Professionally, it was a good year. I'm busier than ever with new clients all the time, and a lot of work to keep me busy. I've been taking new steps forward with my artwork and regained a lot of the passion for cartooning that's been lagging some the last couple years.
Personally, it was a crappy year. I lost my oldest brother Patrick, who was also my best friend, in late July, makng me the last one out of four kids. It's been hard, but fortunately I have a great wife and kids which have been my rock and made it possible for me to make it through.
One of the toughest things about being a cartoonist as opposed to a regular office job, is the fact that it's so closely tied to your emotional state. If you're feeling bad, a lot of the time it's still possible to go into the office, go through the motions and still do your job. But as a cartoonist, your job is to be funny, and if you're feeling depressed or upset about something, it's really hard, if not impossible, to put yourself in a funny frame of mind. Afer my brother died,I didn't pick up a pencil for over 2 months. Fortunately, my clients were very understanding and gave me the time I needed to get back in the groove.
I'm doing much better now, but there are still bad days when I really miss my brother and wish I could pick up the phone to call him and shoot the bull with him. I really missed him over Christmas because he always loved Christmas time, and we always found a way to get together to spend some time together.
I hope that 2008 brings happier times.
To anyone who reads this blog, I hope that you have a happy and successful 2008 as well!
Here's a New Years hunting cartoon I did, I hope you enjoy it!
