Something You Need! Day #23 30 Day Drawing Challenge!

DAY 23 Something You Need!

This 30 day drawing entry is about something I need. Something that we all need a little of sometime.

Hope.


Ted Williams personifies this to a Tee for me.

It's funny just how much I needed this reminder, now, at this moment, more than ever. Right before I feel/have felt like giving up on my own pursuits and dreams in animation. I was about to throw in the towel after my latest test. Give up, walk away from it.

But life is funny like that, and it throws you a curve ball and fate/destiny/the man upstairs brings you back into the fold, pats you on the shoulder w/ all the encouragement and confidence you need to keep pushing forward.

The day before New Year's 2011, I lost a dear childhood friend: Chris Ellis. Chris was a fellow artist, the type of artist that made you wish you were a better artist. He was extremely talented in all that he touched and decided to do. Art, Acting, Singing, Music, Writing.

Chris was my inspiration to pursue animation and attend calarts after he & I discovered an old shoe box under his grandma's (an ink and paint girl) bed of original snow white animation cels. The Evil Queen, Snow White, The 7 Dwarves!!! Holding them in my hands! Looking at the chipped paint! That was back in 8th grade.

We lost touch after high school and went our seperate ways, but I thought of him often. We caught up during the Myspace Years, as well as Facebook emailing one another back and forth, or commenting on one another's page here and there. That's one thing that's pretty cool about those social networking sites, they bring folks together. Well, it can be bad sometimes, but in this case w/ Chris, I'm very glad it happened.

Chris was THE reason I wanted to get into animation. Chris is the person who told me about this place called Calarts, a REAL art school, created by Walt Disney, where you can STUDY Animation. Otherwise, I don't know where I would've gone to school, or where I would've ended up in the future. So, odd as it may sound, right when I was about to give up on animation, Chris once again reminded me about my passion and love for it. I feel I owe it to him, and myself, to not walk away.

And that's where Ted Williams comes into play too.

Hope.

The man had ounces of it. Despite a troubled past w/ drugs and alcohol, he doesn't hide it, he still carried his hopes and dreams with him. In his darkest time, he still believed in himself and his talent. He never stopped.

Who knows, probably if he did lose it he probably would not be here to tell his tale and achieve his goals and dreams. But he didn't. He kept his faith and dreams and hope alive.

We all need HOPE.

I have nothing to complain about. I have a roof over my head. I have a wonderful girlfriend, an awesome family, a cool roommate, and amazing friends. I can stand to lose a bit of weight, but for the most part I am healthy. I am able to walk, to breathe, to see, to draw, to think, to write, to dream and I am grateful for all these things. Things could be a lot worse, but thankfully, and thank God, they are not.

Thank you for teaching me about Hope Ted Williams. I don't know if you will ever see this posting of mine, but if you do... I have a BIG copy of the picture I did of you. I hope that one day I can meet you, and shake your hand, and use your golden, god-given voice as a voice in one of my cartoons. Thank you.

Goodbye Chris, you will be deeply missed. RIP Old buddy.

"Somewhere Out There"

Remember when my mom took us to see American Tale buddy?

I will get a job. I have a feeling that 2011 will be a great year.

Here's to hoping,
-Jeaux Janovsky

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