Expression test time! There’s a lot of bulky masses to get moving around in there. Really can’t wait to be able to start pushing and pulling morph targets on her.

On that subject, I’m spending the rest of the year putting together an Evil Business Plan (thanks Jose!). The last two years I’ve been all over the map with my career and creative: editing at the Chicago Board Of Trade, producing at ThisWeekIn, making commercials at Imaginary Forces. In my Bruce Wayne level of desire to be a well-rounded creative samurai, I’ve worked on live TV shows, podcasts, short films - all for other people. And I’ve learned the basics of more tools than I thought I would ever know. Like Neo downloading martial arts to his brain, I’ve been picking up graphic design, typography, photography, editing, and cinematography on top of designing, modeling, and animating.

Now’s the year to start shipping. And shipping my own stuff, to be specific.

Somewhere along the way I’ve picked up this mantra of “real artists ship”. Not sure if it was from watching Chase Jarvis’s live podcasts, Nick Campbell’s constant blogging, or the endless parade of startup entrepreneurs I’ve encountered at ThisWeekIn, but I’m obsessed with the idea of shipping. Planning, making, and showing. Then starting all over again, as fast as possible. I’m not going to make Citizen Kane, I’m not Bill Watterson, and I’ll never be as good as the guys at CreatureBox.

But I can make my own stuff instead of talking about other people’s.

So in 2012, something, anything, is going to ship from me, and it’s going to be a fun journey getting there.

How about you?  Got something you’ve been thinking about drawing or writing for years? Want to learn how to use a camera or get your hands dirty building something? This is the year to do it: it’s time to go get a dirt cheap camera, start doodling with Sketchbook Pro for your Mac, or pick up a second-hand guitar and start making some ugly noise.

Do something with it every day. Start a blog and tell the world or maybe just your mom.

Plan, Make, Show.

Rinse and repeat.

Have fun with it, teach others what you learn, and never forget to show your stuff off!

#ship2012