Who me? Scared?

Oh c'mon really? You're scared of what? Really? 

Guffaw, guffaw...

I look at this blog and see all the cool things I posted. The photographs, the drawings, the rantings. I look at them now and think, "Hey, this stuff is kind of neat!" So what happened? Why did I not continue. 

Simple... fear.

Fear of what? Sigh. Fear of just about everything my mind could make up and entertain. Fear of:

- Not being perfect

- Being criticized

- People not liking my stuff

- Fear of not finishing what I start

- Being attacked by a horde of Chia Pets 

Hey, one stupid fear is just as stupid as the next, right?

And that's the reality. Our fears are usually -- quite honestly --  harmless scarecrows that scare us. Like little children, we still fear the bumps in the night and the boogeyman. Seems that even though we grow up, we still harbor the fears we had as children. Only now, we're older and supposedly wiser.

Yea, right.

Why do fears hold us back? Better yet, why do we let them? Because when you get right down to it, fears are only as powerful as the strength we give them. And for me, turns out I give them a lot of power. 

And I've let them keep me from being the person I was made to be. "Be who you are and be that well," says St. Francis de Sales. Well, that's all fine and dandy, but if you're letting fear control you, then you can't possibly be the who you are.

As the famous saying goes, "Feel the fear and do it anyway." What's the worse that can happen?

- Someone will criticize me

- Someone won't like what I'm doing

- Someone will be mad or upset

- Someone won't want to be my friend

To which I answer... so what?

There are more than 7 billion people on this planet. It is impossible (yes, IMPOSSIBLE) for everyone to like, love, and adore you. But if you have to compromise who you are... if you have to be someone you're not to be liked... if you have to become something you don't recognize in the mirror... then pleasing people is not the game plan.

Today, I think I'll please... myself. I'll write and draw and paint. I'll laugh and play and tell the world, "Take a flying leap! If you don't like it, tough."

Fear is just a phony monster we scare ourselves with. Turns out, it is really nothing more than a shadow. It has no teeth, it has no muscle. It is like a mannequin that doesn't take on life unless we give it life. 

Today, I choose to deny life to my fear monster. How about you?

Shhhh... I'm back!

Years have passed and some things have changed, others haven't. My pre-occupation with the destination and not the journey is still with me along with stubborn perfectionism and a struggle with living in the present moment. I'm cracking open my book Everyday Matters and starting from the beginning.

Miserable Milton Website

So now not only is Miserable Milton on Facebook, he even has his own web page! Check him out at http://www.miserablemilton.com

No really... do it now!

Pencil

Big and fat... fun to write with!

Hot in New York City

Milton's trip to New York City turned out to be a bit warmer than he expected. Thankfully, he could wave his flag vigorously to create a much-needed breeze.

Under the weather...

Milton is feeling a little under the weather today. The doctor noticed that he seemed to be drained of color. Here's best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Taliban Hospitality

Milton makes the most of a brief stopover in the Middle East, making some new friends in the process.

Australia vacation

Milton took a vacation to Australia and was introduced to some fuzzy, lovable creatures. Maybe next time he'll just buy some stuffed replicas and save the trip to the doctor's office!

Family get together

Milton had a chance to meet up with family at a recent reunion. Sometimes there is a good reason why family's shouldn't get together too often...

Miserable Milton

So true, I haven't been around in a while. True, I have neglected this blog. But at the same time, I have been reeling in adventure and fun and all sorts of creative activity! That said, I'd like to introduce you all to Milton... Miserable Milton to be exact. You can check him out at http://www.miserablemilton.com

Kiss Your Flabby Soul Goodbye!

Well, I finally put my nose to the grindstone and finished writing my book, "Kiss Your Flabby Soul Goodbye!" It is now my second self-published book and I'm excited about the possibilities. I hope others are too, especially after they see them!

So don't be shy! Take a peek, order the book, tell all your friends and family. Welcome to yet another day on the journey!

Mark
http://store.payloadz.com/detail.asp?Id=494649

Cartoon practice

Well, my cartoon buddies are starting to come along. Practice is paying off and I'm more pleased with the images I'm producing. Interesting how confidence grows along with practice. Must be a magic formula: practice + perseverance + patience = success? I might be on to something here...

My cartoons can walk!

Having fun with my cartoons and hope to see them getting along by themselves. I mean really, you have to push them out of the nest sooner or later!

Photo shoot

I had the privilege of going to a photography workshop where we learned how to photograph models. It was a great experience and I think I came away with some pretty decent shots. Just four of the almost 200 I shot!

Dragons!

So my dragon is starting to take shape. He's going to be one of my final portfolio drawings. I'm learning how to draw the legs and head and body parts. It's part of a larger drawing that came to my mind not too long ago. But I will say this... it's a blast to draw!

Business card

So this is the beginning of my final portfolio for AIS (Art Instruction School). One of the first projects is to design a business card. Had a heck of a time figuring out some decent lettering after having experimented with quite a few. Then the cartoon figure... looks just like me!

It's a work in progress and hopefully I'll have everything done by the end of February. Well, that's my goal anyway...

Caricature

Now I'm down to my final portfolio and today I was loosely sketching for some caricature work. It didn't even come close to what I wanted but it was fun!

Camera fun!

I have some tabletop photography equipment to take pictures in hopes of selling my images. Been a lot of fun experimenting and practicing. Some examples of what I've done so far! Coooool!

Time to send 'er in!

It's been said before... progress, not perfection!

I've shaded about as much as I can shade and I've drawn and redrawn as much as I can. Time to let it go.

These are all the pieces for this next-to-last assignment. I want to publicly thank everyone who has commented on my progress, especially those who encouraged the dream.

And I lift up a prayer to all those who don't believe in dreams, don't believe in the passions of the heart directed towards God above. May we always be what we are, and be it well!

Lord, if this is the talent you have given me and want me to use, then may that always be enough of an excuse for me to plow ahead and do it. Deo Gratias!

Close to done

Okay, wrapping up Bertha here. Need to do more shading on other parts of the assignment then it's time to turn 'em in. Even with all my whining, I don't think I've been graded any lower than a "B" on any of my assignments. So this is all good, I'm learning a lot, and hopefully I can bring some beauty into this world that will bring a smile or two. And if I can get Bertha to smile, well, then that WOULD be victory.