"Cupcakes Are Miracles" by Jason Kotecki. Oil on canvas. Original is SOLD. Prints and canvas reproductions available here. I’ve wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember. Especially after I found out that the roles of being George Lucas or Superman were already taken. Like most artists, I started out making “copies." I drew Simpsons characters and portraits of athletes and celebrities. It was how I learned my craft. As Elizabeth Gilbert wrote, "Everybody imitates before they can innovate. My first real attempt at saying something original was through comics. First a sports panel cartoon I did in college called Obstructed View, then a comic strip called Kim & Jason. I became inspired by people like Charles Schulz (Peanuts) and Sam Butcher (Precious Moments), and I decided that I wanted to use my art to make a difference. I was convinced that Kim & Jason was the way I was destined to do that. I had big dreams and we worked really hard to make it successful. …
Dream On, Artist
I love encouraging people to think of themselves as artists, regardless of whether they can draw a convincing bowl of fruit. Because my definition of artist goes beyond people who can draw or paint or sing or sculpt or dance. I think Martin Luther King, Jr. was an artist, not just because he was a great orator, but because he took a stand for something. That’s what artists do. The problem is that examples like this are pretty intimidating. I am no Martin Luther King, Jr. And, no offense, but neither are you. The thing we forget is that neither was he. At least not the MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. we think of today, the larger-than-life American hero who has his own holiday and over 730 streets named in his honor. He was an imperfect man who tried to make the world a better place. Even though a million people followed him eventually, it’s important to note that those first few steps were small and quiet and mostly unnoticed. Don’t be fooled into believing that you can’t make a …
What If Money Were No Object?
"Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." --Alan Watts It's overly simplistic to say that all you need to do to be successful is to "follow your passion." It's and important factor, but not the only one. However. Money is a powerful force. Our view of it and need for it impacts our decision making in many -- often subconscious -- ways. One good way to make sure you're on track for living a great story is to ask yourself, "What would you be doing if money were no object?" How would you spend your time? What would be the first thing you did each day? What would be the last thing? If your story seems to be stalled in neutral, sometimes taking money out of the equation can be a great way to get yourself in gear. …
What is Your Glorious Purpose?
My favorite line in the movie “The Avengers,” is when the villain Loki declares, “I am burdened with glorious purpose.” I love that line. It’s pretty funny in the movie, because it speaks to Loki’s delusions of grandeur. Although, in truth, each of the heroes in the movie could probably say the same thing and mean it. But because their intent is noble, the connotation of the entire statement is changed. I too, am burdened with glorious purpose. Not to rule the world, but to make it better. Are you? If you aren’t burdened with glorious purpose, then binging on Facebook and Netflix every day can be done without any guilt. But if you do share that burden, there’s never enough time. I feel like I have too many ideas and dreams and not enough life to accomplish them all. Regardless of intent, people who are burdened with glorious purpose, the ones dead set on changing the world, always look a little foolish at first. We could probably all agree that the world could use …
Pick Yourself
Times have changed. Back in the day, a college degree pretty much guaranteed you a decent job...somewhere. Not anymore. Paradoxically, the opportunity to chase a dream and create an amazing life have never been better. Not long ago, the gatekeepers ruled everything. They decided what music should be played, what books should be written, what art should be displayed, what news should be shared, what agendas should be pushed, what business ideas were valid, and what dreams should come true. You pretty much had to wait for someone to pick you, whether it was to to attend their university, write for their publication, exhibit in their gallery, perform at their venue, or work for their company. Some gatekeepers still exist, but they are not as powerful as they once were. You now have access to tools that would have made Edison’s head explode. Most of them, by the way, are free. Thanks to the internet — free at any library — and things like iTunes U and Khan Academy, you can learn …
What Success Really Looks Like
Everyone has their own definition of success. Mine is not to own a jet, hobnob with CEOs, or work a mere four hours a week. My definition of success is to be a force for good in the world and to make a decent living doing what I love while spending lots of time with people I care about. So far, so good. The middle part -- the "making a decent living doing what I love" part -- THAT took the longest. Way longer than I'd imagined or hoped. Success is not that hard. But it is rare because not many people are willing to do the work. The biggest requirement for success is just sticking to something for as long as it takes until you get the desired result (or something better.) …
It’s Kind of Fun to Try the Impossible
It would seem that the subject of possibility and it's pessimistic cousin, impossibility, is shaping up to be quite the theme around here. Not only did I make art and write about it, but I just read a book about it and I'm finding that I'm living it as well. It all started in January when Kim and I declared our intent for our business to become debt-free by the end of this year. We have a fairly sizable loan we are slowly paying back, a formidable pile of liability accumulated during our early years in which we were figuring out how to turn our passion into a real business. Alas, the real business was found but the debt remains. Now, we pay down this loan little by little every month, and should all go according to plan, it will be absolved in the summer of 2017. Getting rid of it by the end of 2013? Impossible. And yet, as the year goes on, what once seemed unthinkable is gradually becoming inevitable. I picked up this t-shirt at Disney World a few weeks ago. I had …
Before There Were Teleportation Devices
I wonder if the Wright Brothers ever imagined that less than 100 years after their first manned flight, we'd have already taken air travel for granted. And we do, don't we? Thousands of these "crazy flying machines" take off and land every single day. And yet, at one point, the idea was as crazy as could be. In fact, in 1902 (just ONE year before the Wright Brothers' great success), Lord Kelvin -- the dude who determined the correct value of absolute zero as approximately -273.15 Celsius -- said, “No aeroplane will ever be practically successful.” Back in the late 1800s, the idea of Orville and Wilbur building a flying machine is kind of like someone today boasting about working on a teleportation device. And they way we take it for granted is like my great grandchild giving a talk 100 years from now saying, “Can you believe there was a time we didn’t have teleportation devices?” …
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Are We Alive Yet?
When I was a teenager, I worked at a car dealership. The garage where I spent my days smelled of used oil, antifreeze, and in the summer, sweat (hooray for no air conditioning!). My job was to wash cars, run errands, and keep the shop relatively clean. It was good pay for a good job with good bosses and flexible hours. And I learned how to drive a stick shift and detail a car like nobody’s business, which will come in handy when I buy my Porsche someday :) By all accounts, it was a pretty great career for a teenager. But that doesn’t mean I liked it. …
You Should Have a Mid-Life Crisis Every Week
If it means reassessing your achievements in terms of your dreams and, if necessary, instigating a desire to make significant changes in core aspects of your day-to-day life or situation, then you should have one at least once a month. It's the best way to stay out of the ruts that lead to a story you never intended to live. …
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