More to come

Hi everyone. I just published my draft post from September 11, 2017! I could not believe that it has been almost four years since my last post but it has... Before today's "My homage to Michael Been and The Call..." post, the last post I had made was about my Adam Ant concert on February 14, 2017. After that show, I was beset by health problems which led to ongoing tests and numerous hospital trips and doctor visits. That coupled with work and my personal life left me little time to write. Don't get me wrong. I still found time to see some shows and do other leisurely things in my free time, but from 2017 to 2019 I didn't physically feel like writing much.

I'm feeling better now but the problem is the coronavirus. *sigh* What can you write about when you only leave the house for important matters? I haven't seen a show in over a year and I don't go to stores anymore. I have everything delivered if I can. Anything I do that is considered fun is done in the home. I am happy about one thing though. Spending more time at home allowed me to focus on the books for a cartoon series that I am creating. I also transitioned from my digital drawings to drawing on paper. For years, I'd always look at other people's drawings and think, "I want to do that!" but I never tried because I had never drawn on paper before. I had drawn some things when I was a kid but it was very basic, so I don't count that. I didn't think my pencil drawings would turn out as well as my digital ones but boy was I wrong!

Here is my submission from an art contest I entered the other night. Its pretty detailed and will explain everything regarding my drawings.

Submission:

"It all started for me 17 years ago when I realized I wanted to be a cartoonist. I had all these amazing ideas but I had never drawn anything in my life. Nothing professional anyway, and a pencil and a blank sheet of paper was too intimidating at the time so I shied away from it. Since I was doing web design and graphic design work at this time I decided to put my graphic design programs to good use. I used CorelDraw 9 to draw freehand and I was blown away at how well my drawings turned out.

I drew a New York street scene with dancing elephants on the tops of driving cars. I drew a Parisian scene, which included the famous Eiffel Tower in the background. Cartoon characters (Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Yosemite Sam, Felix the Cat...), an adorable Christmas scene, you name it! Just anything that entered my mind I drew it. Well, the years went by and I found myself having less and less time for digital drawing. I had eventually stopped and deeply regretted doing so. Seven years had gone by since I had drawn anything.

It was 2015, when I eagerly got back onto the computer and just drew away. I finally produced something! It was a cartoon character for a cartoon idea that I came up with in 200. The cartoon never took off because I wasn't sure how to pursue it. But I told myself, "I need to keep at this and finish the characters." So I kept at it until they were all done. It took me four years total, from 2015 to 2019, to fully complete and copyright the characters. I know that seems like a long time to create four cartoon characters but to think of one good enough to be in a cartoon t.v. series and in a book took a lot of thought, which took a lot of time. Plus life got in the way, but I kept going no matter how long it took.

I also had a breakthrough moment in 2017. I actually drew a cat in a business suit on paper! It was my first drawing on paper. So that gave me some confidence though there was still some intimidation there. I just kept going with my cartoon anyhow by creating a storyboard and making a plan for making a television series come of it.

Well, fast forward to 2020. Covid-19 swept the globe, which led to a lockdown. I was scrolling through Facebook's events one night when I saw someone offering drawing classes. I thought, "Well, I need something to take my mind off this stressful time of Covid and I cannot leave the house right now, so maybe I should do this." I also wanted to learn how to use different drawing tools as well as charcoal pencils. I almost didn't do it because I thought, "What if this is too hard? What if I can't draw as well as some people can and am just wasting money on classes and drawing supplies?" But then I said to myself, "Hey! You drew that cool cat in the business suit. Just give it a try." So I did and it was the best decision I ever made.

I took to charcoal right away and learned how to do shading amongst other things. I could not believe how well my drawings were turning out in class as well as the ones I did in my free time. The cartoon characters looked exactly like they did on t.v. They were perfect. I even drew a puppy that looked lifelike. It actually looked real and now drawn, which is something else I have always wanted to do. I have always wanted to draw something that looked like you just had taken a picture of it be it a human face or an animal. I then asked myself, "Why did it take me so long?!" I wish I had done this years ago but my fear took over and I never did.

Now that I squashed that fear, my future is so much brighter and all I can say to those reading this is to never let fear overcome you. If you have a dream, go for it! Or if there is something you do not think you can do, how do you know if you never tried? My great grandmother always said, "Can't never could." Just try it and see and you might just surprise yourself!

I am so proud of myself and what I have accomplished so far. I'm currently writing a series of children's books and will be making plush toys of my characters to sell in big-name stores. Once that happens, I will make pitches for my very own children's cartoon series. Nothing is going to stop me now! If nothing comes of the cartoon, at least I will have the books and plush toys and that is enough for me. But the sky's the limit for me and I am going to do everything possible to reach my goal.

My cartoon characters that I have shown to the few people who have seen them are pretty well liked and I think they're good. I cannot wait to share my wonderful creation for the world and hopefully the world likes it, too! Every penny counts though and if I win this money I am putting it toward making a bulk order of my plush toys for my cartoon. The money will also be used for more art supplies, and possibly, a drafting board.

I plan on creating a web site for my cartoon and artwork once my books and plush toys are in stores. And with luck my cartoon series will follow.

I have attached my drawing of the iconic Mickey Mouse. I drew him by hand, no sketching whatsoever. I used charcoal, colored pencils and archival ink. Other than my own, cartoon characters are mainly what I draw now, so that is why I chose to upload my Mickey Mouse drawing.

Thank you for listening to my story. I hope it inspires somebody out there to not give up on their dreams and to not be afraid to do something even if they think they cannot do it.

My name

I know all of this is not music-related but it is what I've been doing since I hardly leave the house. I wanted to make the most of my downtime by doing something productive. I feel like this is only the start for me and that things will get better as time goes on. I just have to continue on the path I'm on and not give up.

Once I get the vaccine and the virus is non-existant or is at least at a safe level, I will start going out more. I think this virus may be something that he have to live with from now on like we have for the flu. But I think it's possible for it to get on the common cold level where it will not be deadly if you do get it. It will be more like having a cold for two weeks. I read a study last year that said once our bodies adapt to the virus it can break down and be like having the common cold if you get it. But I think they said it may take a year or two for our bodies to adapt to it before that ever happens. The first step though is the vaccine and I'm first in line!

I also had tickets to an Adam Ant show last year, which was postponed until April 30, 2021. I'm willing to bet that it will be postponed again if not canceled because it will probably take months for everybody to get the vaccine then you have to give it time to work. And honestly, the thought of going to a concert even three months from now is unsettling. I would not feel good about it. So I'm hoping it gets postponed again. Until then, I can enjoy my live shows on youtube and on my iPod Touch that I bought last month. I purchased the latest model, which is the 7th generation 256gb iPod Touch. Big difference between the 16gb iPod Nano and my new 256gb iPod Touch! I've got the Nano up for sale on Ebay if anyone is interested. I'd like to sell it! lol.

Anyway, I guess I can write about what I've been doing for the last four years... Well, the last three years actually because the coronavirus totally upended everyone's lives last year. But there is plenty that I can write about in between work and my cartoon series project. I thought of something from last month that I would like to share, so that next post may be coming sooner than later!