#410: Puppies. You need lots of Puppies.
+ The Work of Art, An election happened I guess, Festival stack & Morris is so done with this week.
Welcome to issue #410 of New York Cartoons.
Well. What a week, eh? You know what you need? Puppies. Drawings of lots of puppies. So, this week’s sketchbook is from my gig last weekend, where I drew a whole bunch of puppies at the new Heart of Chelsea vet location in Brooklyn. You can scroll down there now if you want…
I awoke at 6am, blearily checked my phone, and found that the worst fears my gut had been warning me about had been realized. The man who blocked me on Twitter is going to be President. Again.
I’m walking around Central Park this morning with Morris amid the dazed faces of sullen New Yorkers slumped over their phones. I had anticipated this day, but hoped it never materialized. I’ve overheard several loud, exasperated conversations —in person and on phones— as locals pass by. I’m sitting to eavesdraw a couple of them now 👆 while Morris munches on a stick. (I envy his oblivious indifference.)
A week prior, while watching the Yankees lose the World Series (another stomach-sinking loss), my friend asked me if I had to put money on the election, who would I back? I said, “Honestly? My gut is telling me…” I winced, “…Trump.” He laughed, “You sure? I don’t think he’s got it. I think Kamala will win.” I’d hoped like hell he was right, but my gut never changed in the ensuing days. I knew he was going to win.
It’s a bit depressing to vote in my first election as a naturalized US citizen and for the result to be so resounding. So very definitive. Everyone said it would be a squeaker, dragging on for days instead of mere hours.
You never feel more like you live in a Blue Bubble than the morning after an election loss like this. The shock from being fooled by the polls (again) puts us squarely in “shame on me” territory…
Keep reading below:
Festival-Stack!
I was the guest editor of this week’s
— I landed on the topic of Festivals, on the back of the New Yorker Festival wrapping up last week. Paid Subscribers, keep an eye on your inboxes for my wrap-up report from the chicanery and shenanigans from the live cartooning event. Until then…
Back in May, I heard Adam Moss on Pivot discussing his new book “The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing”. It was the epitome of everything I’ve been exploring here on Process Junkie. I snapped it up and read it with great interest over the ensuing months…
Open/Closed States of Creation
The “open state” of the creative process, allowing mistakes and iterations to unfold, is discussed at length, as well as the crucial second part of that process: the “closed, definitive” state, where you know when to end the iterations and ‘ship’. That second part is almost certainly more challenging than the first— one could iterate and play for years without ever landing on anything final (and many do). The only reason we’ve ever seen the greatest works of art in history is that the artist knew when to let it go out into the world.
Seeing the ugly back end of creation is beautiful.
I haven’t seen a book that truly delves into the minutiae of the creative germs, which eventually become incredible pieces of art. I love seeing the doodles and rough sketches, scrawlings and scribblings of the brain-dump stage of creation before something develops. It’s something one has to be brave to share, so I’m grateful Moss was able to coax these gems from the annals of the studios and office drawers of the incredible minds he interviewed.
Keep reading below:
Puppies!
“So… so tired of this shit… Wake me up in 4 years.”