by Marty Coleman | Dec 29, 2009 | Bernard Bailey, Marty Coleman |
Want to raise a spoiled kid? Don’t teach them this.
Want to raise a well balanced kid who will be able to deal with the ebb and flow of fortune and misfortune? Teach them this. Make sure you have your arm around them and they know they are loved as you explain it to them.
And don’t worry, they will still know they are the center of YOUR universe, no matter how hard you try to persuade them otherwise.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“Science has found the center of the universe. You’re not it.” – adapted from a quote by Bernard Bailey
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 28, 2009 | William Boetcker |
The point being….
“Better to be a strong person with a weak point than a weak person without a strong point”.
It is another way of saying…move forward! Take that step even if you aren’t the expert, the experienced one.
Be strong and volunteer for that new assignment. Be strong and submit that drawing to the competition. Do NOT wait until you have no flaws. You remove the flaws or weaknesses by the act of doing, not by waiting around for the flaw to leave of its own accord.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
Quote (including the part in quotations in the commentary) by William J. H. Boetcker, 1863-1962, German-born American Presbyterian Minister
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 27, 2009 | Jerry Garcia |
The dilemma of the artist and their desire for attention, admiration, dissemination, success is in how to be unique but still have people be able to relate to you and your work.
When I was applying for teaching jobs back in the 80s and 90s I once had a Professor from UCLA, the Chairman of the Art Department, tell me that the job search committee loved my unique imagery. They admired my style and combination of disparate elements into a one-of-a-kind artistic statement.
He then wanted to know who my influences were and where my influences came from. He said that the committee had a hard to placing me in a continuum of styles and artists because I didn’t really fit any directly.
I explained the best I could but also mentioned that the influences were indirect in most cases and not a case of me directly developing my style from an immediate predecessor. He liked that answer but I didn’t get the job. There were a lot of reasons going into me not getting it I am sure. But I do think they weren’t comfortable with that element that made it hard to place me.
That is the essence of the dilemma for the artist.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily.
“You do not merely want to be considered the best of the best. You want to be considered the only ones who do what you do.” – Jerry Garcia, 1942-1995, musician
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 23, 2009 | Ogden Nash |
A cannon would say that, wouldn’t it.
Who is a cannon in your life, not wanting messages of love and compassion to get in the way of the job of destruction that must be done?
Give them a big dose of December 25th this year!
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“People can’t concentrate properly on blowing other people to pieces if their minds are poisoned by thoughts suitable to the twentyfifth of December.” – Ogden Nash, 1902-1971, American Poet
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 22, 2009 | Burton Hillis, Christmas |
There it is, my answer for the reason for the season.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“The best of all gifts around any christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” – Burton Hillis (pen name for William E. Vaughan) American Writer
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 21, 2009 | Self, Thomas a Kempis |
As Professor Higgins says in ‘My Fair Lady, ‘Why can’t a woman be more like a man?’ That is a sexist version of what so many wish, that the people they deal with would be different than they are; less annoying, less hard to understand, less odd in the way they do things.
How often is that our first reaction because it is so much easier to desire that than to actually figure out, and implement, how we can change instead.
Not just because we have areas we would like to change, but also so we have a better reaction to those around us. So everyone else isn’t an annoyance, but is just another person to try to understand, like we hope they would try to understand us.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” – Thomas A’Kempis, 1380-1471, German Priest and Theologian
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 21, 2009 | Idealism - 2013, Winston Churchill |
A vintage napkin from 2004.
Intolerant idealism is the sin of both the extreme left and the extreme right.
Our Associate Pastor gave a sermon titled ‘Are You Expecting’ about advent and the season of expecting the divine to arrive.
She talked about her mother choosing to always love her in spite of some very unexpected directions she took in life. She used that as an example of how to have expectations but also keep a loose hold on them, since you can never be in control of enough of live to be assured of one particular outcome.
She closed her sermon with the announcement that she is expecting, she is pregnant. She then gestured for her partner, Jill, to stand so people would know who she is.
I don’t know what her mother’s religion or belief system was or is. But if she was like most parents it likely came as a surprise to know her daughter was lesbian. If you are a parent it would probably turn a couple of your beliefs upside down. But what would you do? Would you condemn, thinking that the condemnation is the only way to remain true to your beliefs, or would you accept and embrace, finding a way to be true to your beliefs while still showing love to them?
I can tell you this, if you chose the intolerant idealism route you would lose your daughter. You would have your self-righteousness intact, but you would not have her with you. You wouldn’t have that granddaughter. You wouldn’t have those birthdays and holidays and events with them. And for what? For an idealism that you disproved with your actions. That is a good definition of folly to be sure.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism.” – Winston Churchill
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 19, 2009 | Clyde Moore, Winter - 2009, 2011 |
Here is an uplifting, inspirational message about snow for all my east coast friends who are having a blizzard dumped on them right now.
Yes, your lawn is now as pretty as the neighbors’. Well, unless you count your car on cinder blocks, and the old transmission next to the flat tractor tire. Those still look like what they are, even under snow. But they are prettier versions, so that counts for something. Not much, but something.
Of course, the anal lawn people get upset at Mr. Snowmaker because their lawn, and by extension their very soul, isn’t obviously superior to the junk man that lives next door.
Ignore those persons. They reheat little vienna weenies for dinner and watch the weather channel 24/7. They would mow their snow if they could.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“There is one good thing about snow, it makes your lawn look as nice as your neighbors.” – Clyde Moore
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 18, 2009 | John Kenneth Galbraith |
Nothing explains the current dilemma in America better than this quote. It is about weight, food, obesity and the diseases that go along with them, but it isn’t just about that.
In my mind excess and plenty isn’t a bad thing. The bad thing is what your mind tends to do when you have excess and plenty. What my mind tends to do is worry about keeping it all. About sustaining that world of excess. About making sure we have plenty.
But what I want my mind to do is think about those I come in contact due to that excess and plenty.
I want to worry less about the food I eat and more about being kind to the waiter who brought it.
I want to worry less about the stuff I am giving away to the local charity and worry more about being respectful and caring to the person who helps take it out of my car.
I want to worry less about thinking how some object of beauty I possess will impress others and more about how that same object can be a delight to others.
I want to worry less about the value of my possessions and more about who helped me possess them in the first place.
I want to worry less about enjoying my vacations and more about creating a vacation others will enjoy as well.
When I am in that place I am happy. It’s then that my mind, in spite of or because of any excess and plenty I have, will be focused in the right direction.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“More die in the U.S. of too much food than of too little.” – John Kenneth Galbraith, 1908-2006, American economist and author
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 17, 2009 | Francis Picabia, Self |
This is a bit of a companion piece to the one yesterday about worrying about what others think of you.
Remember two things. If they are talking about you negatively behind your back they deserve the arse treatment.
If they are talking about someone else behind their back and want you to join in, protect yourself and honor the person not present by giving them the arse treatment.
See them for who they are. They are damagers (yes, I just made that word up) because they are damaged. They work desperately to find a way to make the world in their damaged image instead of changing themselves to a less damaged self. They deserve your compassion and help but not at the expense of your ethical and social safety.
Now, of course this sounds self-righteous talking about ‘they’ as if I, you, never gossip, never talk behind other peoples’ backs. We do. So, start to look around you. If you see a lot of arses you might need to reconsider your own way as well!
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“My arse contemplates those who talk behind my back.” – Francis Picabia, 1879-1953, French artist and poet. He contributed to the evolution of impressionism, cubism, fauvism, dadaism and surrealism.
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Want to raise a spoiled kid? Don’t teach them this.
