Don't Let Me Do This Alone!

 I've never been one for New Year's resolutions. Well I can't say "never" because in my younger days I wanted to be on that band wagon but as I aged, I realized there wasn't much to it. It was simply a fun thing to do around the last day of the year and it amounts to not much more than a to-do list for the first couple of weeks of January. I find it amusing also how the so called pundits have a statistical day (January 15th) when most people give up on their New Year's resolutions. 

                  

How do they know?

Is there an office or phone bank where the workers are randomly calling people asking if they are giving up on their resolutions yet?

However in recent years I've set yearly goals and even that has changed with the passing of time as I've altered the terminology from goals to objectives. I might expand on the reasons for this verbiage some other time, but suffice it to say for now, I am presently engineering my objectives for  2024.

For all of my adult life I've not been a smashing success at fulfilling my yearly objectives. Why do I keep trying? Needless to say the alternative to trying is very grim, is it not? Over the past couple of years things have changed a great deal and these shifts I speak of are mainly regarding my professional career which this blog is limited to addressing. 

   I'm on a journey and for the readers of this blog, I welcome you to join me in it's progress, if any.

When I wrote Shut Up & Draw, I wrote in the introduction how Tracy hinted that if I didn't do something profitable with my drawing talents to earn income, she made a thinly veiled threat to have a nice weeny roast for the grandkids using all my drawing implements as fuel for the fire.

I took this threat seriously enough and wrote the a book albeit with modest sales.

                                                           

As the impetus from the energy of Shut Up & Draw has waned, she is revisiting her earlier threat. Therefore, in the spirit of marital harmony and overall good business, (that is earning a living) I renew my pledge to succeed. 

                Join me, if you will

Back Off. I Have a Bumper Sticker

I'm often amused at bumper and window stickers on cars. I believe they equate to t-shirts with catchy slogans and people want to appear unique or contrary to the norm. What I find interesting is how millions of people use these same bumper stickers, so I ask myself "how unique are they if so many others do the same thing?"

So often I feel the stickers on cars are meant to manipulate others into modifying their driving. I'm seeing more and more the bumper sticker that says 

In fact, I see it so often on cars from nice, expensive new ones to old jalopies. I suspect the drivers find the bumper sticker in a gag gift shop and display it on their bumper to excuse their poor driving skills. On one particular incident, I was driving behind a minivan with the proverbial

window sticker as if somehow it was going to change the way I drive. The funny thing is, the operator in question was not driving well: swerving, riding the brake, crossing lanes erratically and generally driving badly. Eventually I passed her and glanced over to notice she was on her phone. So, the lady who was demanding everyone take care not to put her child passenger in jeopardy was herself driving like an idiot.

It's Not Me but He is One of My Own

Poor Laughing Gravy is a perennially depressed individual who walks around with a paper bag over his head and once when someone asked him why, he answered:

"because when I use plastic, I can't breath"

That answer may not be a satisfactory explanation as to his reasons for wearing a paper bag, but it might somewhat clarify  his outlook on matters. He responds to it in a way that avoids a direct answer

There was another incident when a man was being interviewed for a job and was asked a very common question posed by interviewers whenever vetting new job applicants: 

Nowhere in this particular gag does it identify the character wearing the  bag but he's been accused by many of my readers  as Laughing Gravy. Whether or not it is him, I cannot say with any certainty, but again, it may shed some light on reasons why Laughing Gravy does what he does. It's a way for him to avoid real world stress and the shame which he feels for having no helpful copping mechanisms other than just hiding himself. Like the myth of how an ostrich sticks his head in the sand at the first sign of danger, Laughing Gravy also attempts to disappear. Who, I ask, has never wanted to crawl under a bed, or go into a dark closet when life sometimes becomes unbearable? It may be his way of wishing it would all just go away but it's been said:

A crisis is when it's too late to say, "lets just forget the whole thing."

Poor Laughing Gravy has a therapist and has been spotted in the psychologist's office but what, if any, medications he takes to remedy his mental state isn't presently known. Labor day is his doctor's traditional vacation week and it's traditional for therapists to take off that specific week for reason unknown. So, during the first week of September the country is full of crazy people. 

Some have told me that he is actually my own alter ego and even though there is at least a little of myself in all the characters and gags I draw, I must deny that he is actually me. I understand why some people think he is me because there are certain "tells" in other specific gags. For example, the character in the gag below has a striking similarity to me and his posture is the same as Laughing Gravy's in the top gag on this page:

Actually, in the way my gags have been accepted by so many, it is apparent to me that he is a relatable character and many of his feeling and interpretations are part of lots of peoples feeling. He is humble and loveable man muddling his way through the life he's inherited. 

 

A Tennessee Werewolf in Texas

The Law of Averages

One minute read

Years ago, when people still wrote checks, one could look in his/her checkbook and, observing all the checks written, one could see what they were spending the majority of their money on, whether it be eating out, entertainment, booze, clothes, whatever. These check entries were evidence of what was important in someone's life. 

Now-a-days we probably must look at our bank statement as most purchases are made with plastic, but the evidence is still there.

Not unlike the above example are the friends one chooses and if you're like me and find it difficult to name five people you are close to, don't despair. There are other ways of telling.

You are the books you read, the movies you watch, the TV programs you view, the music you listen to, the conversations in which you engage, the websites you visit.

Pay attention what you pay attention to.

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The above cartoon is a reprint from my book Shut Up & Draw available on Amazon by clicking this link.

 

Gorilla Tactics

A renown football coach once said "if you find yourself in a fight with a 400lb gorilla you don't tap him lightly. You hit him with everything you've got".

His meaning was to decisively, aggressively and intentionally show up and take control right away and the likelihood of ending with a good result increases.

Do you want to use creativity in your life and career?

Shut up & Draw: A Journey to Creativity

is a book that can give you some insight on how to do it with loads of humor.

Order yours now

 

To Be a Bear

One minute read

Jimmy Johnson, former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, speaks much of  "scared money" which has become popularized in various circles, But 

                       what does "scared money" mean?

Playing with scared money often refers to gaming as in black jack, for example, when one, afraid of loosing, will wager little money and in return receives smaller gains, if any. 

Johnson, who enjoys black jack, used this philosophy much in football as one who is daring, bold and takes calculated chances, knowing the risks but is willing to put it on the line for gains all out of proportion to the investment.

This may also be related to one's personal or professional life when one has little he wishes to put at risk consequently has little gains as a result. A basic rule of investing is if one has little to loose, then risk it. 

What's the harm if it's lost?

In business, seeking a big payday, not playing with scared money can be easily applied. Soliciting an unlikely but good client who would pay top dollar for my services, is a good applicable example. 

How can you use creativity in your life and career?

Get your copy of Shut Up & Draw: A Journey to Creativity here