I really like the Internet. It gives me a chance to show my work in a way I couldn't back when I was young in the Eighties. Mind you, I loved the Eighties but now is an even better time for me. I have a computer on which I can compose articles and blog posts, create cartoons and animations, and upload to a plethora of sites which are willing to show them (like Film Annex right here). There are also social media sites like Twitter and Facebook where I can connect with other creatives of all sorts.
There is only one problem: I KEEP DRAGGIN' MY DARNED FEET!
Look, I am one creative lady, and I want to be an Internet sensation and I am thankful for this platform that I didn't have when I started cartooning professionally in 1989. But the "old fogey" in me just won't let me get up and do the work I confess I love and wanted to do since I was five (back in the Sixties). I look for every darned excuse to not act: My animations have too many flaws, my gag cartoons don't even look professional (whatever that means). My jokes, gags and stories are way too old-fashioned for a 2010s audience. I'm never going to be as popular as Ken Turner (whom I subscribed to, by the way--love Snowboy and Crow!). I'm too nice, not mean enough. I don't even use profanity!
That's when I go to my website, dkladytooner.com, and click on the home page. After the gorgeous photograph of me (by local photographer William Kazak) and a brief introduction of what I do, I put a section called "Praise for D.K. Upshaw and Ladytooner", where I have gathered quotes from all over the Internet complimenting me and my work. A few examples:
"Watching you and your craft grow on Facebook is a genuine pleasure. Keep up the creativity, Ms. D!" --Doug Rice, via Facebook
"You've got some really impressive stuff there. Seriously, your vids are some of the best." --alliepertu550, via YouTube
"i admire your animation." --Seitu Hayden, via Twitter
"Your Toons are Family friendly and cool." --Dismas Lizarraga, via Facebook
"What I liked best about your site was the fact that you're doing what you love and it really shows thru your work." --Jamie Smith, via email
That last quote is important. The real reason I do this is because I like it--I love to cartoon, animate, caricature and write. Besides, wanting to be like someone else is a waste of time--are they trying to be someone other than themselves? They succeed by being who they are, and so will I. And so do I.
So I must keep reminding myself that I cartoon for the love of it and there's nothing and no one stopping me except me. And I'm stopping stopping myself. Old Fogey, step aside before I run you over! It's the day of the New Fogey--an up-to-date, good-old-fashioned lady!
