2014: Inspiration from a Cartoon
06.03.2014 § Leave a comment
As I look at this cartoon, the alarms in my head grow louder, telling me that I should not be sitting still. The message is very clear and true, especially considering what children do nowadays compared with how I grew up. I never owned a doll. My family did not own a television until I was in junior high school; we had a record player and a piano. I was always outside with neighboring kids playing and fighting for stones. Yes, stones. I loved stones. I still have a scar on my face from one of those fights. My mom told me I would hold onto the stones even when I fell asleep, and she could not unwrap my figures from them, I held them so tightly.
My life certainly has not been still: 18 years in Korea, 6 years in Taiwan, 3 years in Kent, Ohio, and then finally it seems I have settled in Chicago for at least 25 years. But then I started to travel for Brentano. I dreaded business trips because of the stress of needing to look nice; I think it takes more effort to make up oneself than to make up a drawing. I would try not to book too many trips at first, preferring to staying in the studio. But then I would feel too complacent and comfortable, so I would pick up my bag and travel again. Traveling stimulates me and keeps me diligent. I suppose this cartoon depicts my metal states in stillness and motion.
I’ve thought to myself, every year I want to do something different, and the older I get, the crazier I want to be until I am physically incapable. So, I am scheming something for this year, but it is a secret until I can make it a reality. It’s like Halloween; you don’t want people to know what you are going to be until the day you wow them.
Leave a Reply