🎠The Evolution of Song Of Wata: Failure, Change, and the Chaos of Creativity 🌊
Nadia Shaik and her artwork from Song of Wata © 2024 Garam Masala Studios, Inc. Photo Credit: © 2024 Photographer Rachel Hadiashar / Zing Studio |
Hi Cool Storytellers,
When I started Song Of Wata, I thought it would be a prose novel—a story of two Mami Wata mermaid sisters and their love for each other. But after years of grappling with structure, creative blocks, and the weight of my perfectionism, I’m admitting it: the novel has failed.
And that’s okay.
Now, after eight months of interviewing other authors, holding in-person write-ins through Meetup, and creating merchandise, I see this story for what it truly wants to be: a short, stand-alone motion webcomic, blending my scriptwriting skills, sound effects, and visual art with ian illustrated script.
Here’s where my mind has been spinning these two years and six months:
Should it be a motion comic?
An audiodrama?
An animatic?
A slideshow?
A picture book for kids or adults?
Straight-up merch for all ages?
A serialized novel?
A longer, episodic novel?
What platform or distribution method is used: cell phone? ebook? paperback? desktop?
I’ve considered every possible direction, but the truth is clear: what do I want to accomplish? I was afraid of what others thought and wanted my optics and titles to show my expertise.
Ask yourself what is useful? as Leila Hormozi says. And this shift from prose to script makes my vision clearer.
This project management process has taught me that:
1️⃣ Failure Isn’t the End The novel wasn’t working for me or the story— I kept going back and forth once the main story was over to find a new angle. This didn’t align with my ADHD, autism, or energy. But failure wasn’t the final word; it was the pivot I needed to embrace new possibilities and a new form for the story.
2️⃣ A Clear Vision Is Key This project has been nearly three years in the making. It’s never been “just words on a page.” Now, I know it’s about combining multimedia art, sound, and storytelling to bring the mermaid sisters to life. My confidence in my artwork has grown. I spent all year handing out greeting cards and art prints so I could see the response from the market. People love my art, and it brings a smile to their faces. I know my market is wide and doesn't fit the demographics of Hollywood, Bollywood, or any established commercial market. The perks and benefits of being indie are that I can work within the confines of the established way and break out to test my methods. Follow the evidence of what's working for me, not someone else.
3️⃣ Project Management Matters From staging and blueprints to managing competing ideas, with the support of my family, my mentors, and trusted friends, I now understand that focus is everything. I needed to ask myself: What is Song Of Wata now? What’s working? What's not working? What do I truly want it to be? Do I have the resources, budget, team, and time to make it what I want? Can I accept it for what it is right now? Failures and all? I became a solopreneur or business owner to teach myself project management. I didn't want my disabilities to define what I was capable of. Starting a business became its project. It was more than interviews, showing up to events, and consignments. The business and the project needed to be managed. I never wanted my studio to be this other thing - more work. And that's exactly what it is. I just wanted it to be my studio to cook ideas people wanted to buy. But the issue is that if I'm comparing a croissant to a cornetto and wondering why no one understands, it's because I'm comparing two different things, asking the wrong people, and trying to make a croissant with the cornetto and vice versa recipe. Thanks, Something From Tiffanys (2022), for expanding my lexicon of pastries. I am off to find an Italian bakery near me.
💡 My Goals for Q1 2025:
Accept Song Of Wata as the webcomic it wants to be; yes, voice and sounds are included.
Increase my fanbase of Constellations with membership-based platforms.
Practice my social skills with live readings, live streaming, and writing sessions.
Embrace self-growth, self-worth, and self-love.
As an award-winning (2022 America's Next Great Author Semi-Finalist) published author (hello, Dark Horse Comics’ Climate Keepers: Agents of Project Zero!) and a business owner, my ultimate dream is to grow my indie studio. I want to create 365 works that reflect the stories I love to tell.
🔑 Takeaway: It’s okay to change course. Creativity thrives on chaos, but it also requires reflection, focus, and honesty about what’s not working.
💬 What about you? Have you ever abandoned a project to follow a new creative path? How did you overcome the doubts and fears that come with it?
Questions for Reflection:
Have you ever ended a project?
What did you learn?
How did you overcome doubts and fears during the transition?
Salaam and Happy New Year,
Nadia 🌟 Shaik (Artist, Author, Storyteller, Indie Publisher, CEO & President of Garam Masala Studios, Inc. and Cool Storytellers)
My Referrals. Links with a * are affiliate.
Companies Mentioned:
*Photo To Canvas In Portland, OR
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🔗 Curious about Song of Wata: Volume1? You can read an unedited excerpt here.
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