So where are the posts, David? Yes friends, I’ve been a little delinquent in my writing, but inspired today by a post written by the awesome Fabeku, I decided to just show up.
Now I don’t want you to think I’ve been idle in my absence. I’ve actually been putting out a fair amount of content, but it has been of a more whimsical and decidedly visual bent. I’ve been a doodling fiend. If you’re interested you can check out the magic marker output (along with the occasional picture shot on the go from my phone) by visiting my posterous at http://davidscohen.posterous.com.
I’ve been enjoying this resurgence of my creativity, and frankly a little nervous about ramping up the degree to which I show the world my soft and silly side, but the fact is I preach authenticity in branding, and by gum I mean to practice it as well. (and how often do you get to say “by gum”?) I expect that the current flood of doodle inspiration will abate a bit over time, but it has been bottled up for a while and it feels good to let the drawings flow and not get too judgmental about them. I’ve picked some fairly humble materials to work with too: basically I’ve been drawing on 4″ x 6″ blank index cards and mostly using Sharpies, pens and highlighters. Sometimes I’ll use nicer art markers too – the highlighter palette is a bit limited. I keep it all on the desk so I can take my doodle breaks, scan them and tweet them to the world. So far, the world hasn’t complained, and I’m grateful for that.
I’m also cooking up a new website for Equation Arts. It’s not quite done yet, but I think it will be a better expression of who I am. Here’s a hint of things to come:
There will also be a lot of the color orange ( I love orange), and some crossover doodles will make their appearance there as well.
I hope that people who connect with me know that I’m a big believer that we all have something special to offer the world and each other, but sometimes we find ourselves framed in the wrong context – that “something special” ends up hidden, muffled, suppressed – unable to shine. So the new website is for me a shift in context toward something more authentic. I hope you’ll stick with me through the transition. Thanks! And remember…
Are you a late bloomer or a long bloomer?
Long Bloomer
The other day my girlfriend and I were sitting on the sofa, me with my nose in my laptop and Julie thumbing through a dog lover’s magazine. As she flipped a page an interesting squiggle caught my eye, “wait, go back.” There was a page of delightful cartoons accompanying an article about William Steig. The article focused on a recent collection of his work and featured many of his dog-centric cartoons. I recognized the work, but realized that I didn’t know much about the man, so a-Googling I did go…
I was so inspired by the story I found. Not only was Mr. Steig a talented and prolific young artist, he was a lifelong force of growth and creative exploration. I was wowed to learn that he had over 1600 cartoons and 117 cover illustrations published in The New Yorker. It’s kind of staggering, but it was the product of a lifelong relationship with the magazine. But it was what I read next that made me feel excited, and a whole lot less creaky: W. Steig published his first children’s book when he was 61 years old! He won the Caldecott Medal for his third book, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.
As a doodlist it has always been an ambition of mine to write and illustrate a children’s book and I’ve had many starts in that direction. And also many times when I look at the calendar and marvel at how fast the years manage to go by. Don’t get me wrong, I love the work I’m doing, and I’m proud of my past accomplishments, both in my artwork and in my business life, but I still have itches left to scratch. Yes, my bifocals have been replaced by trifocals and my salt & pepper beard gets saltier every day, but I’m resolved to still hit some of these big to-dos on my list.
I think this is the lesson of William Steig, doodler-divine, that whether we’re early bloomers or late bloomers, we can all be long bloomers. We can put growth and accomplishment on our itinerary for the rest of our lives, and there is no limit to what we might accomplish no matter how late we start. By the way you know what Steig did when he was around 83? He drew a character and wrote a book about him. He called him Shrek! They based a movie on it, I even heard it did well…. 😉
What about you? Are you a late bloomer, an early bloomer, a perennial? I’d love to know what inspires you and how you inspire others. Be a beacon my friends and keep on blooming!