"Resist" by Jason Kotecki. Oil on canvas. 16x20 inches. Original available here. Some people may assume this piece was created as some sort of a political statement. Nope. Its message is much larger than that. We grow up learning how to fit in, follow rules, and conform. Conformity is the goal governments have for their citizens, factories have for their workers, and teachers have for their students. It gets you to follow the law, do the job, and fill in the little ovals on standardized tests. All without asking too many questions (or ideally, none). Unfortunately, in our current world, governments have gotten too big for their own good, factories are closing down, and a diploma is less valuable than it’s ever been. Conformity is a very good thing for governments, corporations, and schools. But not so much for you. As adults, conformity might deliver a small measure of security. But it can come at the cost of unfulfilled potential and a boring life. Jesus. Ghandi. …
Calling All Creative Warriors!
I recently had the great pleasure of being featured on Jeffrey Shaw's Creative Warriors podcast. It was one of the best interviews I've been a part of, mainly because Jeffrey was so well-prepared. Since he'd read my book, Penguins Can't Fly +39 Other Rules That Don't Exist, he came armed with some great questions and we were able to go much deeper, more quickly than usual. I think you'll find it to be a worthwhile listen. Among other things, we discussed... Where the rules that don't exist come from, The danger in being realistic, Why you might not want to wear clean underpants, Where we got this idea that you're not supposed to wear white after Labor Day, Whether or not you should make your bed, The big difference between kids and adults when it comes to water, And why being careful is the most risky thing you can do. Listen here! …
How to Tackle Life Like a Boss
"Like a Boss" by Jason Kotecki. Mixed media on canvas. 16x20 inches. Original and prints available here. Life can feel like a high wire act. You’re doing your best to juggle everything on your plate: your job, your family, your finances; and just when you think everything is going pretty well, you glance down and see someone whose yard looks way better than yours. How do they get those flowers to flourish like that? Or someone’s kids who are in way more activities than yours. Will my kids be less attractive to colleges? Or someone who just drove up in their new car. Should I be thinking about getting a better job? For instance, my neighbor cuts his grass every six minutes. Okay, maybe it only seems like that. It’s probably more like sixteen. The point is, a perfect lawn is apparently important to him. I’m not here to judge, except I often do judge — myself. Our lawn usually looks pretty shaggy compared to his, especially if it’s been more than a week since we cut our grass. …
The Upside of Nonsense
"Invasion" by Jason Kotecki. Oil on canvas. 20x20 inches. Original and prints available here. I love macarons. I only had my first one a few years ago, but it was love at first bite. Not only am I always on the lookout for ways to get them in my belly, but I decided it was time to get them into some paintings. They’re so cute and colorful, after all, and perhaps keeping myself busy painting them would help distract me enough to keep me from eating them. I like the whimsy that comes from playing with scale; making something smaller or bigger than it would be in real life. Perhaps this reflects my early fascination with dollhouses, dioramas, and Micro Machine cars. One day, as I was doodling in my sketchbook, it occurred to me that a macaron looked a little bit like a flying saucer, and that was all she wrote. My imagination concocted a great scene in which an army of macaron UFOs descended upon a field of grazing cows. Naturally one would have to be taken as a specimen for …
Sarah Stone Weber, July 2017 Adultitis Fighter of the Month
An Adultitis Fighter is someone who rallies against rules that don't exist and engages in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood. Once a month, we shine a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against a formidable enemy. Sarah Stone Weber is a woman giving Adultitis a run for its money. She spreads joy everywhere she goes, and has a knack for taking ordinary circumstances and injecting them with fun and playfulness. You'd never know this, but she has been dealt some significant health challenges and overcomes them with her Adultitis Fighting perspective. Part of this may be credited to her sidekick, Baboo. He is an adorable stuffed monkey, but shhh...don’t tell him he’s stuffed, he doesn’t know it! He has a Facebook page (with 69 friends), in which he shares pictures of their travel shenanigans, such as adventures like …
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That Time My Painting Got Ruined Right After I Sold It
"Monkey Business" by Jason Kotecki. Oil on canvas. 16x20 inches. Prints available here. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The scene was the Escape Adulthood Summit and I had just sold one of my new oil paintings. I was elated. It had been only a year since I first offered originals for sale, and this was the first of three I'd sell in one day! I proudly added a "sold" sign to the canvas, a badge of honor that would be on display for the rest of the event. Later that day, I heard a disturbance in the Force. Someone had inadvertently knocked over a few of the paintings. I calmly walked over to the scene, planning to reset them on their easels. No biggie. But my gut turned upside down when I grabbed the sold painting and discovered a huge gash in the canvas. It had fallen onto -- and was impaled by -- a smaller easel below. The hole it created made it look like it had come face-to-face with an angry art critic named Freddy Krueger. I was sick. Mostly …
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2017 Escape Adulthood Summit Recap
Adventure. That’s what the fifth Escape Adulthood Summit was all about. But not the kind of adventure you encounter when you google the word “adventure." You know, like scenes of people hanging precipitously from a cliff’s edge with one hand. We talked more about everyday adventures; the opportunities to try something for the first time and see the magic in seemingly ordinary moments. Nothing against mountain climbing or sky diving, but we wanted to challenge attendees to embrace adventure on an even wider scale. Once again, this year’s shindig was held at the beautiful Barn at Harvest Moon Pond, nestled within the rolling Wisconsin countryside. Kim and I welcomed another sold-out crowd with hugs and high fives. It was exciting to see new faces and old friends — some of whom have been to all five Summits! Of course, Golden Tickets are required for admittance. Goodie bags and personalized name tags awaited each guest. I think those name tags are …
Why Your Superpower Might Be Hidden in Plain Sight
Superman doesn’t have to think about flying in order to soar above the clouds. Spiderman doesn't have to practice sticking to a ceiling. The Flash doesn't have to put in any extra effort in order to run really, really fast. While the rest of us marvel at their extraordinary abilities, these heroes are merely doing what comes naturally. Which begs the question: What are your superpowers? Everyone has at least a few, even though they may not feel particularly talented or special. The problem is that they're often hidden before our eyes. We overlook our own superpowers because they come so easily to us. For instance, I have worked to develop my talent as an artist, but it's something that has always come easy to me. For a long time, I discounted the value of my gift because, after all, if it comes easy to me, it must be easy for everyone else, right? Not so much. The world needs you to share your gifts. Don't let Adultitis fool you into believing that what you …
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Danny Donuts, June 2017 Adultitis Fighter of the Month
An Adultitis Fighter is someone who rallies against rules that don't exist and engages in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood. Once a month, we shine a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against a formidable enemy. Our first experience with Danny Donuts was at an Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH) conference. He was leading a group of people sporting red clown noses who went to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to greet arriving passengers and give them their own clown noses to wear. Normal people don't do that. But top-flight Adultitis Fighters do. You could say that Danny has turned Adultitis Fighting into a career. He's a comic performance artist who also considers himself a Kids Performer, Musician, Author, Emcee, Auctioneer, Soccer Fanatic, Writer, Producer, Video Editor, Public Speaker, and …
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Living a More Adventurous Life is as Easy as ABC
My friend Dave (a recent Adultitis Fighter of the Month) has Mondays off. They started becoming a little stale, so he decided to shake things up. Although he's an avid traveler, Dave realized that he actually explored very little of his home state of Wisconsin. One day, he pulled out a map, landed on a city named Amherst and set out to make a day of exploring this unfamiliar town. Next week, he went to a city that started with the letter "B" (Babcock), followed by Columbus, and has continued his quest through the alphabet. (He's currently on "H".) Most of the towns are quite small, but they all have something interesting about them, whether it's an old covered bridge, an obscure museum, or a unique little park where he and his dog Lily can hang out. And not surprisingly, these adventures turn out to be pretty economical. As we settle into the summer here in the northern hemisphere, I thought this was a neat idea worth sharing. It's proof that you don't need to jet off to faraway …
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