Escape Adulthood

Live with Less Stress & More Fun

Dream Big

- - - | written by on | - - -

3 Rules You’ll Need to Break to Achieve Your Dreams

This video is a collaboration I did with American Family Insurance about 3 rules you should totally break if you are serious about achieving your dreams. Inspired by my book, Penguins Can't Fly +39 Other Rules That Don't Exist. Although a little bit of structure is good when it comes to planning out your future and working towards your goals, certain ‘rules’ can hold us back. Think about it, who says you have to go about your life a certain way? Who says following the rules is the recipe for success? Remember, everything is impossible…until it’s not. …

[Read more...] about 3 Rules You’ll Need to Break to Achieve Your Dreams

- - - | written by on | - - -

Hope in the Desert

"Hope in the Desert." 16x20 inches. Oil on canvas.Original and prints available. When Kim and I started this adventure, we were optimistic. Very. When we decided to abandon my career as a freelance illustrator and designer, we felt very strongly that my comic strip Kim & Jason was going to hit the big time. We planned to live on Kim’s kindergarten teaching salary, which we knew would require sacrifice, but we were fairly certain that within a year, Kim & Jason would take the world by storm and we’d be exchanging phone calls with Oprah and her people. We had no idea it would take five years before we’d be able to earn a living with our business. And by earning a living, I mean simply replacing the Kim’s robust $23,000 teaching salary.  It didn’t take long for the optimism that launched our big dream to fade. For much of those five years, it felt like we were living in the desert. Any encouraging email from a reader, or an order on our store that …

[Read more...] about Hope in the Desert

- - - | written by on | - - -

Don’t Stop Believin’

"Don't Stop Believin'" by Jason Kotecki. Oil on canvas.Original SOLD. Prints available here. My family went to Mexico to see whales.  That’s not the only reason we went to Cabo, but then again, the whales weren’t in Mexico because they were hoping to be seen. The tour company guaranteed we'd see them or our next ride was free, but we were told that we had a one in five shot of actually seeing one breach. It was recommended that we improve our odds by booking several excursions. Our itinerary and budget forced us to take our chances.  As we skipped across the waves on our small vessel, my little family prayed to St. Francis, the patron saint of animals, and we invoked St. Anthony with the words, “Tony, Tony, look around, there is something to be found.” I had faith that our little excursion was in the right twentieth percentile. Maybe our prayers were answered, maybe it just turned out to be our lucky day, but we saw this guy (or gal, I forgot to check) do this several …

[Read more...] about Don’t Stop Believin’

- - - | written by on | - - -

How to Tell When Your Dream is Not Really Your Dream

“Angry Eagle” by Jason Kotecki. 16″ x 20″. Oil on canvas.Original is SOLD. Prints available here. I spent nearly seven years writing and drawing a comic strip that wasn’t successful. Well, that’s not entirely true. People enjoyed it. It had fans. And it made a little bit of money. But it never got syndicated and didn’t generate a big enough audience or enough revenue to earn a living. And so I had to stop. It was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do, especially after pouring so much time, energy and money into that endeavor. Seven years of developing the discipline to sit down and write, even on days when no ideas come. Seven years spent drawing comic strips in a humid apartment with no air conditioning. Seven years learning the basics of business, of profit margins and net income and balance sheets. Seven years of sinking deeper into debt as we tried one idea after another in the quest to make a profit. It was a hard dream to let go of. I was …

[Read more...] about How to Tell When Your Dream is Not Really Your Dream

- - - | written by on | - - -

Believing in Miracles

"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. …

[Read more...] about Believing in Miracles

- - - | written by on | - - -

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 …

[Read more...] about Dream On, Artist

- - - | written by on | - - -

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. …

[Read more...] about What If Money Were No Object?

- - - | written by on | - - -

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 …

[Read more...] about What is Your Glorious Purpose?

- - - | written by on | - - -

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 …

[Read more...] about Pick Yourself

- - - | written by on | - - -

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.) …

[Read more...] about What Success Really Looks Like