Image by Son of Groucho
The question that should not be inevitable
I was in the middle of a Christmas retail show. A sales rep who was selling subscriptions for a local publication struck up a conversation during a lull in customer traffic.
“Do you have a job, too?” she asked, inclining her head toward my booth.
I gave her a look. “This is my job.”
“Oh, good for you!” she said, as if I just announced I’d learned how to tie my shoes.
Frustrating as it was, the question wasn’t really the problem. I’d heard it many times before.
The problem was her reaction to my answer. It was annoying, over the top, and out of date.
Image by Sharon Mollerus
There’s a lot of noise out there
Do you ever think your medium is too crowded? Too much noise, too many underpriced amateurs, too much mass-produced crap and an epidemic of cheap template thinking (not to mention cheap templates)?
If those things fill your field of vision, you’re looking on the wrong side of the fence.
Yes, there are plenty of people who want the cheapest “art” or lowest-priced design services. When you’re feeling discouraged, it seems like they’re the only people out there.
They’re not.
Image copyright Stacey Cornelius
The important things in life have nothing to do with money
As I was driving home from the vet’s office, I looked at him and thought, I don’t want to write this after he’s gone. For one thing, when that day comes, I’ll require heavy medication, intensive therapy, or both. I won’t be in any condition to write.
But the better reason is I hope both my dogs outlive me so I can avoid all that.
That guy up there, with the muddy nose? That’s Charlie. He’s 12—at least, we think he’s 12. He spent three months in a shelter before we came along. He was rescued from a ditch as a puppy and mistakenly listed as a chow/retriever mix. Chows have a bad reputation, so there he sat. He’s actually a border collie/lab mix. Best dog ever.
But I didn’t always think so.
