Hello, Friends!
I am taking the rest of this week off to both enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. and to put energy into finishing my time travel haiku issue of the Weirdoku zine.
Today’s haiku comic is a new version of one I first published back in May and included in a slightly altered version in my epic post, A Totally Inadequate Guide to Adulting in June.
confused mallard has imposter syndrome watching rubber duck parade
Do You Know this Charlie Chaplin Story?
Thanks to the popularity of his movies, Charlie Chaplin was one of the most famous people in the world. He entered a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like competition at some point near the pinnacle of his fame, and depending on the source you find, came in dead last or at least outside of the top 20.
While most biographers handle this story as a humourous aside, I wonder what effect it had on the man. How do you cope with a caricature of yourself being the real star?
One of the ways my anxiety manifests itself is that I worry about getting stuck in a rut. I’m afraid of my art becoming increasingly derivative of my earlier work—a horror of recursion.
The trick is to show up to work each day as myself. In a world with endless data and millions of metrics, that can be tough.
Do I try and make more comics like the ones that are big hits? For me, that is a dangerous path. I can only make the art that I feel is true at that moment.
If I’m honest about what I see in my mind’s eye and share that vision, I can avoid becoming a Jason impersonator.
See you next!
Be the weird you want to see in the world!
Cheers,
Jason
You’re so unique there’s no need to worry. Impostors wish they were you.
I also am scared
Of me confusing myself
When others approve
I take your advice
whether they like it or not
to be my own weird
Thanks for the cute ducks
I love all of your poems
But ducks are special