Happy Holidays

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artist as brand, artwork, cartoon, cartoonist, childrens books, Christmas artwork, innovation, Kwansa, New Year's artwork, Saint Nick, Santa Claus

A Word To The Wise

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artist as brand, cartoon, illustration, innovation, lon levin

What does this mean?
Ok, so if you are trying to market or sell yourself one way and it hasn’t worked, then doing more of the same won’t help. As artists it’s incumbent on all of us to move on, try something else, explore. The ideal would be to create something that is perfectly in line with who you are, something that springs out of you easily. Don’t sit and admire your work wondering why no one appreciates it as much as you do. It’s a process once you’ve achieved a certain level, congratulate yourself and strive to be better.

Icons Have Lives Too

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cartoon, cartoonist, cartoons, childrens books, graphics, icons, innovation, lon levin, technology

I’m not talking about celebrities or sports stars I’m talking graphics. Here they are “The Icons”

The Path to the Top of the Mountain

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artist as brand, artwork, cartoon, cartoonist, cartoons, innovation, inspiration, levinland, lon levin, Mark Susnow, technology

I just got this pearl of wisdom from Mark Susnow www.inspirepossibility.com and it ties into a cartoon I wrote the other day so I’m posting these thoughts for you the reader. I live by these words and have found them to be true. We can do more than we think, we have to trust ourselves and others and move ahead despite your doubts.

For the last seven or eight years I have enjoyed a recreational activity that gives me exercise and satisfies my longing to be in nature. When I ride my bike on the mountain I feel exhilarated, refreshed and proud of myself. Putting on my biking clothes, oiling my bike and riding down the street are the beginning of a ritual that has evolved over time. Within 10 minutes, as I climb the trails of Mt Tam, I feel transported to a different world, one in which I leave behind all of my worldly concerns. In this world I feast on the beauty and tranquility of nature with its wildlife, majestic redwoods, flowing streams and the smell of fresh air. As part of my ritual I end my ride at the health food store and enjoy a healthy drink. It was there that I ran into my young friend Bobby who is an avid rider. He rides his bike daily to the college but isn’t that familiar with some of the trails on the mountain. I offered to show him some of my favorites. Soon after we set a date for our ride, I started thinking about what trails I could show him that would be challenging for him but not too challenging for me. A few days later we started on our ride. For the first part of the ride, we began climbing a trail which was part of my usual loop. And then I knew it was time for me to stretch and ride higher. As I looked up from the place on the trail where I usually stopped I wondered if I could climb higher. In my mind I surveyed the incline to be 25-30 degrees at its steepest point, which was much steeper than what I was used to. It’s amazing how changing our thinking changes our experience of almost anything. I knew that the steepest part of the climb was the beginning. If I could climb beyond that phase then there was no reason I couldn’t climb all the way to the top of the ridge. As I started climbing my focus shifted from the top of the ridge and how difficult the climb might be, to what was immediately in front of me. In the 2 or 3 yards directly in front of me I did not notice any slope at all even though I knew there had to be one. As I continued the climb in this manner, instead of feeling tired I was able to maintain my energy and when I looked ahead I was almost at the top of the ridge. Because I was able to climb higher than before I was able to see things for the first time. When I reached the pinnacle I was able to see for miles in every direction. The view had always been there but I had never put myself in a position to notice it. For the first time, I felt the interconnectedness of my surroundings; an interconnectedness that was always present even if I wasn’t able to see it.

Were it not for my change in thinking and sense of adventure I would have stopped miles ago. And that’s what so many of us do-we stop when it begins to feel uncomfortable instead of continuing to explore the unknown. In my work with many of my coaching clients, I ask them what their biggest regret is. The most common response is that they didn’t risk enough. Certainly that has been true for me at various times in my life. As you successfully take risks, you become more confident in what is possible and what you can accomplish. You’re more willing to get out of your comfort zone and explore new horizons. This expanded sense of exploration, extends to all aspects of your life including opening your heart and risking feeling more. That’s when you feel most alive and fulfilled. Often its subtle shifts in thinking that make it possible to reach and experience higher levels. That was certainly true for me. My shift from thinking about the difficult trail ahead to what was immediately in front of me, enabled me to reach the pinnacle. I know that you have your own mountain to climb. Sometimes when you think of the big picture the task ahead seems daunting and you don’t know where to begin. You might feel that whatever you do will just be a drop in the bucket. Here’s a suggestion that has worked for me and many others that I work with. Start with just one little thing and then continue to make little changes consistently. Over time you will see a dramatic difference in the quality of your life. Do something new or different everyday for at least ten days. You could make it into a game. It could be as simple as taking a different route to work or getting up earlier and meditating. It could be listening to some new music. Or something as basic as brushing your teeth with your other hand. It definitely gets you thinking about other things you do routinely and don’t pay attention to. As you begin to make these changes on a regular basis you will notice that you become more comfortable with the concept of change. As this occurs, you wonder what else you can change. And that’s when you will be willing to risk exploring the unknown.

Nora’s Big Play

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cartoon, cartoons, Cri Cri, Elsaian Park, Jiminy Cricket, levinland, lon levin, Pinnochio, sketching, spanish speaking, suicide Girl, technology, Walt Disney

Last weekend I had the immense pleasure of watching Nora in her play about Mexico’s cartoon icon Cri Cri.  It was delightful as you can see in these pictures.

 

This is part of stop and smell the roses for me. Delightful time with Ahavia, Alisa, Nora and Buddy

Where’s Noah?

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cartoon, cartoonist, cartoons, George Bush, illustrator, illustrators journal, innovation, Iraq, lon levin, Obama, Saddam Hussein, United States

Here’s a nice metaphor for life…. you set sail on a journey and you are missing your leader. This of course can apply to all walks of life. It also can apply to yourself. Off you go on a journey to accomplish something and you haven’t got a plan or a goal other than to survive. Once you’re out there on the seas of life you realize what the hell am I doing? (This makes me think of the United States under the George Bush regime. Remember Iraq, Saddam Hussein, weapons of mass destruction??) We all need to be a better captains of our own ships. We’ve all been there. The take away is think before you act, choose wisely. Are you listening Mr. Obama?

Poor Moses

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businessman, cartoon, cartoonist, God, illustrators journal, innovation, Jesus, lon levin, Moses, red sea

I saw this art and it said add your caption. Maybe I’m a little cynical but when I see a suit dealing with my man Moses this is what comes to mind.
Sometimes creative people who have work of biblical proportions behind them get treated as if they’re babbling old fools or Einstein sticking his tongue out at a camera. It’s about time to reconsider how we feel about the older people in the workforce. Sometimes their knowledge and wisdom can be a welcomed relief from the Justin Beiber, Katy Perry set or maybe I’m skewing too young here. The Maroon 5, Christina Aquilera, Rihanna, Usher crowd is more like it.

Babble babble I’m just a baby boomer ranting about getting older even though my spirit is still a teenager

“Hello, this is God speaking…”

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artist as brand, Barbara Stanwyck, cartoon, cartoonist, cartoons, digital media, digital painting, Frank Capra, Gary Cooper, illustration, illustrators journal, innovation, John Doe, lon levin

“The healots are coming! The healots are coming!” So said Walter Brennan in Frank Capra’s wonderful movie John Doe with Gary Cooper and my very favorite actress Barbara Stanwyck. In it Cooper plays a ballplayer-turned-hobo , who’ll do anything for three squares and a place to sleep. When newspaper publisher D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), a fascistic type with presidential aspirations, decides to use Doe (Cooper) as his ticket to the White House, he puts Doe on the radio to deliver inspirational speeches to the masses — ghost-written by Mitchell (Stanwyck), who, it is implied, has become the publisher’s mistress. So when Brennan, who is Cooper’s hobo traveling partner talks about healots he’s talking about Norton and their followers, warning Cooper that he is now part of the corruption.

Ok so what has that got to do with those who would rail against technology taking over our lives, corrupting our souls and burning our brain cells up at a rapid rate? Here’s the take away. If you truly are against progress especially regarding electronic devices then throw away your cell phone and your computer and move out into the woods. Going backwards is not going to make our quality of life better, it’s more about monitoring your usage of abuses of technology. Every now and then step away from the devices and take a walk. gain some balance.

But what about the children?…they will never know what it’s like to hike and fish and smell the wafting smell of azaleas. Horse pucky as one of my teachers used to say. Our kids are smarter, better educated and move at faster rates then we do so they can do more than we ever did. That means they do both and are adept at each. They time manage better than we did because they have to. It’s progress baby! So you can rail against technology and look like the character in the cartoon above or you can pick up the cell phone and see who’s on the line!

The World’s Best Caricature Artist

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artist as brand, caricature, cartoon, cartoonist, funny art, illustrators journal, innovation, levinland, Levinland studio, lon levin, opdebeek

This gallery contains 9 photos.

Slightly Bent Cartoons

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artwork, cartoon, cartoonist, digital painting, illustration, illustrators journal, innovation, levinland