Welcome to Inktober

There are a lot of great things about October. The leaves begin to change, Halloween is right around the corner, and pumpkin mania is at its highest peak (I regret nothing). I recently learned about another great reason to celebrate the month of October - Inktober!

Inktober is a month long celebration of ink drawings. This can include sketches, comics, webcomics, etc. People post them on [insert social media platform here] with the hashtag #inktober or #inktober2017.

#inktober #prompt8 #crooked

I love this idea. 

See I'm a big comic book, manga, and graphic novel reader. My first comic books were Asterix comics from the 1960s that belonged to my dad. And no, these books aren't just for kids. There are a lot of amazing stories to be read that include war, horror, romance, and mystery (to name a few genres). I am always surprised when someone writes off these stories as just being for kids (same thing can be said for animation).

There are a lot of great webcomics that I can recommend. Since it's October, the season of all things scary, check out Helsirvente. It's perfect for this time of year since it's all about ghost hunting. I even draw my own webcomic (not that I'm trying to plug it or anything - it updates on Thursdays at 6:00pm) and would love to one day have a published graphic novel.

That isn't to say that comics, manga, and graphic novels are the only things to celebrate during Inktober. There's a lot of art that is created using nothing but pen and paper. Some of it is super realistic that it's almost like looking at a photograph. Others are beautifully abstract and really stimulate the imagination. 

And don't forget about animation. A fair number of early animation shorts (when film was still in it's infancy) was created by cartoonists hand drawing each cel of animation. Out of the Inkwell was a series of shorts in the 1920s that shows a cartoon character coming to life from pen ink. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck also references the ink animation technique in the classic Duck Amuck.

So what do you need to participate in Inktober if you haven't started already?

Nothing fancy. A piece of paper and a pen are all that you really need to get started. Maybe draw a sketch everyday day, or start a comic book/webcomic, or create your next/first tattoo.

Inktober also has a list of prompts for each day of the month. You can click here to learn more!

And don't get discouraged if you're not happy with the first drawings that you do. When I compare the latest pages of my webcomic to the very first that I posted (or even my high school sketchbook to the one I'm currently working in), I can visibly see how much I've improved. What matters is having fun and enjoying the art that's being created!

Happy Inktober everyone. I hope to see more sketches as the month goes on.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. And if you guys have any webcomic/manga/graphic novel suggestions, please send them my way!

Welcome to Being Heard

"This is a revolution, dammit! We're going to have to offend SOMEbody!" (John Adams, 1776: The Musical).

Before I begin this post, I wanted to let everyone know that some readers will not like what I have to say. I'm okay with that. I realize that when I choose to express an opinion, especially a controversial one, that there will be consequences that I will have to face. However, I feel strongly that I need to express my view point.

I have a blog. It's a place where I can express myself and people can choose to read or ignore my inner thoughts on random things as they please (though I am happy that people read the blog). No one can stop me from posting if I want to write something...at least not in the United States.

The modern world has created many different avenues for getting messages heard, but it used to not be so instantaneous. During the Revolutionary War, messages traveled a lot slower. Most people would gather in the town square to hear someone read out loud the latest news and proclamations. It was how Thomas Paine promoted his work "Common Sense" (you can see reenactments of this in Colonial Williamsburg).

Though we have many ways of sending a message with our modern technology, it can sometimes feel like we are shouting in a room that is already so full of noise, that our voice is drowned out and lost in the void.

Can you hear me now?

Everyone has a message. Everyone has something to say. From the mundane to the radical. From the asinine to the truly profound. Arguing with some faceless troll online is pointless, yet people continue to do so because they feel strongly about the subject (just look at the comment section under any political article posted by George Takei).

Social media is like a tossed salad. There are a lot of different toppings that you can choose to toss out. If you don't like what someone has to say, you can block them. If someone is harassing you, you can report them and they might lose their account (admittedly to varying degrees of success).

I had one nasty troll sending me messages on Facebook about my blog. You bet I reported and blocked them. There wasn't a point trying to engage with someone who obviously wanted to make me feel bad about something I enjoyed doing.

There are other, more powerful ways to send a message that can be promoted by social media. Holding marches in cities, protesting in the street, creating art for everyone to see, kneeling at a football game, and many other public demonstrations get people's attention. Yes, eventually they will end up on social media, but this isn't just a passive click to show I like and support something. This is taking action in a way that is harder to ignore, harder to block out.

When I was still in college, there was a man who liked to stand outside of one of the big science buildings. He would hold up a sign and shout at all of us all the different reasons why we were going to hell and that we needed to renounce our wicked ways (there were about 10 or 12 reasons why I was going to hell according to this guy). He was annoying and I completely disagreed with his message, but occasionally one of the smart-mouthed biology or psychology students would start shouting back at this guy. They would argue and the students would get a good laugh at the expense of Mr. Ultra-Religious.

[Insert credit where credit is due here]

We never told this guy to leave. We never had him removed from campus by police or chased him away. He was annoying sure and I highly doubt anyone on campus liked him. He was peacefully protesting our "heathen ways" in a space that wasn't really his to begin with, but we didn't have a right to silence his voice.

This past week, there was a lot of attention being given to the fact that many players in the NFL chose to take a knee during the national anthem. Most people I saw online supported the NFL players right to protest, but some people didn't. Some people thought that the football players should just play football and not express their opinion on a subject that they feel so incredibly passionate about that they want everyone who watches their games to know.

I disagree. Kneeling during the national anthem is a respectful and peaceful protest and the NFL players have a right to express their thoughts. Their message is that there are problems in our country that need to be addressed and fixed.

No one has the right to silence anyone in this country. That's not saying that people have to listen to the message or agree with it. I have a right to express my thoughts and feelings, no matter how mundane, but no one has to listen to me. It also isn't true that I will be free from consistences by voicing my opinion or taking an action on something, especially something that is very controversial.

So don't tell me to shut up and sit down. Don't be patronizing. These tactics won't work. They'll just make me angry and louder. Instead, maybe listen to what I have to say, try to engage me in conversation, and show some empathy.

Oh, and about that controversial statement that I mentioned I would be making at the beginning of this post:

"Mean Girls is overrated."

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Poetry Around Me

Since I'm on a poetry kick, I've decided to talk about how I find poetry (much like math) in unexpected places. I'm someone who sees math everywhere. It's just second nature to me. Unlike math, however, poetry turns up in unexpected places.

I also think that there's a lot of math in poetry, but that could just be me.

I'm not sure if poetry was a popular unit in my school or not. I remember in elementary school that most of my friends liked the poetry units, especially the funny poems like the ones by Jack Prelutsky. However, in high school, the poems we were reading weren't as entertaining and required a lot of effort to understand. Sylvia Plath might be a great poet, but I was never all that fond of trying to analyse her work.

Since leaving school, I haven't gone out of my way to read a lot of poetry (until very recently that is). That doesn't mean that poetry hasn't managed to worm it's way into my life without me noticing.

There's a lot of variety and versatility in poetry. If I'm not looking for it, I can easily miss when poetry is happening. Usually there's a rhythm or rhyme scheme to poems (especially the ones that are read to us as children), but sometimes there isn't. I think that free verse is becoming more and more popular with modern poets.

A few years ago, I came to the realization that song lyrics were essentially poetry combined with music. Think about it for a second. What are some of the components of poetry that song lyrics often have in common?

1. There's a rhyme scheme. 
2. There's distinct rhythm.
3. They occasionally tell stories.

I'm not saying that all poetry and all songs have these three things in common. There are just as many nonsensical poems out there are nonsensical songs. But the similarities in structure are hard to miss once I started looking for them.

Of all the music genres today, rap is probably the best example of spoken poetry.  I've watched a few freestyle rappers and they have a ton of talent. They create their own rhythms, while telling a story, and making sure everything rhymes. Rappers are amazing poets.

Songs are one example of finding poetry in an unexpected place (unless I'm just dense and this is something everyone else has noticed). What about others? After all, poetry is comprised of words, written and/or spoken. Where else can I find poetry that I might have overlooked?

How about memes?

Specifically inspirational memes. There are a lot of examples I could pull (just ask Google) and I could easily fill this blog post with nothing but inspirational memes (same thing can be said about cat memes). Instead I'll direct everyone to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for wall to wall examples of memes.

They don't have the same structure as song lyrics, heck most of them don't even rhyme. However, there are tons of poems out there that don't look at all like the traditional poetry we studied in school. Forget the sonnets and epic poems of yesteryear and embrace the free-verse of style of memes.

One of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes and part of a poem in a kids book. It's also become a meme...

That's right memes are free-verse poetry in action.

So here are two examples of how poetry has surrounded my life without me noticing. I didn't even mention all the children's books that could also count as poems (such as Dr. Seuss).

Maybe I'll save that for another post...

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I like hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week!

Welcome to Returning to My Inner Poet

I used to write a lot of poetry. I had a journal in high school that I would write in nearly every night. It was filled with the start of short stories, silly poems, and nonsensical doodles. I still have this journal and occasionally have a good laugh going through it.

I wonder if he ever regretted any of his early poetry?

Poetry was a fun hobby in high school. It was part of my whole: "I'm going to be a famous writer/artist someday" shtick that I try to pretend didn't exist (yeah, high school me was an interesting person). They were short, easy to write, and my creative writing teacher always wanted poems for the literary magazine. I think I had four or five poems and a couple of drawings published before I graduated.

Then I just stopped writing poems.

I don't really remember why I stopped. I think I took a few years of writing off all together in college, until I was blackmailed talked into writing fan-fiction.

I seem to recall having a poetry writing assignment my freshmen year of college. I was pretty sick when I was told to write a sonnet and don't remember many details. However, I do remember my professor saying that the poem I wrote was prefect mathematically, but otherwise sucked.

Meh, I was never a huge fan of sonnets anyway. I liked haiku and limericks a lot more. They're playful and funny.

So nearly a decade has gone by and I haven't written a single poem. And then I have a really bad month. Not bad like bad things keep happening to me, but bad as in my mental health wasn't in the best shape. I keep trying to find the right way to describe what I'm feeling and I lost a lot of interest in writing.

Finally I managed to put some thoughts on paper. Just a couple of rhyming lines that wouldn't make much sense to someone casually glancing at them. A few more weeks go by and I go back to those lines and add a few more. Suddenly I had a poem that helped me describe what I was feeling.

I didn't do anything with the poem. It's been sitting in a notebook for the better part of a year now. I've been focusing on short stories and novel writing.

Then I make a new friend at one of my writers groups who loves to write poetry. We actually have similar stories when it comes to writing poetry. We wrote a lot in high school and then stopped writing for one reason or another only to start writing years later. They've asked me to help out proofreading some of their work that they have on Wattpad (a website where you can post original works for people to read).

When they started sharing their poetry with me, it was like a switch had been flipped. I started writing more poetry. It's still slow and they probably aren't the best poems (not by a long shot), but I'm finding that I really enjoy it.

I might do a few more posts on poetry and see about posting some of my poems here. April is National Poetry Month, so I'm either really late or seriously early to celebrate. But why should I only celebrate poetry once a month?

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Storm's Eye

This morning, Hurricane Irma made landfall and began it's destruction of Florida. Earlier in the week, it devastated the Caribbean islands in it's path, virtually leveling Barbuda. Yesterday, Hurricane Katia struck Mexico, hours after they suffered a large earthquake. Houston is still recovering from Hurricane Harvey and it looks like Jose is about to strike Barbuda and several other islands for a second time.

It's not a good time to be a resident in the Gulf Coast.

Thunderstorm at the Jersey Shore

This list isn't including the many other natural disasters that are happening around the globe at the same time, let alone in the United States and Canada. As the southeast is being flooded, the northwest is being consumed by fire.

I've lived through massive storm surges, but nothing like what is happening with Irma. In 2011, an earthquake unexpectedly shook Virginia. I had been outside at the time and hadn't felt anything, but anyone inside a building did. About a week later, we had to be evacuated off of campus because of a large hurricane headed right for us. We called it the "hurrication" since it was right after summer break had ended.

My experience certainly doesn't compare to what happened in Texas, let alone what Floridians are facing with the most severe storm system ever recorded currently hovering over their state. Since the Earth is currently in a warming period, these super-storms are liable to become the norm.

What kind of damage will these storms do?

I'm not just talking about the financial damage. Though these storms will cause major financial damage, especially if the rumors are true that FEMA will run out of money before the end of the year because of Harvey and Irma.

But we shouldn't forget about the emotional and mental damage these storms will do. Losing an entire livelihood is scarring. Everything you've ever had is gone overnight.

People die during these storms.

I remember going to New Orleans a few years after Hurricane Katrina hit. My church youth group was down for a big conference with all the other ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) churches in the United States to help the city and celebrate Jesus. It was hard to see that some areas that were still suffering because of the damage the storm had caused, even after a few years. Three years later, the ELCA youth were again in New Orleans to help with the clean up.

I hope everyone is able to stay safe during Hurricanes Irma, Jose, and Katia. If you would like to help out by sending donations, I'd recommend going to Charity Navigator to check different charities that are working on relief efforts. They already have pages for Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey.

I can't even imagine what the people most affected by these storms are going through. I hope you are able to stay safe, especially those of you also in the path of Hurricane Jose.

Welcome to Expression Without Words

Sometimes words fail me.

Maybe that's weird since I write so much (and occasionally can't stop talking), but it's true. Sometimes it's hard to verbalize what I'm thinking and feeling. It's as though there's a disconnect between my mouth and mind. 

Sometimes it's not words that fail me, just one word. I'll do my best to describe it, but my meaning is nearly always lost in translation. I'm sure it's a problem everyone has experienced. That doesn't stop me from getting frustrated when I can't express what I need or want to. 

Communication is an important part of being human. But when I can't use words, how can I express myself?

When I get hurt, it's easy to tell someone I'm in pain. It's when I'm asked to explain the pain that things get tricky. Is it a burning pain? An ache? Does it feel like I'm being stabbed? Is it emotional pain, but still manifests itself with a sickening physical feeling? 

Maybe I can draw a picture instead of trying to describe something that can't be described? Art is a wonderful means of expression. Things can still get lost in translation and meanings can change over time, but often art is the greatest means of expressing what words fail at. 

The visual medium can express so many different things. I especially love the abstract and expressionism. Paintings like the scream are incredibly stimulating and thought provoking. I can't always verbalize what attracts me to these paintings, but sometimes I think they do a better job expressing my emotions when I put pen to paper. 

Music is another medium I often turn to when I'm having trouble with words. Yes, a lot of music has words in it, but there's a lot more that is just sound. Music is a collection of sound that can exist simply to exist, to tell a story, or to make the listener feel an emotion. 

When was the last time you watched a movie without a soundtrack? Alfred Hitchcock's movie, The Birds,  is incredibly off putting because there's no soundtrack. Music helps convey emotions in movies, especially if the characters on screen aren't speaking. 

There are many days that I wish I were a better artist and musician, but I don't think I was born with the talent and I lack the patience to constantly practice. However there is no denying that art and music are incredibly important mediums for conveying information that I might otherwise struggle to communicate. 

Words aren't always enough. Sometimes I need something else to help me describe what is going on in my head.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome to Character Inspirations

After 4 years of producing one blog post a week (give or take a few skips here and there), I've finally hit my 200th post. I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about this week. I've been working on the icon series for a few weeks now, but I wasn't sold on the idea of limiting myself to my personal icons.

Instead I wanted to write about the many characters in books and graphic novels that have inspired me. They aren't in any order and there aren't any ranks.

1) Nancy Drew - she was my first strong female role model in books. For a long time all I would read were Nancy Drew books. I hope she keeps inspiring generations of young girls.

2) Cassie Logan - she was my second biggest female role model in books. I would recommend to anyone to read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry at least once in their life. 

3) The Golden Trio from the Harry Potter Books (because I just can't pick one)- I was at the perfect age to grow up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. These books shaped my childhood and continue to shape my imagination.

4) Asterix - Asterix was my first comic book hero. He and his good friend Obelix protected their village from the Roman invaders and went on tons of adventures. 

5) Jim Hawkins - I read Treasure Island in my early 20s and I wish I had read it sooner. It was a fun read and a great adventure novel. 

6) Tohru Honda - Fruits Basket was really popular in my middle and high school, which is how I got interested in the series. I loved all the characters, but Tohru really stands out as someone special. She's the most accepting character I've ever come across in literature and she really wants her friends and family to be happy.

7) Sherlock Holmes - I love the mysteries Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote. I also like the many new interpretations that have come out. I don't know how much I'd want to be like Sherlock, but he doesn't seem to care what anyone else thinks of him. He's fascinating person and isn't boring in the slightest.

8) Alice of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass - I love these books and the Disney animated movie. Alice is a true dreamer in every sense of the word.

9) Yusuke Urameshi - He might not be very smart and be a bit of a delinquent, but deep down he has a good heart and is super loyal to those he cares about. Yu Yu Hakusho was one of the first manga I read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes great characters with interesting stories to tell.

Each of these characters have their strengths and their faults. They're all very different characters and have very different stories to tell. Some people might not like the characters at all. 

What makes a character interesting or inspiring is left up to the reader. Yes, the author has the important job of shaping the character, but the reader is the one interpreting and judging them. I have found that the characters I love and am inspired by most are often very flawed, but are still able to do amazing things while flawed.

If you haven't read any of the books or graphic novels I have listed above, I totally recommend each of them.

What I have learned from each of these characters is to

Be as inquisitive as Nancy

Be as strong as Cassie

Have friends like Harry, Ron, and Hermione

Be as confident as Asterix

Be as adventurous as Jim

Be as accepting as Tohru

Be as fascinating as Sherlock

Be a dreamer like Alice

Be as loyal as Yusuke

And follow my own path to build my own story.

Thanks for sticking with me for 200 blog posts. Until next week...