The Glass is Half Full

A couple of cartoonist friends of mine got the bad news of being laid off at the newspaper where they've worked for many years. I started my career working at the same paper, but left there 25 years ago to free lance from my studio at home. I can imagine how distressed I'd be if I had stayed at the paper and given them so many years of my life, only to be let go.

I hope they find another employer soon. They're really quite talented, award-winners, both of them. Understandably, economic downswings require companies to look for ways to pare back expenses. But it's a shame that the management couldn't appreciate their value to growing and keeping readership, and do other things to pare back expenses rather than release such important assets. My prediction is the paper itself will eventually fold when it doesn't understand the very talents that helped it thrive.

Being self-employed for 25 years, I have seen many ups and downs in the economy. However, challenges like the ones my friends are facing can be catalysts to actually improve their careers. I think creative people have an advantage in transitional situations because they are forced to devise creative solutions to adapt to the change. One day, I hope they will be able to look back on this time and see it as a blessing that jump-started them to better opportunities.

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Our "Usual Suspects" gathered for our monthly lunch this afternoon. We talked about how the print industry is rapidly dying as more and more publishers gravitate to the internet. Morning and evening newspapers in city editions have all but disappeared. News magazines contain cover stories the network and cable news ran last week.

It's a sad fact. For those of us who grew up in the heyday of print publishing, it's like watching an old friend with a terminal illness slide away. I imagine this is much the way veteran radio performers felt with the advent of television.

The good news is, there will still be a need for creative illustration on the web. Whether or not the form will change remains to be seen. With electronic publishing, you are no longer limited to a static image on a page. So my advice to young illustrators would be to learn animation and interactive publishing techniques as well.

Going back to the radio -to-tv analogy, those performers who not only survived, but thrived, were those who embraced the new technology and explored the new medium's potential as innovative pioneers.