IT'S EVALUATE YOUR LIFE DAY!
Today is all about taking stock of your life with an aim to improve on what's going wrong and celebrate what isn't. I think most of us have a mixed bag.
Was it a mistake to leave the banal stability my corporate 9-5 to build Boredwalk? Jury's still out. I would do a lot of things differently if I knew then what I know now.
I do get to make fun art that seems to make a lot of strangers happy, but I deal with incessant trolls and art thieves, and I'm constantly aware of my limitations when it comes to the operational aspects of being a founder. (What's that you say? Hire for talent I don't possess? I keep trying and I keep not having any luck. It's a lot harder than it sounds.)
One thing I do wish I had done from the start is focus on books like The Grievance Journal and Adventures in the Abyss, because they deal with a lot less thievery* than our other creative work. (They're just logistically a lot harder to rip off, but people do try!) In my defense, print on demand t-shirt decoration was less available when we launched, so it was less of a problem early on. I am steadily working on some new books I think you're all going to love.
On the plus side, I have met a lot of great people doing this, including our team, and I did really luck out when it comes to my husband and our cat. See: mixed bag! How about you?
One peeve I have about assessing oneself or others is that I've noticed most people are of one of two minds: they either believe nothing is ever one's fault OR they believe everything is always one's fault. Neither the pull-yourself-up by-your-bootstraps crowd nor the pass-the-blame crowd is right. The truth is it's usually a combination of our own decisions AND circumstances beyond our control that shape our lives, a point to keep in mind if you're evaluating your own life today.
* I talk about this problem a lot because we deal with it a lot. When we release a new shirt design barely 24 hours pass before a zillion bots scrape our site and post that art to Etsy, Amazon, etc., and criminals try selling low-quality unauthorized copies for $10 to unsuspecting people believing they're being a savvy shopper and getting a good deal by not ordering directly from Boredwalk.
The finished product will look like sh!t and lead to people complaining on our ads that our product sucks when they never had our product in the first place. It's depressing and demoralizing to work so hard to create unique well-crafted art and see a bunch of sewer clowns trying to profit from our labor without paying us.
We also regularly see people stealing our art and writing to go viral on social media, which leads to us being accused of not being the originators of our own work. This happens to every artist you follow who has experienced a modicum of success, and there are zero good solutions.
Within minutes of me sitting down to right this email, freshly showered and with a full cup of coffee, this majestic little goblin jumped up knocking the coffee out of my hand and spilling it all over me. Somehow he managed to not get a single drop on himself, which I guess is a minor win, since getting coffee off of myself is easier than getting coffee off of a wet angry cat.
*****
What happened on October 19ths of the past? Here are a few things:
• Actor John Lithgow was born on this day in 1945 and South Park co-creator Trey Parker was born on this day in 1969
• On this day in 1987 stock markets around the world crashed; the day became known as Black Monday
• On this day in 1982 head of DeLorean Motor Company John DeLorean was arrested in an airport motel with a briefcase containing $24 million dollars worth of cocaine. Probably shoulda stuck to cars made famous by blockbuster movies.
Alright, you've waited long enough — on to the links!
1. 😆 A day in my life as a witch
Just in time for spooky season, Tess from the Boredwalk creator team walks you through her hilarious day of chaos and mayhem in under 30 seconds.
2. 🥰 Tiny pygmy marmoset is transfixed by this leafy lookalike
Big bright green bug + curious itty bitty primate = adorable!
3. 😱 Fascinating optical illusions by make up artist Mimi Choi
Bizarre and trippy cosmetic trickery makes this Instagram account's videos a riveting watch.
4. 😂 What kidnapping Gen Z would look like (probably)
Comedian The Manii takes us on a journey.
5. 😒 The Boredwalk creator team serves up some snark when it comes to the worst "sexy" Halloween costumes
Grace and Tess have a short and funny list of don'ts for 2022 Halloween costumes
OK! We'll be back here in your inbox on Friday with BRAND NEW ART (!), more nonsense holidays to dissect, more notable birthdays to celebrate, and more witty content in general. Don't miss it! Until next time...
Peace, love, and taking stock of things,
Meredith
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