More rejection

Got another rejection notice today. I thought going into this that it would never bother me, that it's all about the attempt, not the achievement. I figured I could be proud just for trying, after all, I can't really lose because I already have the most wonderful job in the world- helping kids how to see things differently as an Art teacher. But I have to admit that this is kind of a downer. Maybe it's just because somebody wrote a mile-long letter to the editor to the Mapleton PRESS recently raking me over the coals for being so hard on Sarah Palin.

Anyway, Washington Post Writer's Group is one of the more prestigious syndicates. They're Gary Trudeau's company. I've been a Doonesbury fan since I was too young to understand it- 10 or 12. Not only did it probably influence me wanting to become a cartoonist, but no doubt helped shape my politics and world view as well.

Who knows. Maybe it's not meant to be. There's plenty more syndicates that haven't sent a rejection letter yet.

Introducing... "Mal•Adjusted"

I've decided to start disciplining myself to draw non-political cartoons on a more regular basis too. So, starting today, I'll try to post a panel feature that I'm calling "Maladjusted." Maybe if I gather up 100 or so, I can start mailing them out to magazines and syndicates and see what happens. At least it's not QUITE as narrow a field as editorial cartooning. If nothing else, it's a fun hobby, right?

Usually you see "web-cartoons" appear on a regular interval, like "Every Thursday" or something like that, but I want to be more flexible- allow my self to go in gluts some weeks and have creative blocks other weeks. Besides, it's not like I don't have a life and a day job.

Hope you like 'em!

And no, this one is not supposed to look like the late SNL actor John Candy, just a coincidence.

Shot in the Dark

Well, I was going to send out the PDF to small papers first, maybe Denison- actually, maybe to other papers owned by Enterprize publishing, like the Seward Independent or the Dakota County Star, but I just went ahead and tried to send it to the Sioux City Journal.

I don't know if I wrote down the editors email addresses wrong from the staff box in the Journal or what, but I kept getting the message above every time I tried to click on the send button.

I suppose that now I've sent them each five or six emails instead of just one so they're going to be really annoyed. I hope my self-defeating attitudes in these posts are a form of self-effacing humor rather than some kind of negative karma inducing pessimism. They have to be, I'm way too Lutheran to believe in karma.

Just registered

I just registered at the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards at http://ccawards.com
Who knows, maybe this will be a way to get promoted and spread awareness of this site and my mighty cartooning prowess, grrr!

My Mid-Life Crisis; will write or draw for food

I turned 38 today. Happy birthday to me.

I've wanted to be a cartoonist since I was 10.

Okay, so I AM a cartoonist, just not a widely published one and certainly not what most people would consider a professional one, let a lone a successful, widely published, professional one.

Today I finally started searching for addresses to send my PDF to. Most syndicates have submission guidelines, which will mean printing the cartoons out and composing a cover letter- which I knew but the lazy part of me and the coward part of me would just assume skip. Emailing is much more passive. There's so much less emotional investment and less risk. No formal rejection letter, they just don't email you back.

Meanwhile, I stumbled on Daryl Cagle's email address- or at least a "contact me" type of hotlink on his website. So I attached the PDF and sent it. Of course, I'm sure he gets hundreds of submissions every week and probably doesn't even consider the ones that didn't follow his official submission guidelines. But who knows, at least it's out there in the universe- what God decides to do with it is up to Him.

Of course, the words of America's first political cartoonist, Ben Franklin ring in my ears "God helps them that..." you know the rest. It's just that I'm so busy with school work and yearbook, and school website and currently our home repair and remodeling crap and next week parent/teacher conferences and our tax appointment... etc. etc.

In short, reality has a way of being an obstacle to spending the time and effort to follow the official submission guidelines for pursuing a dream. Which has enough obstacles already created by neuroses.

Wish me luck.

Chasing down a dream...

I've been dreaming of becoming a cartoonist since I was in about 5th grade. Right now, I practically do it just as a hobby- for our small town newspaper and this blog. Don't get me wrong- I love being a high school Art teacher, but- call it a midlife crisis if you want to, lately I've been thinking that it's about time that I make at least some small attempts at following my dream (without giving up my day job).

Here are pages from a PDF I created that I was thinking of sending to newspapers or features syndicates.I wondered about Omaha and Sioux City, maybe Sioux Falls Des Moines and Lincoln already have incredible cartoonist. I thought about Denison and Woodbine... My publisher already turned me down when I asked about Missouri Valley and the Dunlap publisher already told me that they can't afford it. I guess I can just send it to syndicates- nothing to lose, right?

Any blog readers, friends or fans have any suggestions? Things I should do differently? People I should consider sending it to? Say a prayer for me or wish me luck or whatever you want to do-

They say that "if your ship hasn't come in, you need to swim out to it." Fortunately, I like teaching, so I can keep doing that. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.