm so noob... =_=

Nose study

Apalah arti sebuah nama (bukan pertanyaan)

Shakespeare bilang, apalah arti sebuah nama?
Karena cintaku padamu tak ada hubungannya dengan namamu.

Banyak yang asal menggunakan istilah ini tanpa melihat konteksnya.

Kalau nama itu sungguh tak ada artinya, wahai kawan, tolong tunjukan padaku orang tua waras mana yang menamai anaknya "pelacur", "keparat", "anjing budug", "babi ngepet" dari detik pertama ia lahir ke dunia ?

Kata-kata punya makna, nama punya kekuatan. Ketika di masa sekolah, masa bekerja dan masa-masa lainnya, kita menjuluki seseorang "si bloon", julukan itu akan dibawa orang itu sampai akhir hayatnya - tertulis sudah dalam sejarah hidupnya. Bukan cuma dia saja, tapi juga di kepala dan hati orang-orang di sekitarnya. Dan besar kemungkinan orang itu tumbuh dewasa dan menua menjadi seperti yang diartikan oleh julukannya.

Bila julukannya tanpa arti, atau malah berarti baik, tak apa-apa. Bila tidak ? Bila diucapkan dengan niatan menghina ?

Siapa sih yang suka dipanggil "pelacur", "pengecut", "dudut", "idiot", "belet", "monster", dll. ?
Atau panggilan-panggilan rasis dengan konotasi negatifnya lainnya ?

---

Bukan bermaksud promosi, hanya bermaksud menunjukkan contoh kisah bagaimana "hanya karena nama", hidup seseorang bisa kacau balau dan menyedihkan.

Bacalah komik terbitan M&C, judulnya Shanao Yoshitsune - Genpei War.
Di sana ada seorang tokoh bernama Taira no Noritsune. Dia anak klan Heike yang terpaksa hidup menanggung beban namanya.

Namanya buat kita di Indonesia, tak ada masalah. Tapi buat Noritsune, setiap kali di dipanggil dengan nama itu, hanya ada kemarahan dan kebencian yang muncul di wajah dan perilakunya.

Noritsune adalah nama yang diberikan oleh ayahnya sebagai simbol ia adalah aib bagi keluarganya. Kenapa jadi aib ? Ceritanya terlalu panjang, silakan baca sendiri.

Intinya, Noritsune seumur hidupnya menanggung aib itu dan berusaha agar ayahnya mengakui dia, menarik cap aib dan mengganti namanya.
Sedihnya, ayahnya mati tanpa sempat memperbaiki hidup Noritsune. Sampai akhir, karakter Noritsune digambarkan sebagai orang yang agak psikopat. Jenius... tapi agak buas, dan hidupnya tidak bahagia.

Ah, ini kan cuma cerita komik ?
Yah, coba ingat-ingat, pikir-pikir lagi. Apa ini cerita yang cuma bisa ada di komik ?
Kalau kamu tidak bisa mengingat ada kejadian serupa dalam hidupmu, syukur-syukur hidupmu memang bersih dari semua kejadian seperti itu, atau kamu adalah salah satu orang bebal di dunia, egois dan tidak perduli dengan orang lain. 

---

Gara-gara sebuah nama.

Silakan ubah hidup orang-orang dalam hidupmu menjadi lebih baik atau lebih menderita. Itu pilihanmu.

Yang pasti, "mulutmu, harimaumu".

Bila kamu tak tahu, tanpa sengaja "menghina", minta maaflah dan jangan ulangi lagi.
Bila kamu (sudah) tahu, dan terus "menghina" karena berpikir apa sih masalahnya ? Karena hanya kamu tak mengerti, orang yang kamu panggil itu sudah kamu tambah jumlah luka di hati dan jiwanya. Dan sampai akhir hayatnya, dia akan terperangkap oleh stigma yang diberikan oleh "penghina"nya yang pertama.

Terima kasih telah menjadi orang yang kejam. Semoga "kebaikan"mu akan terbalas.
Congratulations. You are officially a bully.

---

FYI, ini tulisan untuk refleksi dan introspeksi. Kalau dipikir-pikir, jadi pelaku pernah, korban juga iya.

The formula of happiness

Few days ago, someone asked me "What is happiness? Why someone who we thought was happy, was actually not ?"

In this little brain and simple mind of mine, I can only think the answers are...

You can get happiness if :

1. (You make some) Achievement
2. Someone care (about you, what you do, why you did, how and when, negatively or positively)

It can be anything. It can be anyone.

Depends on how you live, raised, who you meet everyday, who you look up to, and so on.
That's why my happiness might be different than yours, or anybody else.

Some people formulate happiness as wealth, status, being religious, have many friends, good family, traveling around the world, collecting stuffs, be skilled at something, and the list can go on.
But then when you've got some of that, done some of them, been there - done that... why do you still feel empty? Why aren't you happy?

Well, may be you'd like to try my formula.

First, ask yourself, "who cares?"
If the answer is you, your own self, go directly to 2nd question, "what matters to you? What do you want to achieve?"
If the answer to the first question was your God, then the 2nd question would be "what matters to Him?"
If the answer to the first question was your family or friend or or your leader or work colleague or your country or your profession or whatever, then what matters to them?

Achieve what someone you care do care, they will care about what you do, react to you. Depending on what kind of reaction that matters to you, negative or positive, you will find happiness.

Be healthy.
Be strong.
Be beautiful/ handsome.
Be rich.
Be thankful.
Be standing on the top of the highest mountain on earth.
Be a father/mother, be a respectful child.
Be a musician.
Be powerful.
Be curious and never give up.
Be enjoying your food.
Etc.

If you're happy being that way. Then be honestly genuinely happy.
For any small happiness, or any big happiness.

Your happiness might not be the same as others, might be yes.
Appreciate every happiness, whoever's.
Life's too short to live in someone else's happiness which is not yours (as well).

My final advice would be
Stop, take a breath, think.
Are you happy? Why? Want to share it? Decide. Do.
That's all, I think.

In the end of the day, the truth is that human can not live without Purpose, and human is a Social Creature who can not live on his own, including alone in his mind.
(Not talking about special cases, ok)

I hope this helps anyone who cares.

So, what is your happiness ?

Mindstrolling on what ideas I'm basing on

"It's the calling of leadership to understand what the office or organization needs, and what the customer deserves and to then help them get it." - Michael Useem, Professor of Management at the Wharton School 

summary :
- understand what the office or organization needs

- what the customer deserves
- help them get it

"shareholders come last– the most important groups are customers and then employees. He says matter-of-factly that customers are the ones who pay him and employees are the ones who stick with him but shareholders come and go." - Jack Ma, CEO of The Alibaba Group

http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/24/the-surprising-religion-of-jack-ma/

summary :
- don't work for your sake, work to entertain and inspire your audiences
- appreciate they who stick with you in good time either bad time

just my 2 cents...

An Enigma of Men and his Dreams

The system has no allegiance, man has.
A coin has two sides. Without one, there's no so called the coin.


Even though man stops breathing, his dreams will live on.

That is, only if we're investing on the dreams, not on short-lived men.

Protecting the man is important, but one generation doesn't worth the lives of the next three more generations.

Men will die, but his legacy will move on.
Yes, I voted.

Because in the end, any man is only struggling to survive from death and pain anyway.

Blue and yellow

My doodle for tonight.

Mechanical pencil on yellow envelope.
Colorized in Instagram. 

Got no eraser as usual.. pardon the messiness. 

Morning walk

A little bit late in the morning. About a decade since the last time. The neighborhood has changed a lot.

But finally I jog and walk again on Sunday daylight.

I didn't bring my watch,wallet nor phone.
Just me,a small bottle of water and a piece of bread for my late breakfast.

I hope I can repeat this next week.
The routine that is important after all.

Let's get fit again.

Foodspotting in my last trip to Singapore and Malaysia

Food and beverages I got in my trip. Should I caption every photo ?

All photos is taken with my Galaxy Nexus phone. Excuse me for the amateurish shots. No editing has been done to the photos. 

Looking around, observing

"Next Stesen, Asia Jaya."
LRT Malaysia, September 2012


A couple of months ago, I look around finding out people around myself are like frogs in a well. They do boring works, working boring jobs, coping with boring proud people who only lives and work their asses off for wealthiness.

I was frustated.

I know that I'm caught in the same well with them.
This country, this environment, these people...
It's so simple to solve their... our problems, but yet so difficult to stand up and be honest to raise our hands, calling for help.

I was damn frustated.

Then, last week, I went for a trip (business trip) to Singapore and Malaysia. Meeting with great people who have great achievements.
What did I see? What did I find out?

I felt like I've been travelling into the future. They told that they've had their parts of frustations as well. The incompentents, the corrupted, the lazy, the jealous, they who just don't like you're better or ahead of them...

It's very similar everywhere in the world, they said. We all walk on the same path. Once we go down this creative path, it's actually all the same everywhere.
To the rest of the world, this road is untrustworthy, unreliable, childish dream, and so on.

But !

What mostly important is that we need to keep going. Keep fighting for our faith, keep looking for people who can see what I can see, people who I can trust to share my load, or at least trust me on their future ahead that we will make it.
All the hard works will pay off in the end. If it hasn't paid off yet, it's not yet the end.

My partner said, that looking at Singapore and Malaysia, we are 10 years behind.
So, during those 10 years, our comrades in passion had gone through the hell. The hell I haven't gone through yet, or may be has been just starting in.

I hope 10 years from now, I will still be here, not flushed away in the desperation of the uncanny left-behind-mindset of the local Indonesian commercial art industry.
...
10 years... OMG...
At least there's still a possible future ahead and I should be still positive about it.
I shouldn't give up. I should be strong.
No matter what troubles come, I should stay on my feet and survive the storm.
I still have hope.

Now, "back in the past"...
At least this should be our start to help change the local world.

How to grow one's potential and talent

You can buy a ton of tutorial books, how to or any other references and materials.

But you can not buy a good environment where you can grow your potential and talent to their best.
Neither good colleagues that share the same wishes, passion and ones who can earnestly help you achieve your goals.

No one can buy real time good mentors and guidances.
No, It's not about money afterall.
Nothing beats experience and a willful master who earnestly teach their disciples to get better at what they do.

One can only work it out to have them.
Join the crowd, join the family.

And psstt..., I am working it out to build that said environment
here, at Jotter.

A Company Driven by Passion

I want to build a profitable company that is not driven by profit gaining, but driven by our passion to keep creating amazing stuffs that can entertain our audiences.
Enable them to feel, dream, and be inspired to share happiness to their closest friend, family and the rest of their world.

If I couldn't make it come true, let the world know that I've failed and wasted my decades of life and they shall not fall into the same despair.

Interesting Cartoony Real Life Animal Characters

A few days ago I found interesting cartoony real life animal characters in a small corner mini petshop inside Carrefour in my city.

It's really funny to find out that such cartoony characters are actually real. Super real ! Not only in cartoons, animation movies or books ! Look at those faces and expressions ! You can easily distinguish each own characters, bad or evil :)

The Clown

Friendly Neighbor 

Steve Wozniak

 

The Evil

The Smiling Turtle  

The Smiling Lizard