to sketch for money or ...

Tweet

A friend emailed me to ask how much I would charge to do a portrait for her salon. Charge? I know that she has seen my work of years gone by. But, could I do something like that now? And charge her for it? She's not a close friend but her friendship is important enough that I don't want to ruin it with a bad picture that she feels obligated to buy.

Looking through my old sketches, I found this picture that you're looking at that I did about five years ago. Could I draw something this again? At the moment, the thought overwhelms me --- the planning, the pre-work, the time needed. Lately, I feel like I've let yet another possible skill die. And to justify charging money? In the past, I've undercut myself to the point of not being profitable. I guess that's why agents were created.

I haven't answered my friend yet. It's kind of embarassing to tell someone, "Yeah, I'd love to do a portrait for you but I haven't drawn in a couple of years and I have tremendous doubts about my ability to meet your expectations." You got to be very humble to lay yourself open like that to someone --- and very trusting. I'm just beginning to get the ability to trust back. I think that I ........

remembering Memorial Day

Tweet

Today we remember all those that gave their lives for their country. Whether willingly or bound by slavery that military services demands, these people had their lives taken so that we can live as free citizens of a great country. I know this is true because our politicians remind us of this often; more so during election years. Why, if it wasn't for the brave souls in World War II, we could be living under the influence of Nazism -- the idea that you can have private ownership of property with the government controlling how you use it. Fortunately, decades after that terrible war, Joe Citizen can buy a pickup truck in America and proudly park it in his driveway ... provided that community laws allow him to do so. Ok then, bad example. He can fix his house and rightly show his individual tastes ... in keeping with rigid zoning restrictions of course. Ok, forget that then. Ah, what about the brave veterans who fought the communists in Vietnam? What about our battles of the cold war to prevent a government from saying, "We have a right to the hard earned fruits of your blood, sweat and tears. It belongs to all of us." Thank God, we don't have to worry about such thievery. When our federal officials said they need our money to study the sex lives of fruit flies, we said .... Um, ok, when the North Carolina legislative body said that they were going to take our money to fund a tea pot museum, we ... never mind that. Who needs economic freedom when we have our personal freedom! Why, two consenting adults --- a man and a woman can enjoy each other's pleasures without fear of arrest. Well, there was that couple in Arkansas and another in Georgia... Alright then, who needs personal freedom when you live in the greatest country in the world! So what if your money is not entirely yours and your life isn't complete under your control. If we were responsible people, we wouldn't need to be told how to live our lives now would we! So salute those brave departed loved ones that died so that you could read this and I could write this without reprisal.

Now who is pounding at my door at this hour? OH NO, IT'S.............................

does size matter?

Tweet

WebMD with AOL Health - Lab-Grown Replacement Penis in Future?

The Mathematical Structure of Terrorism

Tweet

The Mathematical Structure of Terrorism

quick blurb to my blog

Tweet

In response to a couple of emails asking if I'm going to post anything, yes, I will. And thank you for taking the time to write and especially for reading these humble postings. I've just overtaxed myself by working those stupid three and four jobs. When I get home, my ambition and drive is focused on sleep and little more. However, I am making progress out of the pit that I dug in the name of love and family and idealism. For now, thank you again. I didn't realize that anyone was really reading this.

Keep those cards and letters coming, Folks. That's motivation and inspiration for me to do better!!

Light's Most Exotic Trick Yet So Fast it Goes Backwards

Tweet

Light's Most Exotic Trick Yet So Fast it Goes Backwards