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. …
Dream Big
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 …
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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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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