2021.05.26 Ready's Ramblings Episode 026 (Patreon)

Just a series of notes from me to you! Thank you!

A big hello and welcome to each and every person here. My hope is every one of you is going to have an amazing week. As a few of you old-timers know every now and then I like to send out a rambling note about what’s going on.

Here we are in May 2021, we survived 2020 and I don’t know about you but on the whole things seem to be getting better. Hopefully, the same can be said for you and if not, I hope the situation changes for the better.

I might sound like a broken recording but I cannot easily express how grateful I am for you and everyone here. To be able to do this art and animation I enjoy so much and share it with you is what gets me out of bed each morning. I love it! I want you to enjoy it to and I do my best to make something special each month for everyone here. Whether it’s the comics or the animations, the intent is to bring you something awesome and give you more than your money’s worth.

On that subject I’d like to send out a message to all who have a dream. Maybe you want to write a book, make a movie, draw something. It can be anything and it doesn’t have to be in the artistic realm. It only has to be something you have a desire to do, a dream to do! Your old pal Ready wants to tell you that you can do it. Anything is possible as long as you put in the work and dedication needed. I wish I could tell you the road is short and the going is easy. It is not. The rewards however, are worth it. As a reference, I started doing this well over 30 years ago and at the time had no idea we would be here today. I did love what I was doing and enjoyed sharing it. I kept at it.

You can keep at it too. Never be afraid to try something new out and see how it goes. It’s okay when things don’t work out because you learn from those moments. It can suck though. This reminds me of a line from the third Indiana Jones movie, it goes something like “You lost kid, but you don’t have to like it.” Haha

You do lose along the way. Not every day is a roaring success. Every day can be fun when you’re learning, trying and heading toward goals you love.

I realize a few of you might legitimately be saying “Well Ready, this is all well and good for some people but not me.” You might have a particularly difficult situation going on right now and it’s legitimately holding you back from doing things you really want to do. I understand. I know this happens. It has happened to me. Keep your dream alive though.

It’s tempting to look at your goals and think when they are achieved is the day you will be happy. Really though, every day on that road can be the ultimate day if you let it be. I look at it like a boat where you are the captain. When you are in charge of the steering and you’re setting the course - every day can be an awesome day. Notice I didn’t say every day can be easy. Every day is definitely not easy. There are always ups and downs.

One thing I have found that helps is something called civility and taking your own self seriously. Civility is a way to deal with others. A quick summary is it’s treating another with respect and understanding. I’m not saying you should let anybody walk all over you or treat you terribly. What I am saying is you get a lot more in this world by starting from a civil place. Look for the best in people. Forgive if possible. Sometimes someone is just having a bad day and they’re taking it out on you. That sucks. Sometimes it’s a lot worse than even that. That is horrible. In the end though we all need love; we all need friends. There is not one single human being on this planet who doesn’t depend on the help of others. We’re all in this together. We are all a family, like it or not.

As for taking your own self seriously, that one is up to you. You deserve to treat yourself with respect too. You are important. You’re important as a person which means your health and all the facets of your health are important. Do what you can for yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are people out there who would love to help you if needed.

In the end, believe in yourself. Believe you can achieve something bigger than you are right now. That you can grow into someone new if you want to. Think of everything you’ve done right to this moment in your life. We’ve all learned a language and maybe even multiple languages. We all know how to run, walk and millions of other things over the course of a life. We live in an incredible world. Go outside, look around see the people, see nature, look at the beauty of the sky in the afternoon, at the setting sun, the night sky. This is all incredible and a miracle. And you are part of it, you are one with it.

All right, rambling moment is over and back to making awesome art and animation for me.

Love you all and talk with you soon!

-Ready