Advice from dad, it is as affective today as it was on the day I received it.

 When I was a small boy my father gave me some advice that has stuck with me my entire life. I don't know why it stuck so well, maybe I received it at just the right moment as a child, the perfect moment when a kid is willing to completely believe whole heartedly in what he or she is hearing. It is what I like to refer to as an all in moment. This little piece of advice was delivered to me in the most casual manner so I don't believe that my dad was even aware of the impact that it would have on my entire life. This trivial statement would serve me well in all situations in my life, from being a son to being a father.

 I've only had a few all in moments in my life time, some of which were bad situations, and quite frankly I wish I had a few more good ones, maybe they would have made my life a little easier as  well. One of the other all in moments that is definitely worth mentioning is when I was introduced to God and later Jesus. This most definitely has and continues to positively affect my life.

 

This piece of advice, which I will share with you shortly, has not only helped me to achieve my goals in life but it has also made the mundane things in life interesting, the boring things in life exciting, and the excruciating things acceptable, and in some cases it has lead me to good fortune.

 

Before I share this very valuable piece of info, I must, out of good conscience share a caveat if you will of the dangers that come with it as well. If you are not cautious, and if you allow it to, it will take control of you and it can keep you from completing the simplest task. It can consume you and lead you down a path of insanity. This is a serious warning, especially if you are somewhat compulsive.

 

Okay,  here is as I received it as best as I can remember. Casually my dad said," Craig, listen to me son, I want you to remember this, no matter what you're doing in life, do it to the utmost of your ability, do it the best it can be done and you'll never regret what your doing and you will always be happy with what you are doing". I remembered dad and you were 100% right.

 I've had some really crappy jobs in the past, from  digging ditches to cleaning dog kennels but no matter I was doing I always approached it with fervor. I firmly believe that because of this approach I have always been able learned something valuable from every job or task. I  want everyone to know that I have always walked with dignity through life with my head up because of this approach. It has helped me to understand that the work or job we do in life does not dictate nor define who we are but how we conduct ourselves in those jobs does. 

 

 I have tried to apply this advice to every aspect of my being, from my marriage to my relationship with God. Sometimes I don't apply things as quickly as I would like and sometimes it takes me a while to see I'm screwing up but I care, I care enough to change. As I go through this thing called life I wish that sometimes I could call a do over. Life would be so much easier if we could but we can't.  I am continually learning knew and better ways to do thing in my life, sometimes a little to late to apply them but I remind myself I did the best I could with what I knew. I am changing and I'm working on being a better me everyday. So, there it is, do with it what you will.

This Otter piece was a school project that remained unfinished until recently. It was inspired by Lenora Baldwin's book " Ottie the Ostentatious Otter". I could not remember the original context of the piece so I split it into two and added my own text. I fell way short in my expectations when I first started this piece. It remained unfinished for seventeen years because I new not what to do with it. It can now rest in peace. Talk about compulsive behavior, this piece has been bothering me for ever.

When I got out of school I did a bunch of drawings of well know stories, with the intention that I would finish them in full out illustrations for my portfolio. Between work and getting accepted to the Disney internship program I did not get many done, no worries though, I got hired by Disney and never needed them to find work.

This piece I did for my mom as a present. I only have a photo of it, so the image is very low resolution and hard to see.  She liked very much, at least she made me believe she liked it. Who knows with moms, they like everything we do, that's what makes them so great.