The Conclusion
So now it’s done. From the violence in Lafayette Square to the conclusion of this document, this was the summer of 2020, My Covid Summer. If you’re (still) reading this, you’re a trooper. If you are with a newspaper, cartoon syndicate, or otherwise interested in publishing my cartoons, let’s talk. If you’re an art buyer, art director, designer or anyone else who is interested in commissioning me for editorial work, please call/email my friend, John Brewster. Either way, click the little CONTACT button at the top of this page.
But what were the results? What did I actually accomplish in the exactly three months from June 1 to August 31? What am I presenting to the world as the product of my work? I think the simple answer is, me. I cracked open my skull, poured the mess onto my computer, and made all of it visible and accessible.
I would love for Project Goat Rope to continue. Ideally, I get picked up by a paper or syndicate, commissioned by new clients and illustrate until I can’t hold a pencil.
The bottom line is that I got to know me a lot better over these three months. And I fortified confidence in myself at at time when it could have crumbled. I affirmed my ability to take on a big project, define its goals and parameters, work with other designers (the logo), ask for and accept critique, establish a deadline, and do the work.
“Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space...”
These are lines from “Miss American Pie”, by Don McLean, and they often cross my mind when I think about life as a freelancer. Many times, especially now, one can feel adrift and directionless. That has been the best (and sometimes worst) part about Project Goat Rope: if nothing else, I have definitely had a direction for the past 3 months. It was born from emotion but guided by reason and executed with care. I’m glad this part is over, but I’m ready to see what happens next. There is one more line to that verse of “Miss American Pie”:
“…With no time left to start again.”
That line I clearly do not agree with.
~Wes Rowell
8/31/2020
Catoosa, Oklahoma
