Tuesday 9 March 2010

Having a Black & White Appreciation Moment - 2

Hugh MacLeod. Do you know him? He's a cartoonist. He found his niche while doodling on the back of business cards, during down-time in New York bars. That was in the late 90s. Now he's happy to have moved out of the city and continues to draw cartoons of the business card size.
And larger prints too. His humour is ... cynical, dry and yet positive. He posts a daily cartoon on his website Gaping Void which you can sign up for.
(There's also a widget to include in our own websites).



I like that he isn't sugary soppy and stamps his feet when surrounded by bulls**t,  and yet hidden within his cartoons is this description:
"A story without love is not worth telling ... Love matters. People matter. Everything else is secondary". Hugh MacLeod.
I'm reading his book Ignore Everybody And 39 Other Keys to Creativity.
A lot of what the man says is resounding with me, not just with creativity, but with all our choices - more on that when I've had a ponder. Meanwhile, you can read a sample of the book on his website.
To give you an idea, here's a few chapter headings ...
Chapter 5:
If your business plan depends on suddenly being "discovered" by some big shot, your plan will probably fail. (He was "discovered" by a hot shot publisher but turned it down because it was a sting deal).
Chapter 20:
Sing in your own voice
Chapter 28
The best way to get approval is not to need it.
It's an illustrated biography, as much as a book of encouragement.
It's more letters of advice from a fond uncle (who has learnt through experience) than a smug, drum banging self-help manual.






No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.