I’m a freelancer. Freelance artist, specifically. Never really thought about the meaning behind the word—until I ran into it while reading an old design book.

It comes from the Middle Ages. Free-lances were knights who didn’t pledge their services to just one king but instead were available to anyone who paid them.

Dudes with pointy sticks and a sense of entrepreneurial adventure! Kind of like me with my pen, roaming the countryside in search of challenging projects.

“Oh, that makes sense!” I cried. “Plus it sounds pretty bad-ass, like I’m Boba Fett or Jules Winnfield.” Mercenary. Very cool.

I think I just found an excuse to buy some armor.

I’m a member at the Phoenix Art Museum, which, coming from the New York area, isn’t a huge museum, but what they have there is pretty awesome.

My favorite installation there is called You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies by Yayoi Kusama. It’s basically a pitch-black room of mirrors with computer-controlled LED lights.

Sounds simple, right? Well, it’s far from simple when you’re walking through it or even standing still within it. It becomes complex and you become small.

You are wrapped in the sensation of being in space, and with little navigation. Particularly when there are few people making any noise outside of the room. The quiet and the specks of light in the depth of darkness—it’s beautiful.

I’d love to create a room like this in my own home. Space to clear my mind.

Yayoi Kusama has other light installations, and there are a few videos online. This one offers a good impression of the experience. However, if you have the opportunity to visit one in person, you won’t regret making the trip—especially during slow times of day when the staff might let you linger.

As an illustrator, I create one portrait first and foremost. However, I always take time to play with the concept before deciding on how the final should look. Even once I have a finished piece, I’ll try different effects on it to see what happens.

This is the fantastic part of digital art over traditional (not that I don’t love to play with real paint and ink too)—not just the undo button but the vast array of color-play, texture, filters, and brushes that can be tested on a design.

Experimentation and exploration. It makes work fun.

There are many great reviews out there, offering words to convince you to read this book… but I’ll give you a visual pitch—the poster, which I was commissioned to create as an pre-order extra. My hope is that it will get you curious about the tale behind it. Click the image to see a larger, more readable, version. You can check out Matchbox Girls at the author’s landing page.

Our cats are always by my side as I work. It’s one of the benefits of having a home office. My office window has a ledge specifically for them, and it’s just an arm’s length away from my desk. They keep me grounded. Having cats has taught me a few things, and I’d like to share them with you.

Live in the present. — It’s really all that matters. At least until you hear a can of food being opened. Or in my case, smell the coffee brewing.

Good things happen when you purr, not when you hiss. — That’s when you get treats. This applies to the online world just as much as when you step out the door. People like you better when you’re positive, and that reaps rewards.

Don’t skip a meal. — Keep your tummy happy and it won’t distract you while you’re trying to focus on other things. My cat Jonesy (photo above), who really appreciates his food dish, taught me this one.

Meow often. — Taught to me by Nimbus, who is not even Siamese. Toot your own horn. I mean, try not to be obnoxious about it—and combine it with purrs while trying to look cute—but be proud of yourself and share with the world.

Cuddle with those you love. — Even if they’re busy, they’ll appreciate it within minutes. Plus, you’ll feel better too.

Be playful. — Have fun with daily things. Everything can be a game if you make it one.

Be curious. — That’s how you find stuff out, and some of that stuff could be the coolest thing you’ve found so far. Seriously: life-changing stuff.

Schedule time to do nothing at all. — Including naps, which are awesome. Meditate. Take a bath. Let life slow down for a bit. Take a look outside and watch the birds. Just chill.

Enjoy some inexpensive fun. — Our cats love cardboard boxes, paper bags, and rings from the milk bottle. Some of the best fun costs the least. Write in a journal, window shop at the thrift store, go to the park, check out the bargain movies, play a game of cribbage, or read a pile of library books.

Find the sunny spot and bask in it. — Stretch out. Breathe. Soak in the rays and let them warm your soul.

I’ll add another one, because there are plenty of cats and dogs (and other critters) yearning to be adopted out there: find yourself a pet—whichever kind suits you, however big or small. I’ve read that people with animal companions are less stressed and that they live longer. I’m willing to bet that it’s true.

And lucky me!—I’ve had the honor of spending more time with three of the characters, illustrating their portraits [below] for a series of ‘wanted’ posters that were offered as a pre-order bonus.

Both books are published by innovative publisher Candlemark & Gleam. You can get your copies at their website, as well as from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

I like to write in longhand often. Today, I’m cracking open a new Moleskine. As much as I love Moleskines, I think I might soon have to switch to cheap notebooks—not so much because of the cost, but because of the pressure I feel to write perfect stuff in a Moleskine.

I learned a lot from finishing NaNoWriMo, but the most important thing was to loosen up and write crap. I was surprised that a good deal of that frenzied garbage I thought I was writing turned out to be brilliant—or at least useable.

My 30-day novel (51,000 words of drug-tripping parallel-universe sci-fi) lit up my mind more than I’d expected. The sheer speed of a 30-day book (my last book, an epic at 148,000 words, took years) forced me to shut off my inner editor and just enjoy writing.

So, I’m looking at this fresh Moleskine today. I vow to scribble, blotch, and dogear this thing. OCD tendencies have no place in notes and early drafts. Rules are (sing along!): make it messy and make it fun—no editing until it’s done.

“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn’t happen much, though.” ― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Sometimes the wish is real. In my case, that author is Natania Barron.

I’m biased, being linked to her through possibly a few lifetimes of friendship… but her book is delightful, full of wonder, and charged with characters worth meeting. If you’re looking for a new book to lose yourself in―this is the one.

Pilgrim of the Sky ~ a novel by Natania Barron

Winter here in Arizona is truly beautiful. This is a photograph I took last year during Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Portrait sketch created in Corel Painter.