Work Chronicles turns 4

Today’s comic:

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Hi everyone,

Work Chronicles completed four years of comics last week.

I love creating these comics. I get excited thinking about the scripts and all the different directions I can take. Sure, some weeks aren’t easy. Sure, it’s not the best financial decision. But I enjoy putting these comics out in the world. I enjoy reading your comments and emails. I love it when you connect with my creation.

Thank you for being a part of this journey. And, for joining this newsletter —it’s my safe space to write a note like this. Long-form content like this will never reach you on Instagram or Twitter.

Every anniversary, I share one of my earliest comics:

P.S: I often reflect on this speech by Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, on days like today. Here’s an excerpt:

“It's surprising how hard we'll work when the work is done just for ourselves.

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For years I got nothing but rejection letters, and I was forced to accept a real job.

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I tell you all this because it's worth recognizing that there is no such thing as an overnight success. You will do well to cultivate the resources in yourself that bring you happiness outside of success or failure. The truth is, most of us discover where we are headed when we arrive. At that time, we turn around and say, yes, this is obviously where I was going all along. It's a good idea to try to enjoy the scenery on the detours, because you'll probably take a few.

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I still haven't drawn the strip as long as it took me to get the job. To endure five years of rejection to get a job requires either a faith in oneself that borders on delusion, or a love of the work. I loved the work.

Drawing comic strips for five years without pay drove home the point that the fun of cartooning wasn't in the money; it was in the work.”

Creating a life that reflects your values and satisfies your soul is a rare achievement. In a culture that relentlessly promotes avarice and excess as the good life, a person happy doing his own work is usually considered an eccentric, if not a subversive. Ambition is only understood if it's to rise to the top of some imaginary ladder of success.

To invent your own life's meaning is not easy, but it's still allowed, and I think you'll be happier for the trouble.