Want to Look Cute? Draw Yourself!

Is Tanuki saying I have a big head?

Drawing yourself can be easy and fun

Even if you’re not a cartoonist, knowing how to draw yourself as a cartoon character can be a unique addition to your journals, putting your face on little notes or cards you give as gifts to friends, family, and even your kids.

You can add personality to anything you’re writing by hand and make people smile if you can draw yourself quickly and cutely.

Step One: Pick a shape for your head

Choose a shape for your head. Even a square one could be cute!

Look in the mirror, take a deep breath, and be honest about your head shape. Do you have a long face? Round? Maybe you’re not sure, so you ask someone. If you have kids, ask them how they see you. Be prepared for hilarious honesty!

Truthfully, the shape of the head doesn’t really matter.

You can use any of the three. I draw myself with each one of these head shapes depending on how I feel. If you look back on some of my older posts, the cartoony version changes depending on the joke, how stubborn I want to come across (square heads are good for that), or how innocent I must look to clarify the message.

Step Two: Draw your eyes and nose along the same line

Drawing your eyes and nose on the same line helps you look cute.

I like to use simple dots for my eyes, but you can use circles with pupils inside if you like. The main tip is to keep the eyes level with the nose. For some reason, this helps your drawing of the face look young and cute.

If you move the nose down further, it will make the face look older. If you have a pencil or pen in hand, try it. Draw several head shapes and add a simple letter C-shaped nose, then place eyes higher or lower and see what happens.

The key to making it look like you can also be adding eyebrows. Are yours thick, thin, or bushy? Dark or light color?

Be honest!

I have thick dark eyebrows, so I draw them large and color them black. They’re so big that they rise above my head most of the time. Don’t be afraid to push the size of your facial features. Making your eyes and nose super tiny in the center of a large circle might look better than features that take up more space. Use variety until you get something that looks right.

Even an expression can convey your unique personality.

If you’re a smiley person, really push the toothy grin. Are you usually serious? Try out different versions of expressions that represent you until something clicks.

Step Three: Add ears and hair

Now, they look like people!

Hair can make all the difference. Being bald is undoubtedly a part of making the cartoon version of me look accurate.

What shapes are created with your hair? How do you wear it most of the time?

Is it up, down, curly on top? If you always wear a baseball cap or some other cool hat, like a fedora, put it on you. See if you can figure out a style that looks like the every day you and simplify it into a few curving lines.

You don’t need to look exactly like you—only resemble you.

Step Four: Add a midsection, then arms and legs

One of these just might be you.

Are you tall or short? Maybe your midsection should be broad or box-like. Once you get it more like you, add in legs and feet. Don’t be afraid to use the animation method of Squash and Stretch to pull yourself long if you’re tall and smoosh yourself shorter or wider if needed.

Keep your feet simple ovals or half circles to make drawing easier.

That middle guy looks more like me.

Add arms with two parallel straight or curved lines and place a circle at the end for the palm of your hand.

Later, you can add a thumb and little sausages for your fingers.

From here, try adding details to your clothes that look like what you would typically wear. If you’re using a pen, coloring something in black, like pants, a collar, or a shirt, adds visual interest to your drawing.

Check out these examples.

I like the pointy-haired guy. He looks like a muppet!

Will you look like a kid? Yes. Most likely. But you’ll be cute and easy to draw.

For practice, try drawing your friends simply or family members and see if you can capture them with dots, circles, and different body types. You’ve seen me draw my daughter several times in comics here, and I focus on her curly hair to make her distinct.

Make sure to try various versions of yourself and have fun. If you make something you like, let me know in the comments.

Happy drawing!

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Meditation Cat in Yoga Therapy

This Meditation Cat comic strip skit was initially written by my comedian friend Danny T. Yang. From his experience performing comedy improv, he had an idea of how to write the first draft, and I filled in some of the dialogue to build tension and then illustrated the final version. 

We hope you like it!

-If you want to see how it all began, read the first Meditation Cat comic HERE.

-Another popular one is all about When Shouldn’t You Meditate HERE.

Mindfulness Superhero With Meditation Cat

This one was a challenge. I hope you enjoyed it.

Figuring out how to expand on Rongo’s meditation needs and make him a superhero without preaching the benefits of mindfulness while also making it fun and funny—not easy.

A shower of thanks goes to the friends who gave feedback and suggestions. Especially to comedy writer Danny Yang, who helped me tie it all up with a nice button at the end where the cops also meditate.

It was an enjoyable challenge.

Thanks for reading!

The Cartooning Workshop I'll Never Forget

One excited old man crashes an already upside down class.

Cartooning workshops I teach are a lot of fun and ordinarily predictable.

They work how you’d expect. You advertise to a particular age group of kids, that age group shows up at the school or library, and we draw comics together. Everyone learns something new and leaves getting what they signed up for.

It didn’t go exactly this way at the one I taught last week.

I met an interesting man who showed me that sometimes classes might be the opposite of what you're accustomed to, so always be ready for anything.

When I say the class was opposite, I'm talking about Bizarro world opposite.

This particular one was advertised for teenagers—which worried me because I’ve never done one for that age group, and I was afraid they wouldn’t show up—they’re not who I would think would be interested in group cartooning lessons.

Cartooning classes are always packed when I hold them for elementary and middle school age. The younger kids love them! Teenage artists tend to hide away in their rooms or with their close friends.

I remember my mother signing me up for a comic book art class in high school, and I couldn’t wait to go. Classes about making comics were impossible to find back then, so I was definitely going. Of course, I was the only teenager there; all the others were elementary school students, but I had a blast.

Unfortunately, my suspicions about how many teens would show up for my class this time were correct.

I was surprised because I can never get any students I usually teach art to at my school to attend these library events. The first person to walk in was one of my sixth graders, let’s call her Amy, who lives in the area and saw that her art teacher was holding a cartooning class at her local library and was excited to join.

Very cool, I thought. I don’t usually get students I know, so this might be fun and more relaxing than my regular workshops.

I’m always put in a classroom with a whiteboard to draw for the students, but this colossal presentation-style room didn’t have one. Luckily, the kind librarian who invited me found a large paper pad and an easel.

We were off and running!

The only problem, no one else was coming in, and it was time to start. Would we only have one student? A student I already teach?

“Let’s give another few minutes for people to arrive, and I’ll make an announcement on the intercom for the whole library.” said “Judy,” our librarian.

It worked. Gradually people started showing up.

A lovely family with a middle school-aged daughter and an elementary-aged son walked in with their dad, excited to sit down and draw.

Not teenagers, though.

A mom and her six-year-old son came skipping in, ready to draw.

Still no teenagers.

Right before I started the class, a woman stopped at the door with her one-year-old daughter looking in like she was eager to join.

Um, was this for her or her child?

Judy, the librarian, ushered them in and gave them paper and pencils. Maybe Mom likes to draw? Her toddler daughter sat quietly with a pencil in her fist, scribbling along with everything. I guess this is fine.

Not one high school teenager in sight.

I introduce myself and share my Fried Chicken and Sushi book collections and Youngbloods graphic novel. Just as we start getting into how to draw interesting cartoon faces, an older man, maybe in his late sixties, is standing at the door staring inside at us with wide eyes.

He was eager to join the drawing fun and immediately lit up, shouting, “Is this class open to the public?! Is this for anyone?! Can I join?!”

I reluctantly said yes. He wasn’t a teenager, after all. But that didn’t seem to matter today.

Librarian Judy didn’t tell him no; maybe she recognized him as a regular.

The man excitedly shouted, “I normally just come to the library to make copies! I didn’t know they had drawing classes.”

He strutted in, grabbed a paper and a pencil, and immediately sat beside my sixth-grade student, Amy. Plenty of other tables were open, so she was mortified he chose to sit right next to her.

“What’s your name?” He enthusiastically asked me.

“Khalid. Nice to meet you.” I responded.

“Cali? Did you say, Cali, like short for California?!”

“Actually, it’s Khalid. Khalid Birdsong.” I clarified.

My last name caught his attention, “Birdsong! Like a singing bird?! Tweet tweet!”

I forced a laugh and went on teaching.

I wish he quietly listened and followed along with my cartooning lesson, but dealing with his behavior felt similar to teaching six-year-olds. He continually shouted out responses to my drawings and tips throughout the class.

It was difficult to get mad because he was charming and flattering to my artwork, albeit loudly.

“Wow! You’re pretty good at drawing, Birdsong!” he shouted a couple of times.

“Hey, you’re cheating and making this look easy!!”

You know those times when you realize you’ll have to practice patience, and the phrase "grin and bear it" is all you can do? I was deep in the bearing it stage.

When I taught them how to draw characters, he continued to talk and shout his amazement at my drawing skills. Flattering, yes, annoying, most definitely.

The librarian tried to shut him up. Politely.

It didn’t work.

I smelled no liquor, but he still could have been a little drunk. Maybe he was genuinely ecstatic to draw again in a real class environment. We’ll never know.

By the end of the hour, he was eager to come up and look at my books and original art. I appreciated his interest and kind words, but it made giving time to the other students difficult.

He gave me his drawing, and it was pretty good. Perhaps he enjoyed drawing at one point in his life and gave it up or lost interest at some point.

The mystery man’s actual drawing from class that day.

I know I’m tall, but I didn’t think I looked as big as he made me in the drawing. I look super huge!

He didn’t put his name on it, so I told him an artist has to sign their work before giving it to someone. It looks like his goal was to stay anonymous because he only signed it as Doodlers 7575. Maybe he somehow knew he’d make an impression on me, and I’d share this story.

When he was ready to leave, he walked towards the door and shouted an enthusiastic farewell.

"Hey, Birdsong. Keep TWEETING!"

I smiled and gave him a nod. My cartooning workshop for teenagers without any teenagers turned out alright.

Definitely, one to remember.

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Even though I was having fun sharing about this unique class experience, I wanted to make sure to thank all the librarians and schools who’ve invited me to teach cartooning to their students and communities.

It’s one of my favorite things I get to do, and I’m blessed to have people who believe in my work and the power of visual storytelling.

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This article originally ran in my Substack email newsletter, A New Creative Life.

You can join us by CLICKING HERE.

Meditation Cat Reaches the End of Thought

A cute comic about discovering deeper meditation.

Creating this story was a fun way to see if I could illustrate a cute character and also turn an article I wrote into a comic. I'm not sure if Rongo, which is a word from New Zealand's indigenous Maori people that means peace, will become a recurring character, but I enjoy drawing him.

It was so enjoyable I’m putting it out there as a practice for you too.

Assignment: Turn your writing, new ideas you’ve learned, or entries in your journal into a short comic. Try taking your writing, pulling out the main idea, and designing a character to show readers your experiences or ideas.

It could be several panels or something short, like a one-panel cartoon similar to the ones you see in The New Yorker. Even if you’re drawing stick figures, see if you can bring your writing to life or something you just went through yesterday with visual storytelling in a sketchbook or journal.

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If you’re interested in meditation, here’s the article I wrote in the publication Publishous on MEDIUM.

What Does it Mean to Reach The End of Thought?

You can get there with this frame of mind.

Photo by Ashley Batz on Unsplash

Getting up in the morning feeling nervous or upset about everything waiting for you in the day ahead can feel overwhelming.

I’ve been meditating for over twenty-five years and have always looked for simple ways to think about the practice. So many people tell me they can’t figure out how to do it or get to a place where they notice the benefits of being mindful.

I watched a powerful video by Dr. K on YouTube, or Alok Kanojia, a psychiatrist and co-founder of the mental health coaching company Healthy Gamer that stuck with me.

In the middle of “Why Finding Purpose is SO HARD today,” he explains about the concept of reaching the “end of thought.” I had never heard this concept before, but when he shared about it, I could finally put into words how to succeed in explaining the benefits of meditation.

Let’s go through the steps he talked about to reach this enlightened place.

Pick a time for mindfulness and sit with yourself

You can meditate traditionally with your legs crossed, sit in a chair, or even lie on a bed. Start breathing in slowly and deeply, paying attention to the different parts of your body one at a time.

It doesn’t have to be only while you’re sitting and not moving.

If you want to be mindful while taking a walk or even drawing, it’s possible if you intend to make the time to connect with the real you and avoid distractions.

“Get away from external stimuli so you can hear your inner voice.”

-Dr. K

There are several phases of awareness that will move you through to reaching yourself.

Sit with your “wants”

Most of your thoughts will first be related to something that’s irritating you or about what you want right now that’s outside of yourself.

Something you’re told should matter.

Mainly stuff you want to do today or think you need to possess, eat, play, or earn to make your life happy—aka desires!

Make it through the boredom

After all of your desires filter through, you’ll feel like you’re left with nothing but sitting there.

Bored.

Many people who try meditation give up on this part. They think, “I can’t meditate. It’s too damn boring!” Or, they think they’re doing it wrong and should be receiving some sort of divine guidance or inner glow after a few minutes of sitting and breathing.

Remember, boredom is your brain trying to get a hit of dopamine or excitement so that it can have fun again. Don’t let it stop you. Let boredom sit there and be bored.

Stay with yourself and give the emptiness time to just be. Don't get up.

You’ll notice your thoughts moving quickly at first and then start slowing down.

Reach the end of thought

If you’re still sitting with yourself, you’ll reach a place where all the other thoughts cease, and as you keep breathing, you’ll meet your true self.

When this happens to me, I notice a feeling of calm, and I even say hello to the real me. The me that’s not manipulated by what the outside world says I should want or do.

It’s lovely.

How long it takes to reach the end of thought depends on how much is going on in your life and how often you meditate.

I find it takes me around ten minutes to get there.

Not as long as you might think, huh? The nice thing is that you want to stay for a while once you get to that place within yourself. It’s comforting to sit with who you are and be at peace.

I look forward to it every morning.

If an emotion comes up, you can feel it intensely and let it dissipate when it’s done showing itself to you. Your shoulders relax, and you become more aware of your body as a whole.

Discover your personal goals

With your quiet connection to yourself, you’ll start to hear only your internal goals speaking.

Anything that’s important to your overall fulfillment will come into your mind. The values that are important to who you are will be easier to notice and remember.

All the distractions are gone, so you can find out what it is you really need.

The hard part will be accepting what your true self is telling you.

Create a life based on your values

One of the greatest benefits of meditation is the ability to tap into yourself and see what you need in order to be fulfilled.

Not what your parents want you to be. Not what society says you should be.

What do you truly want and need to be doing during your time on this planet? You might be surprised at what you hear.

Meditation helps you become aligned with your personal life goals. Once you know them, you can do the things you need to pursue and reach them.

Anytime you get distracted by external messages, remember to sit with yourself and tune in through mindfulness. You can always find yourself with a little quiet and patience with the present moment.

Dr. K talks about how people are always looking for the reason why human beings are here. What’s the meaning of life?!

“The purpose of life is not in life, it’s in you.”

-Dr. K

It’s all inside of you. Stop looking for someone to tell you what your purpose is and find it in yourself. Then, decide to take the real you exactly where you need to go.

Try meditating again today — maybe after reading this article — and sit for a long enough time to find where your thoughts end and your true self begins.

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The Homeless Savings Plan

A comic story you’ll hope isn’t true…

DISCLAIMER: This comic is not based on a true story, and I would never suggest you do something so extreme to save money.

I am, however, commenting on how ridiculous the housing market is in the bay area and the entire country. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone went to great lengths to save up for a down payment.

Have you heard any crazy home-buying stories?

Share them in the comments…

An Open Letter to Dilbert Cartoonist Scott Adams’ Racist Rant

I won’t hate you, but I’m filled with pity as a Black Cartoonist.

Dear Scott,

You described Black people as members of “a racist hate group” during an online video show and ranted about how white people should distance themselves from all Black people.

Now that newspapers are, unsurprisingly, dropping your Dilbert comic strip and your syndicate is letting you go, you’re complaining about a lack of free speech in America and surprised you’re being “canceled?”

Listen, Scott, you can go on all the ridiculous racist rants you’d like in public, but you still have to deal with the consequences of your actions. You don’t get a pass.

No one is that famous.

As a Black cartoonist myself, not as famous as you are, of course, but my comic strip Little Fried Chicken and Sushi is syndicated online, also through Andrews McMeel on GoComics. I know how hard the weekly grind can be for publishing new strips consistently, and they must be funny and topical always without even a week off or break.

Making a syndicated comic strip is enjoyable but an endless marathon.

It can drive you crazy, but you’re also smiling and trying to make gags that get a laugh. Your over thirty years of drawing Dilbert for over two thousand newspapers worldwide is mighty impressive.

Why would you ruin all that, even though the pressure can drain you, by saying racist crap for attention? You’re already getting plenty.

It’s obvious you’ve been going too far for a while now, and perhaps you haven’t noticed how offensive you are. Some things aren’t funny, though.

Losing your career is a painful way to learn.

I don’t like what you did and am pretty pissed about it. But I’m not going to hate you. That would be too easy.

Let’s see if I can understand you. After all, I’ve read plenty of your comic strips and two of your books over the years, and I’d like to think I was one of your fans.

So what went wrong?

You play the victim like you’re expecting something from Black people.

On your Coffee With Scott Adams online video show, you said Black people are a hate group, citing a Rasmussen survey which shows nearly half of all Black people do not agree with the phrase “It’s okay to be white.”

Adams stated, “I would say, based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people.”

I’m not sure if he’s trying to make a joke, but he states that at one time, he chose to identify as Black and didn’t get any respect for it. What the hell, Scott?!

Apparently, he had been identifying as Black “because I like to be on the winning team” and that he used to help the Black community. I’m not sure how, though.

Adams said the results of the Rasmussen poll changed his mind.

“It turns out that nearly half of that team doesn’t think I’m okay to be white,” he said and decided it was time to return to being white. “I’m going to back off from being helpful to Black America because it doesn’t seem like it pays off,” he said. “I get called a racist. That’s the only outcome. It makes no sense to help Black Americans if you’re white. It’s over. Don’t even think it’s worth trying.”

“I’m not saying start a war or do anything bad,” he added. “Nothing like that.
I’m just saying get away. Just get away.”

Do you want us to give you a medal for being a good person toward a minority group? Once again, I don’t know what he did to “help” Black people. I hope you don’t think finally adding a Black character to your comic strip counts.

I’m a Black man and a cartoonist. I don’t hate white people. I do dislike people who are racist and unwilling to see how closed-minded they are.

I guess you feel you should have the freedom to say whatever you want about Black people, and we won’t get angry or upset with you because you decided to care about us. That’s never going to happen. Being rude and racist is never okay. No matter how much you believe, you’ve done for people.

Think about it. What if you were friendly and helpful to women? Does that mean you can call them names or openly talk negatively about women just because you decided—in all of your high and mighty white male privilege—to be a good human being?

And doing all of this during Black History Month?

You should have expected severe backlash. Or, maybe that’s what you wanted.

You want to escape drawing a daily comic strip that isn’t working anymore

Leaving such a successful comic strip must be a challenge. I bet you’re sick of it and couldn’t figure out a way to escape. Writing gags about working in an office when you haven’t worked in one for years.

You can’t relate to today’s office worker. There’s no authenticity to your gags. Just idiocy. How can you get away from it all? Make everyone think you’re a racist, so they have no choice but to drop you.

I know how getting tired of a project feels and wanting to let it go. My Little Fried Chicken and Sushi strip on GoComics wasn’t working right, and I worked hard with my editor trying to improve it for two years.

After seven years of trying to find my humor and voice through the characters and gags, I ended the strip. Fortunately, GoComics runs the repeats twice weekly so new readers can find it and, hopefully, enjoy the years of work I put into the comic.

Admitting it wasn’t working was hard, but instead of going on a rant and blaming my readers, I fessed up to failing to make the comic successful.

Stopping production on my strip was easier because it wasn’t a big hit. If it were, maybe I would have felt the pressure to keep making it and trying to improve. I might feel trapped. Living inside that small comic-making factory might drive me to say insane things too.

But I doubt I’d turn to fear and hate like you, Scott. You should be ashamed of yourself.

The only upside to this is that you will get people rereading your comic strip and buying up all your books. Controversy, unfortunately, is a powerful drug people want to snort up their noses.

Look at me; I can’t stop talking about you.

I hope your next chapter includes more kindness, but I doubt it.

Unlike most cartoonists, you like to draw your cartoons and write blog articles and books. I respect that as someone who also clearly enjoys doing the same.

I hate to admit it, but you’re interesting.

You’re someone I’ve enjoyed watching and reading to hear your take. Also, I’ve learned how pushing to the edge of culture, and free speech can backfire on you. It’s a slippery slope, and I get that.

You may end up with only an alt-right white supremacy fan base from here on out, but I bet you’ll be able to make plenty of money speaking at Klan rallies and Donald Trump appearances. Probably not as much as you’re used to from those fat Dilbert paychecks rolling in over the years.

I hope you’ve saved your money.

Or, maybe it’s time to retire. You know, stop talking.

Yeah, the allure of the spotlight is too much to turn away from at this point. You’ve tasted success, felt the burn of controversy, and loved the attention. I’m looking forward to seeing how you spin this into something new.

Once again, I don’t hate you, but I’m happy you’ll stay away from Black people. We don’t need your racist rants or fake attempts at “helping.”

I don’t promote segregation, but in your case, I’m fine with you keeping your distance. Just leave us alone and do you.

All the best,

Khalid Birdsong

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Get more articles and comics on making art, world travel, and culture from a cartoonist’s point of view in my newsletter A New Creative Life right here:

https://khalidbirdsong.substack.com/

You Can Give Up on Art And Come Back Later

If you’re sick and tired of creating — then stop.

My caricature of artist Jean-michel Basquiat.

If you love something, let it go.

You’ve heard the saying. It doesn’t have to be forever, though especially when it’s a hobby or skill you love dearly.

I’ve been drawing all my life (at least since I was three years old), and it’s a skill I’ve worked hard to develop. Unfortunately, I still feel I’m not good enough compared to other talented artists I see online.

I feel like giving up.

I’m forty-seven, and everything I’ve worked hard for in art hasn’t gone as far as I thougth it would career wise. Making comics, drawing a comic strip syndicated online for seven years, and even freelance illustrating have only taken me so far.

I know I should stop, but I can’t.

When you love something and see it as a part of yourself, it’s hard to let it go.

Actually, that’s not totally true. I’ve met people who were smart enough to try making art or cartooning a career and then let it go after years of letdowns. They moved into something else more profitable and never looked back.

Being one of those people is so hard for me. Is it because I’m stupid?

I want to think it’s because I still enjoy making art. The consistent work you have to put in practicing techniques feels good when you see yourself improve.

The whole “Journey is more enjoyable than the destination” thing should be what we focus on more than money.

But what if you don’t care about creating your art anymore?

Stop making art and see if you can live without it.

Giving up feels good. Making your passion less important in your life can relieve creative stress and expectations. There’s beauty in letting it all go.

If, after a few months, or maybe even years, you feel the pull to create again, maybe your love of the art is more a part of you than you realize.

You can always start it up again and slowly and gently add more time into your schedule for creation.

There might be times in your life when it’s harder to make your art. Like when your are a parent of a young child or you’re adjusting to moving to a new city.

When I lived in Japan for two years, I barely drew anything. I didn’t open up a sketchbook, and I rarely drew any comics. Do you know what I did do, though? I learned to speak Japanese — which takes a lot of time and effort, let me tell you. I dated and met my wife. Spending time with someone special takes effort and dedication. Giving time to explore a new country, culture, and relationship was some of the best times I’ve spent in my life.

And I wasn’t drawing or writing. I was too busy living.

Towards the end of the second year, I started writing the script for my graphic novel, Tales of Tritoria: Youngbloods, and it was refreshing to spend some of my time in creation mode.

I didn’t start drawing pages and going all in on the production of the book until I moved back to the states. Yeah, it took me a few months to get back into the swing and stamina of drawing comics again, but the time away was worth it.

I felt refreshed and excited to produce comics again. All I needed was a break.

If you decide to take a break, you might come back at just the right time.

“What if I give up, and then my type of art becomes popular? I’ll miss opportunities?”

I doubt that.

Number one, you will have work you’ve done in the past you can pull out and sell or share. Number two, timing is something you can’t predict. The right time period in your life, combined with trends in the market, could be in your favor.

You never know. That’s why focusing on doing something you enjoy is the key.

The International Society of Caricature Artists (ISCA) holds a challenge in January called Caricature Resolution with a list of names of famous people each day you can choose to draw from.

Today’s person, for example, is 1980s Neo-expressionism artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

It took me several tries to get closer to his likeness. At first, I tried different head shapes and placement of the eyes and mouth. You get the sense of him, but in my opinion, they didn’t have his likeness.

A lot of times with caricatures, you have to try different combinations until you get it right.

THe real basquiat for comparison.

I’m still working on getting better at drawing the likeness of celebrities, and it’s even harder than you might think. I’ve studied books, my favorite being Tom Richmond’s The Mad Art of Caricature, and watched several videos on YouTube to brush up on my skills.

Twenty years ago, I lived in Orlando, FL, and worked as a caricature artist for a small company set up in hotels and special events. All of this while starting to teach elementary school Art during the week.

I was just okay at it. You have to move fast and draw people in three to five minutes, then, I used watercolor to finish them off, and it was truly a challenge.

Sometimes people like how you draw them, and sometimes they don’t.

You grow a thick skin, but mine didn’t thicken up enough. I got tired of the demands of live caricatures and gave up after two years.

I wish I had continued. My drawing skills would have grown so fast, and who knows where it might have taken me. I never worked in Disney or Universal Studios theme parks, but that would have been the ultimate challenge.

My eyes were on making comics and publishing. Funny enough, most of the freelance work I get now comes from caricature illustration.

I’m looking to do more practice work in 2023 for art that generates more income for me.

Caricature is that art form. Why fight it?

I’ll keep practicing regularly.

Take a break for as long as you like, and art will be there waiting for you to return.

Don’t say you’ll give up forever.

Making a living solely from art is extremely difficult. If you tried it and you got burnt out, take a break. Try art directing or going into a completely different field. You can always create art in your free time when you want to get back into it.

There may come a time in life when opportunities open up again for you to get paid, and you can jump back in with both feet.

There’s nothing wrong with seeing your art as a life long pursuit. You can create until you die, so why rush things?

I’m doing everything possible to keep the caricature practice light and fun. Improving is definitely a goal, but I don’t have to be pro level anytime soon.

The real actor grace kelly.

the real malcolm x.

Who knows, in time, I might try getting back into live caricatures again. The thought of drawing people in person with everyone watching seems scary as hell right now. But I’ll go with the thought.

At some point in the future, it might be nice to have this skill to have fun and make money when I can.

If you’re tired and run down from not getting where you’d like with your art, take a break and give yourself time to see it in a different light.

Your passion will be waiting with open arms when you’re ready to return.

If you like my artistic outlook on life, consider subscribing to my newsletter, A New Creative Life, by clicking here.

Tire Pressure

The Time Traveling Anthropologist

A comic about visiting a lost culture.

Visiting a Secret Festival in Japan

A comic essay about confidence.

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Baby Yoda Helps My Daughter Sleep

You never know how something small can make a big difference.

©2022 Khalid Birdsong

My daughter couldn’t stop coming to sleep with my wife and me in our bed every night, even when she was nine years old.

Nothing we tried to keep her comfortable in her bed all night worked. We spent time reading and singing to her before going to sleep—even falling asleep with her and then going to our bed later.

Anything we could do to make her feel at ease and comfortable, we tried it. She had stuffed animals and dolls that helped a little, but still not enough to keep her in her own bed all night.

I’m unsure if she was anxious or truly wanted people with her all the time because it felt more comfortable. When we visit family in Japan, she sleeps on the tatami mat floors on futon mattresses with family members next to her.

Traditionally, this is how most Japanese people sleep, all together in one room, even though beds and separate bedrooms for kids are becoming popular.

I have no problems with her loving sleep time with family; I think it’s adorable, but our bed is only so big when we're in America. I’m a tall guy and need space to sleep deep comfortably.

When my daughter’s in with us, I end up pushed to the edge of the bed with my body forced to stay stiff as a board. My wife and I usually wake up the following day with neck pain.

All this wasn’t so bad back when she was three, but a growing nine-year-old did not give her parents enough space to sleep comfortably. Plus, I firmly believe she needs to soothe herself by learning to wake up in the middle of the night and get back to sleep without help.

Something changed when a baby Yoda toy arrived in the mail.

I was obsessed with The Mandalorian series on Disney plus, and my daughter got pulled into it, too, mainly because of Baby Yoda. Yes, I know his real name is Grogu, but I’m not a fan of it.

It seemed like forever for them to make a toy version, and as soon as pre-orders were available, I put my money down. Several months later, we were pleasantly surprised with our Baby Yoda. He makes cute sounds when you squeeze him and truly is super cute.

My goal was to have him as a collectible toy, but my daughter was so excited that she started asking to carry him around and play with him. Pretty soon, he became the most popular toy in the house. So much so that we gave him a name.

Earl.

Maybe to you, that’s no better than his real name, Grogu, but we love calling him Earl and, as crazy as it sounds, started having fun acting like he was a part of our family.

Earl popped in for a visit.

Naturally, my daughter asked if she could add Earl to her stuffies on her bed and sleep with him there too. At first, I wasn’t too keen on the idea. This toy was supposed to be for me and something I would keep in decent condition. But after a couple of days of begging with puppy dog eyes, I gave in to her.

Thank goodness I did.

She cuddled with Earl at bedtime and went right to sleep. I’m not sure if it’s because of the toy’s size, shape, or the fact that we pretend he’s alive for fun at home, but my child’s been sleeping through the night on her own for several years now.

My now twelve-year-old daughter admits to needing Earl with her to sleep well at night. She’s not ashamed of this at all. We take him with us on trips and even to Japan.

Even though we’re thankful for her little green, pointy-eared security blanket, I’m pretty sure she can sleep well without him at this point. She just enjoys having a little buddy with her for that familiar feeling of comfort and safety. I get that.

It’s cute how Star Wars fandom has helped my parenting. Not to mention adding good vibes to our home and family relationships.

I’ve learned the power of staying open to receiving assistance from the unlikeliest places. You never know what will make a difference to you and your loved ones.

Let it in and let it flow.

We talked in a previous post about how planning to submit your project to a publisher or online can help give you the energy to get work done. But what if you need something to motivate you to start the kind of work you do?

This is about more than just your “why” reason for doing what you’re doing. Even if you’re solid on your intended outcomes, you might not feel like making stuff for a day or several weeks.

You can easily lose motivation.

Knowing how to pull yourself back into creating again is what I’m talking about in this case. You don’t need a baby Yoda toy to hold when you’re feeling lazy, but having something similar, like a way to inspire yourself or a system to follow that gets you going again, is vital.

Planning time every Saturday morning to work on your personal project for two hours, for example, is an excellent way to make it actionable. That’s how this newsletter gets done. I think, read, sketch, outline, and plan here and there during the week, and on the weekend, I put in the time to finish it.

I love this schedule.

Perhaps many things exist that can keep you going each day and pursuing what you love. If you haven’t found them yet, keep trying new techniques or hacks. Don’t give up on your motivation.

I have something to look forward to with this weekly newsletter and feel a sense of accomplishment finishing creative work I hope inspires you.

Thanks for being a part of this creative journey.

Join A New Creative Life newsletter right here.

Are You Like This at a Concert?

Going with or against the crowd should be up to you.

Illustrated by the author. ©2022 Khalid Birdsong

Last week, I took my twelve-year-old daughter to her first big-time concert.

For their Never Ending Summer Tour, we saw the uber-popular group OneRepublic at an outdoor venue—much safer being amongst the fresh air during covid times.

With hits like “Stop and Stare,” “Counting Stars,” and their latest “I Ain’t Worried (from Top Gun: Maverick),” we had a phenomenal time. They put on a good show.

I didn’t know that the lead singer, Ryan Tedder, writes songs and has written hits for all kinds of artists. The group spent twenty glorious minutes playing short versions of some of the songs he wrote. Like “Halo” by Beyonce, “Love Somebody” by Maroon 5, and “Rumour Has It” by Adele.

Spending the concert in a section far away, I watched most of it on the jumbotron screens where they did a good job filming all the action on stage. They also turned to the audience on occasion.

Cameras zoomed in to a part of the crowd cheering and dancing, and everyone was ecstatic except for one guy in the middle standing there stone-faced.

No emotion, no excitement.

Perhaps he was tired or didn’t want to be there. His partner or friend could have forced him to go when he’s not even a fan—come on, we’ve all been there.

Or, that’s the way he has fun. This guy doesn’t need to smile, dance, or scream at fun events like an awesome concert by one of the biggest bands in the world.

No. He’s fine, just standing there stoically, spacing out.

Could it be we all experience fun and excitement differently? His insides might have been poppin’ with joy and grooving to the beat. He doesn’t need to move. Staying completely still may be how he feels more enjoyment. Is that so wrong?

I wish I could be as comfortable as he is showing and being whatever he’s feeling at the time. It shouldn’t matter what people think.

Being a people pleaser

I enjoy making other people happy. Heck, that’s one reason why I’m an art teacher. The joy on a kid’s face when they discover how a new painting technique can make their art look more real is fantastic.

Helping others succeed is joyful to me—another reason I love writing this newsletter and sharing what I’ve learned from living a creative life.

I’m a people pleaser.

Everyone isn’t. My daughter likes doing the right thing but isn’t concerned with people pleasing. She won’t pretend to be excited about something just to make another person feel better. I was concerned for her, but now I see that she doesn’t need to be like me.

Making sure she’s kind and polite is definitely part of my job, but overall, I should let her do what feels right.

Maybe growing up with divorced parents or being the oldest child shaped me into this person, but it’s hard to deny. I’m happy being a people pleaser and teaching others to create and hopefully smile.

At the concert, everyone stood up when OneRepublic first came out and never sat back down. After a summer off, this concert was in the middle of my first week back at work. I was tired.

You better believe I sat down on the grass and stayed there for the entire time. I danced while sitting and had an amazing time.

I didn’t feel like people pleasing by standing up so that the friends who came with us or the other fans surrounding us would be happy. I wanted to listen, enjoy, and rest.

My daughter stayed standing and enjoyed every minute. Good for her.

Choose to be who you are wherever you can

Your job may make you dress a certain way or wear a uniform while at work. There are written and unwritten rules of society we have to follow.

On those rare occasions where you can decide how you will show up, make it a way that feels authentic.

I’m not an expert at noticing these times yet, but I’m improving. At least, now, when I’m invited to party or get together, or even when I’m getting up in front of my students in an art class, I realize it’s my choice how I present myself.

Normally, I choose the fun-loving playful artist persona, but if I’m feeling down, it’s okay to show that too. There’s no need to fake it to make others happy at all times. I don’t have to be the person they expect every time. And that’s fine.

I just thought of something.

What if the guy who looked upset at the concert was that way because he just noticed the camera was on him and then froze? After it switched to somewhere else, he could have started dancing and jumping back to his usual fun-loving self.

He might hate when people put cameras in his face. Who really knows?

Either way, learn to do you.

Who cares what people think? Especially at a concert.

P.S. We just had a teacher work week before starting a new school year teaching middle school. During one of our faculty meetings, we all sat in a circle, sharing how we felt about getting back to work. Many people appreciated having such amazing coworkers, and others were impressed with how safe they felt to get back on campus during the pandemic that will never end. I shared feeling more at ease than I have in several years. Partly thanks to vaccines and having students back on campus instead of teaching on video via Zoom. Getting back to being in my art room and knowing how to teach within it, even if I’m wearing a mask, is something I did last year, so it’s familiar territory. I’m not as concerned with what will come, and confident I can make a creative and warm atmosphere for my students. I see now how life and work experience can help you feel at ease with being yourself.

Discover A New Creative Life right here.

How to Get New Ideas

Here are some brainstorming techniques that help get my creative juices flowing.

New ideas can be fun, but that doesn’t mean they’re good. © Khalid Birdsong

Mastering getting creative work done is one thing, but what happens if you don’t even know where to start?

Coming up with new ideas can be challenging.

Most people don’t have a magical Japanese Tanuki raccoon by their side to help them brainstorm. Fear not. You can always find inspiration in the world around you, the books you read, the shows you watch, and even in discussing current events with friends. When you expect to be inspired, you’ll look for exciting themes and discover ideas around you.

Okay, maybe it’s not that easy. Here are a couple of techniques I use to get inspired.

Free association can be a fun way to spill everything in your head and make connections by writing words and sketching them out in your notes.

Free association in psychology refers to a process of discovering your genuine thoughts, memories, and feelings by freely sharing all the seemingly random thoughts that pass through your mind. Usually, you are given a prompt like a word or image without context then, you say what it makes you think of. The person leading the exercise tries to create links between the prompt and your response to learn about how your brain makes connections between ideas.

Sigmund Freud was the first pioneer of the psychoanalysis technique of free association. Freud worked on developing this technique further between 1892 and 1898. This new method became a cornerstone of psychoanalytic therapy. Freud based free association on the theory of psychic determinism that informed all his work.

-Better Help

My way of doing this involves sitting down at my drafting table, staring at the wall, and writing down whatever comes into my head—even if it’s unrelated. For a project where I already have characters, like my Fried Chicken and Sushi comic strip, I might have one character in mind, like J, and throw out words that come to me when I think of him.

Some people say it’s crazy, but I also like asking my characters what they want to do next. I’ll often start sketching them in various poses, doing different things like cooking, playing sports, or dancing. Eventually, they answer me, and new ideas for strips emerge, sometimes quickly, after a lot of random writing and drawing.

If you’re trying to write a new story idea from scratch, you could pick a word for something you’re interested in, like football. Write down all the words that come to your mind to describe the game of football and what it means to you.

Can you create a character that wants to play football but can’t, or they only focus on becoming the best player in the world and neglects other essential parts of life?

Like Tanuki stated in the comic above, combining random ideas is fun, but a story is only interesting as long as there’s conflict.

This leads me to my next point.

Add opposites for conflict and contrast.

Anywhere you can put a character with an opposite personality to another, something that feels opposed to everything in the world you create, or an opposing view to the points in an article you write is compelling and will create even more ideas.

I’m still working on getting better at this, but whenever I’m stuck on an idea, whether writing or drawing, I go back to opposites.

Take two things you’re interested in and add something opposite.

Why? Putting two things together is easy but doesn’t make a story. Adding an opposite element to your idea gives natural conflict and possibilities to electrify your new project.

I made this comic by using the brainstorming technique with Tanuki above. © Khalid Birdsong

For example, say you’re interested in writing a fantasy short story. You think firefighters are incredible, and you love magic. Firefighters put out fires. The opposite could be a firefighter who starts fires. Or one who can start fires with magic. Is he doing it to give firefighters something to do? Is he crazy? Does he want to watch the world burn? In what kind of world are they living?

You see, just these three elements have me exploring questions and figuring out a world. Coming up with ideas isn’t as difficult as you might think. I bet you can create impressive new concepts with the above methods. The challenge is deciding which ideas are the best for you to take seriously and then start working on them regularly.

Choosing ideas to commit to long-term is a challenge we can discuss in a future post.

Stay tuned.

This post is from my weekly newsletter. I only share some of them on this website. Subscribe to A New Creative Life on Substack right here.

Gachapon Toys in Japan Are Wild!

Photos of the strangest capsule toys you can buy. Even a bird hugging bread?

A couple admiring all the gachapon choices. Photo- Rittis/Shutterstock.com

Gachapon or gacha gacha capsule toy machines have exploded in Japan.

They’ve been popular for years, but I kept seeing them everywhere in Osaka during my latest trip—entire store sections of them in malls and even at revolving sushi restaurants.

I was only away for three years, and now almost any kind of toy is in a gachapon.

They’re like gumball machines where you put your coins in and turn the knob, it makes a gacha gacha sound, and a plastic ball falls out with a toy inside. You pop it open and see which character or object you’re lucky enough to collect this time.

Each machine has a different toy theme based on anime characters or just about anything imaginable. Yup, there are plenty of gacha toy collectors hoping to find that missing character from their collection. It’s not just for kids. Adults love discovering their favorite gachapon wherever they go.

Most gachapon toys cost around three hundred yen each or roughly three dollars, which might sound expensive, but it doesn’t feel like it because you’re using coins.

There’s a one hundred yen coin, and dropping three of them in a gachapon feels easy and fun. I couldn’t resist taking photos of some of the more interesting toys available for your gacha gacha purchase.

Here’s a Naruto gachapon toy in my hand for size reference.

Who wouldn’t want birds hugging bread?

Cute animals are everywhere doing strange things. Maybe some of these are associated with manga or anime, or they’re mainly there to make you smile and wonder about their meaning.

Cute bears wrapped in food? Should you hug them or eat them?

Panda bread looks delicious!

Cute kitty cat pancakes. They don’t look very happy to me.

Aaaaah! Scary cats!!

Sometimes, the animals are busy doing one of their hobbies. Or waiting for you to squeeze them.

This one looks like a cat’s dream.

Nothing’s more relaxing than squeezing the life out of a cute squishy bird.

If you’re a foodie, I guess these gachapon toys might be something you could collect.

Oooh! The sashimi looks so fresh!!

Stackable burgers are so hot right now.

Wait. Is this even food?

I didn’t know furniture was an option for gachapon toys. If you’re into miniature models, these are for you.

Airplane seats that recline. Buckle your seatbelts.

I love the sophistication of this Karimoku collection. So rich!

I purposely avoided the standard cartoon character toys based on anime and manga you see everywhere. It was fun looking for ones that were creative and different.

I couldn’t resist these, though.

Mini Squid Game murderers for your keys.

You can get the whole bloody family!

If you visit Japan someday, make sure to get a few gachapon toys. They make great souvenirs and are fun to shop for while you’re sightseeing.

What creative capsule toys have you seen or bought?

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Meditating at a Mountain Temple in Japan

What you can learn from my adventure of mindfulness

All photos were taken by or illustrated by the author.

I like knowing I’m doing the right thing. Who doesn’t?

Making sure to meditate every morning is something I think I’m doing right, but I’m probably wrong. Accepting your biases and thinking your point of view may not be accurate is something I’m working on improving.

I can say, sitting in silence for 10–20 minutes first thing in the morning helps me face my emotions head-on. When it’s time to write or draw, it’s easier for me to plug into my creativity and get going.

There must be something to it.

I just recently returned from a phenomenal trip to Koyasan, a town on top of a mountain full of ancient Buddhist temples in the Kansai region of Japan. I’ve wanted to go for many years. Visiting my in-laws in Osaka allowed me to finally get close enough to make the overnight expedition happen.

Even if you’re not a practicing Buddhist, you can pray in the temples, as long as you throw a few coins in the donation bin before clapping your hands twice and bowing.

Getting up to the temples is no joke.

You can only take a cable car straight up the mountain. Beautiful views, but you definitely feel far removed from the regular world below.

I believe Kobo Daishi, the monk who established the town over a thousand years ago, meant it as a place for zen training and meditation. You can tell by the calmness all around the area.

Many of the original temples were burned down during wars or due to lightning strikes but rebuilt multiple times over the years and are gorgeous.

The temple we meditated in during our visit. The doors were open, but no pictures were allowed inside.

This is the temple next to the ryokan (Japanese traditional style hotel) we stayed in during our visit. The doors are closed now, but they were open for us to have an enjoyable meditation class inside in the morning.

You’re not allowed to take photos of the interior but believe me, the decorations were ornate and beautiful. We had two monks sharing how to pray and meditate.

I remember them mentioning sitting with your legs crossed with the left one under the right. Your hands are in your lap, palms up, with your left hand under your right as well. Somehow, you should close your eyes almost all the way shut, not fully closed, and look down at your nose.

They said this helps you focus more, but I kept closing my eyes after about twenty seconds.

We couldn’t be in the full crossed legs position because the monks had us sit on small benches inside the temple. Placing our hands together and breathing deeply for several minutes is something we could do while sitting.

Looking at my nose and holding my left hand under my right, palms up, helped me focus on being in the present moment. Now, when I’m at home practising, on the floor with my legs folded and my hands, I notice how much smoother I ease into deep meditation.

My mind wanders less at first.

Getting your body in the proper position and posture truly makes a difference. I knew sitting on the floor with my back straight helped before, but now I’m even more convinced stacking your hands and touching your thumbs together helps to center your mind.

The monks showed us that rocking side to side helps to loosen your body if sitting in the position is uncomfortable at first. I understood that even monks have days when sitting correctly may be difficult.

In the beginning, you can always find a way to make something work better for yourself.

Calligraphy writing was surprisingly meditative

We also practised writing calligraphy with a brush pen when we returned to our room. I couldn’t write Japanese, but it didn’t matter. I mainly had to trace.

The kanji characters were underneath; all you had to do was brush over them. The writing is about living a peaceful life, and the monks recited this during our meditation practice time. Writing with a brush pen was meditative and took more time than I thought, but I stuck with it.

I felt there was a lesson there.

The results of my calligraphy writing practice.

As a cartoonist, one of my favorite details about Koyasan, and just about everywhere in Japan, is how they have cute mascots.

This little monk character, Koyakun, was everywhere we went, giving advice and showing us around.

Koyakun was everywhere with helpful signs to guide you.

Koyasan monks practice Shingon Buddhism. Therefore, how they taught meditation goes along with how that particular sect practices.

Even with their advice, I still believe you can meditate any way you choose. It’s easier if you think about it openly and not full of strict rules.

You should start a meditation practice if you haven’t already. We hear some of the benefits of meditation, like more self-awareness and clear thinking, but is this true for everybody? The statistics would say so. In fact, a lot of folks are into “facing themselves” daily.

-It is believed that between 200 and 500 million people worldwide meditate.

-Data from the National Health Interview Survey in 2017 showed that 16.3% of women meditate, compared to 12% of men.

-The Headspace meditation app has been downloaded sixty-five million times. [10]

Meditation should be relaxing, so chill out about the correct way to do it

If you’d like to try meditation, I suggest relaxing your expectations with how you think it should look. Sometimes you can talk yourself out of something great because you feel it must be done a certain way. Like it would be best if you resembled a bald monk sitting cross leg with perfect posture for hours.

I try my best to sit their way, with my left leg under and right leg on top and hands in my lap palms up, but sometimes I sit in a chair.

The most challenging idea for me to accept is that it’s all about mindfulness and not how you sit. Being present when and where you are and noticing your body and thoughts.

That’s it, pretty simple.

Whether you’re doing this for ten minutes — which I think is the minimum amount of time to notice a difference — or an hour, you can focus on yourself anywhere. There are times when I’m stressed that stopping what I’m doing and taking three deep breaths helps to calm me down.

All the distractions in our modern world can block our thinking. You must deal with your emotions, swimming around, desiring your attention, and making space to work things out in your subconscious.

Meditating is genuinely part of a creative life. Add as much of it as possible to your day, and watch as you calm down and think clearly more often.

Of course, I could be wrong, but it’s the most specific change I made to my life over twenty years ago, and I continually see positive results. When life gets crazy, I meditate more.

Here are more stats if you need a push to get started.

-Research conducted in 2016 sought to discover the health benefits of meditation and understand the practice’s growth. Below is the list of reasons given for starting to meditate:

• General wellness (76.2%)

• Improving energy (60%)

• Aiding memory or concentration (50%)

• Anxiety (29.2%)

• Stress (21.6%)

• Depression (17.8%)

In the case of all the above conditions, 60% of the people questioned in the study reported that meditation helped them significantly.

-People who meditate can reduce their chance of being hospitalized for coronary heart disease by 87%. [10]

The groundbreaking research was initially conducted in 1989 and followed up fifteen years later to see if the mantra meditation was still working its magic.

It was found that the group who used the technique had a lower CV mortality rate than those who didn’t participate in the practice.

The 1989 project focused on 73 residents, and further research has backed up the finding; however, it is still felt further research is needed to understand the full effects.

They, just like me, could be wrong.

-But wait! Did you know that 25% of people who meditate report having an unpleasant psychological experience? [23]

I guess meditation isn’t for everyone. A study of 1,232 participants found that a quarter experienced adverse effects such as anxiety, fear, and distorted emotions.

Sure, the study might have been confirmed, but we have no idea what was going on in the lives of the people in this study at the time. You know I’m open to hearing other arguments, but I believe most people will feel positive benefits from regular meditation if they try it for a month or more, and this should be enough time to turn it into a habit.

Try meditating more and see how you feel

You don’t need to travel to Japan and ascend a mountain to practice meditation—hopefully, I helped you see that. When you practice, I bet you’ll appreciate my shared benefits.

I love how you can become more aware of what’s right for you when you meditate regularly. Your “still small voice” gets louder, and you make better decisions. Decisions that are based on what you truly desire.

Knowing how to pause before, say, picking your phone right up when notification dings and waiting to finish writing that page is what I love. You can have more control over yourself when you’re aware of what you’re doing.

Thanks for joining my Koyosan adventure and learning more about meditation.

How do you meditate?

Why You Should Practice The Boring Stuff When You’re Young.

And 3 ways to love the fundamentals and master your craft when you’re older.

Photo by Kaizen Nguyễn on Unsplash

“I don’t need to practice [insert art skill]. This is just my personal style.”

How many times have I heard that from my art students? Way too many times.

If you want to get good, you have to learn to love practicing the fundamental skills of your craft when you’re young. Whether that’s in visual art, music, sports, or, yes, even writing.

It doesn’t get easier with time.

Getting good means knowing what good means. And that takes experience.

You learn by growing through repetitive practice in stuff you, at a young age, can’t see as important right now. Passing your lack of experience off as a style trait is lazy and misguided.

When you’re in school and even into your twenties, you have more energy than you know what to do with. Why make excuses for putting in the work as a creative? I bet it’s because you don’t have a coach riding your a$$ every day to write for two hours, or practice drawing portraits.

You can bet athletes hire or must attend a certain number of practices each week to stay in shape and keep their sporty skills in tip-top condition. I also bet there’s no way they would practice that much without someone holding them accountable.

But what if you can’t hire an art or writing coach? You’ve got to be the one who motivates yourself to keep going no matter how old you are.

Once you get decent at the basics, we can talk about flipping them on their head and claiming you can practice less because it’s your style. At least, that’s what I say when teaching art to middle school students. They want it to be easy right now, and it doesn’t work like that, unfortunately.

You may even be older and know how important it is to practice but still can’t get yourself to work on the boring stuff you know will grow your skills.

One thing young people don’t understand is how heavy responsibilities, like raising children, and dealing with surprise health issues, not to mention being just plain tired, make it so much harder to put in time practicing skills as you age.

No worries. All it takes is a mindset shift and a little creativity. Treat it like you’re young—fresh-faced and open to discovering more of how basic skills can improve your work.

You don’t have to love practicing the fundamentals, but you have to work on them regularly to improve.

Here’s what I tell young creatives that can also help my over-forty crowd, who need help consistently doing the things to improve their work.

Make it a game to get fully engaged

Creating your art, drawing or writing should be something you enjoy no matter what, right? I’ll give you a hardy WRONG on that one! Yes, making whatever you feel like when you’re in the mood is enjoyable, but if you want to improve, you have to work even when you’re not feeling it.

Gamify your practice times to incentivize learning the boring stuff that makes you cringe. Use your creativity to make learning the basics fun, and it will be easier to want to sit down and get to work.

Let’s say you need to improve your skills in drawing hands, and what artist doesn’t? You sit down and challenge yourself to draw five hand gestures in your sketchbook in twenty minutes. Set a timer and see if you can beat it.

Figure drawing practice within thirty minutes.

Even if you’re practicing playing scales on an instrument—not the most fun activity but important—use a similar method. How many can you do in a limited time? Can you play them in several different rhythms like a song?

Becoming a better writer takes, well, writing often. Challenge yourself to see how many days a week you can write for a specific amount of time. Try one hour a day at the same time of day. Or, give yourself a word count, like 500 words each day, mark a calendar when you complete them, and on Sunday, see if you’ve won.

The act of spicing up your fundamentals will help make sitting down to do them more fun. Unfortunately, gamifying is not enough. Naturally, we all want something when we win.

Reward yourself sweetly to make winning fun

When you reach your gamified goal, reward yourself with a treat — whatever that is for you. I love eating chocolate chip cookies. Sweet treats are a solid motivator for me, and I feel like I truly won an award when I get a treat afterward.

The other day, it was hard for me to focus on writing. So, I got some of those Mini Chips Ahoy cookies as motivators. They’re small so I could eat one after ten minutes of writing. Chewing on it with a smile as I write more, then after ten minutes put another in my mouth. Writing and eating treats as I go.

Not great for my waistline, I know, but I got through finishing an article. And drank a big glass of almond milk after.

You may decide you can’t watch your favorite TV show until you’ve drawn something for an hour or two. Pick the things you really do not feel like practicing, and add your best reward treat to completing them successfully.

I enjoy knowing I can draw whatever I want if I put in a certain amount of time on fundamentals. That could mean drawing three figure drawings, then a funny cartoon character.

The harder and more boring the skill, the better the reward. You’ll be getting fundamental practice easier and more often.

Drawing bunnies is a lot of fun after figure drawing practice.

Upgrade your thinking to always keep going

If you’re dedicated to your chosen art form, you must learn to work with the difficult and boring parts as well as what’s enjoyable. They do go hand in hand. Even if you’re doing it mainly for fun, you’ll want to get better, telling yourself improvement doesn’t matter is a waste of time.

When you get up to go to work or school, you have to mentally prepare for the day. Why? Because it’s important. You know there will be a mix of great and not-so-great, but you take it on as a part of the experience. Do the same with your art and creative work.

Know it will be hard at times, especially when you’ve got family or health challenges, but the hard stuff makes you better and pushes you ahead. If it feels too easy, too fun, you’re probably not growing. Look for the obstacles. Find ways to work on the difficult parts because you know you need it to improve.

Doing this sort of mind shift, especially when you’re young, will help you make it a habit you continue into older age. You set a precedent that growing as a creative person takes doing the parts you enjoy and the parts that help you grow.

Trying to get yourself to do what you know you must when you’re older is harder. You become more set in your ways, and life responsibilities make it easier for you to make excuses not to create. When you have a mindset of creating regularly set in your brain, getting started, even if times are tough, is easier.

When you seek out creative challenges, find fun ways to work on them regularly, and reward your accomplishments, the boring stuff won’t be boring anymore.

Want more? If you’re struggling with doing original work, click here to join my (free) email list, and through comics, articles about culture, and living your truth, you can upgrade your mindset and share your art with the world.

Two Words That Make Success Easier

This is what it takes to get where you want to be.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Don’t be fooled by quick and easy success stories. Making it big takes a lot of hard work.

It’s even more hard work than you think because success involves getting out of your own way.

I know you want to believe you can stay the same, and luck will bless you and suddenly change your life for the better, but this is juvenile thinking. Growing up and realizing that you have to put in time and effort to succeed is significant.

Success takes two essential ingredients most people run away from like the plague—even if they know working hard is a primary key.

I’ve lived a pretty good life, worked as a writer, artist, and teacher, and even traveled the world. Without two truths, I could have never done all that I did and plan to continue doing in the future.

If you can get navigate pushing through these two words, success can be more effortless for you to attain.

1. Failure

As a writer and cartoonist, naturally, I’m a fan of animated films, especially ones made by Disney. You may feel like everything the company does has always been a success.

So not true.

The Walt Disney Company has had successes and failures over its almost 100-year history. Slow times and fast. But it kept figuring out ways to keep going because they understood disappointment is a part of taking risks and doing business. Walt ingrained this idea into the studio.

Before Walt Disney started the company with his brother Roy, an editor at a newspaper he worked for told him he lacked imagination and had no good ideas. I bet that pissed him off a bit but gave him the fuel needed to prove him wrong.

“I think it’s important to have a good hard failure when you’re young… Because it makes you kind of aware of what can happen to you. Because of it I’ve never had any fear in my whole life when we’ve been near collapse and all of that. I’ve never been afraid.”

-Walt Disney

You have to be willing to try and fail. Yes, you may look like an idiot or embarrass yourself, but what you’ll learn will help you make new and different choices next time.

If you look at failure as a part of the learning process, something you need to get better and discover what works, you can use it.

People who never fail never really try.

You don’t have to like it, but make friends with it so you can reach your goals.

2. Discomfort

No one knows how to face discomfort like stand-up comedians. I may love writing humor in a comic strip format and have to face the possibility my readers won’t laugh at the joke, but I don’t have to meet them in person.

One of my favorite comedians is Jerry Seinfeld. Not just because he was able to get a hugely successful TV show with his name on it, but because he has a unique style and delivery, and most importantly, he never uses curse words.

That’s tough to do.

After his first set doing stand-up as a young comedian on the circuit, I read that it didn’t go well. Seeing the audience made him freeze when he set foot on stage, and he was booed off.

Think about it. Seinfeld could have said “Screw this!” packed his bags, and left that world forever.

Instead, he decided to get over himself and make success as a comedian more important than his discomfort on stage. I bet he could tell it was something he could get over if he practiced more. If writing jokes gets easier the more you do it, so can dealing with standing up on stage.

Of course, we all know how that turned out. Jerry Seinfeld was right to keep working through the discomfort.

Truthfully, it’s still uncomfortable for me to put my work out there, but I’ve learned to get used to that awkward feeling. You have to know that not being comfortable means you’re growing. The skills you’re learning, or the way you’re thinking about something new are being stretched.

Even though that’s a good thing, it’s only up to you to decide to keep facing discomfort head-on.

Make a point to try new things to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Talk to random people on the street and ask them questions about their life, volunteer to present new ideas during meetings at work, put your writing out online wherever you can, and brace yourself for criticism.

Doing what you fear will build up your tolerance for it and make it easier over time.

“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

- Jerry Seinfeld

Getting good is the real secret

The main reason to grow more decisive in dealing with failure and discomfort is to get better at doing your craft. People want to read, watch, and hear good quality work, and if you make stuff and make it well, they’ll notice.

It’s incredible how easy it can be to give up because we can’t handle things not going the way we think they should. You will win when you give yourself the space to fail and feel like crap, but get back up and keep making—even if your success takes years.

If there’s one thing we can’t deny, it’s high-quality work. Good writing, beautiful music, and clever ideas get noticed, even if we’re unsure why it’s so great.

A combination of daily work, to get better, then facing your fears to put it out there can make a difference. When one of my articles gets a lot of attention or a comic strip receives many positive comments, I know I connected with people.

Even if that doesn’t happen for every piece, I put out, I know continuing to produce, learn, and iterate will help give me more chances at success.

It’s never just luck, even though luck can help. Working through setbacks and challenges will get you where you want to be in the long run.

Your success in life is proportional to how much risk and discomfort you can handle. Now get out there and fail more.

Want more? If you’re struggling with doing original work, click here to join my (free) email list, and through comics, articles about culture, and living your truth, you can upgrade your mindset and share your art with the world.

Why Elon Musk Thinks Japan is Doomed

Making babies isn’t easy when you have out-of-date thinking.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Japan’s population needs to grow faster, or it will cease to exist.

At least, this is what billionaire Elon Musk believes. Japanese people need to start making more babies for the country to survive. I agree, but I think it’s more complicated.

Living in Japan for several years as an English teacher taught me a lot about the culture. Being married to a Japanese woman and then visiting from America regularly over the past twenty years gives me an inside and an out-of-the-box view of the issues.

Even with this knowledge, I was surprised by Elon’s tweet.

Screenshot of Elon Musk’s comment on the Kyodo News article.

According to this article, he comments on; the birth rate has been a problem for many years now. I remember the Japanese government even pays people a thousand dollars, maybe more, to have a baby in the city of Osaka.

I’m not sure they can pull themselves out of this any time soon, but I don’t think Japan will “Cease to exist” in the way Elon thinks. But they need to change their views on what it means to be Japanese and adapt to the modern world.

Marriage and parenting in Japan is a trap

Young people run away from marriage in Japan like crazy because you have to give up so much of your freedom. How is this different from everywhere in the world?

Most likely, old-world thinking and rigid gender roles.

In Japan, you live in prescribed roles to fit into society, and you’re expected to follow the rules of those roles.

It’s like 1950s America on steroids.

If you’re a husband working in a company as a salaryman, you must give all your life to your job and do everything your boss tells you, even if that involves going out for drinks until 11 pm after work each night. There’s a good chance you won’t have time for your wife or kids, and no one cares if you’re unhappy with that reality.

Overwork and sacrificing your health are how you show respect to Japan and its culture. This is why business people randomly sleeping on trains or park benches are seen as hard workers and well respected.

If you’re a woman, you’re expected to quit your job when you have children. At least you can keep your job after marriage now. A Japanese teacher I worked with while living there in her fifties said years ago that she quit her job to be a full-time housewife when she first got married. It was incredibly dull, and her husband worked all the time. She was lonely every day, wondering why she got married in the first place.

Raising kids is traditionally supposed to be for mothers without full-time jobs. If you work as a mother, it’s incredibly unfair because you’re expected to take care of all the household responsibilities, cooking, cleaning, even managing the finances, around your job, and taking care of the kids. The husband is expected just to work and be taken care of by his wife.

This is acceptable—not liked by most—but a part of Japanese culture. It’s no surprise that people there are against marriage and having children.

Japan needs more foreigners

When they’re open to more people from many other countries coming in and having a fair chance to live and succeed in Japan, their population will grow. Not just by the influx of new immigrants, but with them marrying Japanese people and, in turn, having more children.

Closing itself off to the world has always been a part of Japanese history. Seeing themselves as unique and unlike any other country has caused too many issues to discuss here.

When you live in Japan as a non-Japanese person, you are consistently treated like and looked at as an outsider. You can’t come there, live for twenty years there, and be accepted as an equal citizen.

You’re always seen as a foreigner.

After two years of living in Osaka, I was fed up with working my butt off learning the language and cultural rules, only to realize because I’m a Black man, I will never be seen as Japanese.

If someone moves to the U.S., they may deal with discrimination for being from another country, but they can become “American over time.” Not so in Japan.

What makes a Japanese person as far as physical looks need to get upgraded. In America, we know Americans can look like many races, and Japan can grow in this area if they make it easier for non-Japanese people to get a visa and live, work, and start businesses.

Of course, this means that Japanese people will look more mixed-race as more foreigners mix with the population over the next ten to twenty years, but if this helps the country open its minds and grow, it might survive.

News outlets in Asia have been talking about this for what feels like forever. I’m no immigration expert, but I’ve lived abroad enough to know opening up your borders can positively affect countries.

I love Japan, but Japanese people have to gradually embrace that their society and ideals need to change to make it in the end. Being incredibly shy and insular is hurting the country.

Let’s hope that if more prominent voices like Elon Musk point out the challenges Japan faces, Japanese citizens can change their views so future generations will flourish.

Want more? If you’re struggling with doing original work, click here to join my (free) email list, and through comics, articles about culture, and living your truth, you can upgrade your mindset and share your art with the world.