Fortune Cookie Checklist

cookie fortunes

Your plans will be rewarding.
I’ve been saving these for a long time now. I think I got them all in a two-month period about a year ago, when I first started plowing ahead with my plans to apply to graduate school. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I was actually interested in going to school, but I was sure that I wanted to give full-time art-making a shot at some point. I began an aggressive savings plan and I started making as much art as I could in the hopes of having more than enough work to put into a portfolio. This collection of well-wishing fortunes feel like the universe’s endorsement of that plan.

You are soon going to change your present line of work.
Right now, more than any other time so far, feels like the balance is finally tipping more towards the right side of my brain than the left. I’ve been doing web programming for the past 7 years. I love the problem-solving, and the immediacy of results when I make a change to a page or an application. It is so satisfying to spend a relatively short amount of time pushing buttons and getting something that shines and glows and computes in return. It is tactile and rewarding in a way I never expected it to be.

But my body and my being was missing something. It is tempting to say that I missed being creative, but that is simply not true. Designing a complex relational database or putting together a smooth JavaScript photo gallery requires a creative eye, in addition to the logical, coding side of things. Rather it was the more specific pen on paper. The act of moving my whole arm rather than just my fingertips. I started doodling on my notes three years ago, and it has just snowballed from there.

Your original ideas will get you well-deserved recognition.
Today we received the July issue of Communication Arts at work: the Illustration Annual. My Altar Boy poster is in the first few pages. It is amazing to me how much positive response I have gotten since I just started putting my work “out there.”

Nothing gets in the way of your vision of yourself in the future.
In the past week, I finished working on a pair of Circus Punks for a show in New York at the end of September. It was so much fun to make those things I could hardly contain myself at each step along the way. Also this week at work, we kicked off a very exciting project. I am on the team for this particular project not because of my programming skills, but because of my storytelling experience and my love for children’s books. And I am now working on three critters for another art show that will go up in August in Seattle. I get to spend almost my entire day drawing, writing stories, and stitching wool felt together. Seventh heaven. And I might get to make a career out of this? Insane!

A book is in your future.
And just today I had yet another hare-brained idea for a book. Again, I don’t know if it is a comic book or a children’s book that is lurking in my brain, but it’s there. Ideas I have many of; it is the follow-through I chicken out on– but not this time: I won’t allow it. (And a more specific response to this fortune: I’ve preordered my copy of Harry Potter book 6.)

You have much skill in expressing yourself to be effective.
I have no idea what that means.

4 Responses to “Fortune Cookie Checklist”

  1. Jon Says:

    Great post, David. love the fortunes. I’ve actually been thinking of another book idea for you — Aiden really loves to be read to and one of his latest favorites is “Pat the Bunny”. And guess what: the bunny totally looks like one of your cannibalistic psycho bunnies! I’d love to see a re-make of Pat the Bunny… lots of good material there.

    Can’t wait to see you guys in Pittsburgh.

  2. Matt Says:

    Ooh… a cannibalistic psycho Pat the Bunny would be very funny!

    I love the saved fortune cookie papers, too. I always have the instinct to save them. As if it would be bad luck to throw them out or something. Did you see the news that 110 people won Powerball prizes because of the numbers printed on the back of one of those fortunes? Ah, the power of mass production.

    We got this “fortune” from a place called Cafe China, which is one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants:

    There is no feeling more helpless
    than the owner of a sick goldfish

    One of the owners makes the fortunes himself. This one came at a time when our pet goldfish, Otto, was not looking so great. I am happy to say that she (yes, Otto is a she — but that’s another story) recovered and is still doing quite well.

  3. Jorge Says:

    Hi David, i just sent you an email regarding one Circus Punk.

  4. CHO Says:

    The new pictures look great. Good work!

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