Ingredients of Life: Finding a Voice

I laughed and laughed to see so many blog posts blossom on these pages. Since I have my own, personal blog and I blog for work, it was really easy to think: Oh heck, no. I'm not writing any long old memories. It's like blogging to the choir! (I'm a pretty quick study. Sort of. Depending what the subject is.) Way better to figure out if I can post a cartoon. It might not work. It might. If it DOESN'T work, I'll have to pop it into the videos section. Let's see. I love trying these things out. ** If all that shows is the embed code, well ... I'm pretty sorry. Maybe you're a programmer and you'll like seeing it. Hahaha.

I'm waiting for the timer to go off on a cartoon competition I entered.

(I wrote this on my personal blog and then thought: I don't know. Maybe you wouldn't mind reading it with a few Braveheart changes. So ... here goes):

In two little days, the public viewing will be over and the judges from FOX cartoons will start doing what judges from FOX cartoons do.

Of course, I'd like to win. I'd like a flat in Rome, too. But I entered this for other reasons just as important as winning.

The most important was this: if I want my work out in the world, then I have to put it there.

That's probably painfully obvious to you, but I had to remind myself of it often - certainly every time I saw the young, well connected animators getting nine billion hits ( I'm really happy I have friends! Eeek.) The 'Audience Favorite' is included in the final cut, so some animators aggressively sought viewers.

At any rate, putting my work out there teaches me - every time - to make things that I enjoy. To do what I want to be doing. I appreciate anyone watching my cartoons, but I make sure I know that you don't have to like anything. I will not love you any less for not liking what I've made.

For instance, you might very well privately wonder what the hell I'm doing trying to animate.

That's something worth knowing and accepting and then getting on and doing it any way.

The urge to put my work out in the world isn't to change audiences (I'm profoundly grateful to those people who find happiness in my work (and who pay for it, too!)). No, It's important to me to change the small circles of comfort I discover myself resting in. I want to teach myself - again - that I believe in what I have to give.

So, it's fair to say I entered this contest hoping to win, yes, but also, just for ... ME!

Yippeee! If you want to see the cartoon (and you can stand the worst compression on the whole planet, maybe of all time), here you go. It's 3 minutes long.

A few weeks ago, I started a web series - very short videos that let me focus on what's right & interesting, instead of the billions of things that are wrong and clearly need fixing. I don't know. I thought the former would be way more fun. So far, it is.

I just thought one or two of you might like to take a look.

Sure. It looks like a short little video and that's it, that's all. There are a gazillion production details, though - kind of a surprise. Who knew it would take so much getting, learning, adjusting? Camera, lighting, mics. Sound, synching, editing so the synching might actually work. Jeesh. And restraining from using my every day profanity. Oh, THAT's been a tiny little hell (which I intend to give up. It's so not worth it, just to avoid anyone's objections.) That's been a part of the hardest part: making myself comfortable with making myself public. Originally, I meant to keep myself out of these videos. I don't care that this young internet generation is so loose with their privacy. That's their problem. Or good luck. Whatever. But I realize that, as a for instance, you can't visit a place without taking a personality along and using it as a lens. I know this too well about traveling. Send two people to the same city or neighborhood or joint and they'll experience completely different things. Have them read the same book and they'll read it differently. So. I'm still figuring it all out, but the lessons are coming fast and furious and I'm currently almost sure I'm actually learning something. Imagine THAT!