172 – Anybody home?

UPDATE: 1/17/11 – Ugh. Delay of strip today. I’ll have the new strip by tomorrow morning. Sorry, folks. πŸ™‚

I was listening to the Webcomic Alliance podcast while I was working today and one of the hosts of that show, Dawn Griffith, posed the question of what to do when you are a creative person (in this case, a cartoonist) and your loved ones or friends just don’t get what you do. By that I don’t mean they don’t get your jokes (of my entire family, the only people that get my jokes is my wife and two of my brothers-in-law) but that they don’t get that being a creative person is not just a nice little hobby, or something you’ll grow out of or get bored with eventually. One of the things they mentioned was that if you have a significant other that “gets it,” count your lucky stars. Not to be bragging, but I am incredibly fortunate in that my wife does get it, and has always supported me in this crazy career of mine. She’s my sounding board, someone I can bounce ideas off of, and in fact, many times when I’m stumped for a punchline, she’s the one that comes up with the perfect line. She also helps me get out of my own way and look at things from another angle. So, essentially, I am very very lucky. Thanks, hon. πŸ™‚

I do have this to say to those of you who might know and love a cartoonist, or artist, or musician, or what have you: Artists, by our very nature, tend to be very self-critical and it’s very easy for us to get down on ourselves. The best thing in the world you can do for them is to show them that, even if you don’t “get” what they’re doing, you’re behind them. Just knowing that someone out there is pulling for you can make all the difference. I have extended family members that read my site even though the humor in the strip is not their cup of tea, so to speak. That they don’t get the jokes doesn’t matter: what does is that they read it, they care enough to check in with my site every other day just to see what I’m up to. That’s what I’m talking about.

I’m really very grateful to all of you (family or not) for reading and caring. OK, I’m done rambling. πŸ™‚

See you on Monday,

~Rob