April 3rd

Good morning!  Yesterday provided interesting information about 2 upcoming drawing events.  First off on Thursday, April 7th, in North Minneapolis at Diamond's Coffee Shoppe, is the first Thursday Cartoonist Conspiracy (Minneapolis cell) meeting.  This is an excellent group of both professional and amatuer comic artists who gather to drink coffee and draw comics.  http://www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/conspire/?m=201103

The Jam concept was new to me, having 20+ people working on the same pages seemed contrary to what I had previously believed about comic authorship.  What was very liberating about the experience was the good natured humour, the excellent skill level, and the ability to see very different approaches to penciling, and inking a comic.

Secondly, a manga drawing event I believe will be occuring on Saturday the 9th.  When I know more about the time and place,  I will follow up with details.

Let me digress for a minute from the world of art and culture, to the world of drinking, dating, and confidence.  Out with a group of buds who had earlier made plans to meet with a group of female friends on Grand later in the evening.  It took us a while to get out the door, and when we finally made it up to Bonfire (great tall Surly's on tap) it had to be close to midnight.

Said female group's member #1 ran up, completely intoxicated, obviously interested in one of my bro's.  What was hard to watch was an attractive and intelligent woman, so drunk she could barely keep her head up, trying to talk romance.  I've known her to be a straight up chick, so seeing the love courtship trying to be hurried along by drunken propositions was like looking in the mirrror.

For me personally, when I am interested in a woman, I usually try to express that soon, thinking it's the noble/honest approach.  What I feel I was able to recognize last night is that rushing to tell someone we like/want to be with them, that really becomes about our need for validation.  And that by putting that pressure on someone else, we forget to check our own value.  It was this weird ego scenario playing out, and I took heart, putting this z-walking female into a cab after she stumbled away from the bar with a sound sober female guardian.  While these lessons may be embarrassing, I hope and believe they help us see clearer, recognize our value, and seek out relationships of mutual respect.  It's so hard, but maybe that's what makes finding a mate who really and genuinely is into us so so sweet.

I also found myself exuding (trying to at least) a new found confidence.  Perhaps it comes from knowing truly and deeply what I want.  What I am worried about was trying to impress my bros with less than savory jokes/anecdotes knowing that what we think, and what we say becomes what we do, and who we are.

I hope I can never forget the humility that grounds me, allows me to appreciate the life I live, and the people I love - for yesterday got a little drawing in on the "Start Seeing Graffiti" concept that was so fun.
Until tmrrw, Graffiti kids unite!