The MuseStand Blog

A whole new world opens up for Finn whenever he peers through the eyepieces of his microscope.  What will he discover next?  This is the introductory sketch depicting Finn with his most prized possession.  You will see this unique bond play out on multiple Think Shop comic strips.  So stay connected!

If you have any ideas for how you'd like to see how Finn's affinity with his microscope evolves, feel free to contact me.      

Max is Finn's 8 year old twin brother, an equally bright happy-go-lucky kid with a passion for nature and computer science.  Despite his ambitious goal of starting a company that positively impacts the world, Max has an unfortunate knack for failing miserably.  No matter, Max just get back up and pursues his next big idea, with unflinching optimism.  We need more people like Max in this world.

This sketch is from the 'Fall Elections' Think Shop Comic strip.  The strip can be viewed here. 

Max gets animated telling Landon that he won't lie to secure more votes.  We definitely need more politicians committed to such ideals! 

​This is my character sketch of Finn posing for the 'Fit For A King' Think Shop strip where he voices his disappointment about the unexpected guest at Thanksgiving dinner.  Check out the strip here. 

I love doing these character sketches, so stay connected for all future sketch posts.  I'll also post additional background blurbs about each characters with these posts, just to help you get acquainted with the cast.

Finn (no last name yet) is an 8 year old neuroscientist who is enamored with the scientific world, the true nerdy birdie of the bunch.  He's so singularly focused on his research that the rest of the world just passes by him... and he's perfectly fine with that!

Thanksgiving dinner is arguably one of the best meals of the year, and Max and Finn were eager to chow down!  They were surprised when LeBron, "King James," the most dominant player in the NBA today (and many would say, of all time) showed up to eat.  You can imagine Mr. James can eat quite a bit!  Best of luck to him in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers!    

Aristotle loves to read and is quite the intellectual as a result.  But he misses the point sometimes.

It's Friday ya'll.  I hope you have a great weekend!  Stay safe... see you next week!

It's election time and Max wants in on the action.  He's not sure of his platform yet, but he feels inspired to contribute.  Are you planning to vote?  You should! 

Think Shop Expressions

It's the weekend, and Max has plans to relax!  I hope you do too... have a great weekend everyone!

Oh how I love cheeseburgers and fries!  Is it health?  Of course not... not for everyday!  But on occasion, I certainly find the strength to suppress any guilt.  The confluence of flavors on my palate emulates the assured feeling of being in heaven, and after creating this strip, I will probably indulge... next month!  What's my favorite burger joint you ask?  Outies, of course!

For those of you who subscribe to Story Monsters Ink magazine, you'll see one of my November comic strips inside.  The current issue has been published and is available online here!  If you are not a subscriber, consider subscribing.  Story Monsters Ink is a great literary resource to help you decide on your next children's book.  Author James Petterson also pens a monthly column inside! 

​Don't worry too much about missing out on early access to Think Shop comic strips if you're not a subscriber.  They'll all end up on this blog and website eventually.  Cheers!

This is an artwork redo of an old post.  I think my skills have (slightly) improved, and I just couldn't stand looking at my original strip anymore... it just wasn't good!  Not that the artwork of my current strips are that much better.  I will periodically go back to old strips and update them.  Sorry to those of you who want historical perspective on Think Shop, but my sanity and sense of self are more important, usually!       

Photo News Story | The MuseStand

Photo News Story | The MuseStand

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and I thought it appropriate to at least mention the term in my Think Shop comic strip.  Bullying is not funny and neither is harming the environment, but the two topics can be spun into a lighthearted little strip that does not take away from the serious tone these topics should garner.  More information on preventing bullying can be found at www.stopbullying.gov/ and PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center.  Taking care of our planet as best we can for our children and their children is the responsible thing to do!

Photo News Story | The MuseStand

​BOSTON - Life can be hard, but a new study suggests it doesn’t have to be. Sponsored by the esteemed Part-Time Scientists of America or PTSA, leading part-time and alternative-schedule researchers from 17 universities collected and analyzed cohort data to better understand the struggles facing today’s youth and to help explain the uptick in underachievement among young people. Although sloppily compiled, with page after page of grammatical errors, misprints and completely unnecessary emojis, the results were nearly definitive and only slightly depressing. It turns out, PTSA’s most compelling study to date can’t explain why this generation of young adults are lazy to the point of incompetence. However, the nearly 12 hours of collective effort that went into this study offers a conclusive guide for dealing with adversity.

Lackluster effort generally produces failure, and failure hurts. So how can today’s youth that’s trying so little, hurt a little bit less?

Try Less
As if it were even possible, one of the recommendations of the study is for young down-and-comers to put forth LESS effort in their various endeavors. Polling data suggests that the harder an employee or student tries, the more likely they’ll be disappointed with the inevitable failure that follows. The reasoning makes sense here, but it’s hard to imagine young Jayden or Zoey becoming MORE apathetic than they already are. Maybe rolling out of bed at 3pm instead of noon is a good start.

Create Your Own Awards
Participation ribbons give solace to the apathetic. It’s no secret. But even the name of this anti-prize has proven to be just as hurtful as a, “loser’s award,” to many youngsters. Research suggests that even the most unsuccessful do-nothings are turning their backs on these sad ribbons and creating their own trophies. Many of today’s slouches are literally designing and manufacturing personalized awards to give themselves. For many, completing as little as 10% of a task or work project deserves a prize, which they then proudly display on their parents’ mantle.

Fail, On Purpose
The most controversial conclusion this team of researchers arrived upon was a simple white flag surrender in the face of hard work, or work in general. There’s only one thing better than failing, and that’s meaning to do it. The logic is sound. How can you be disappointed in an outcome when you’ve actively tried to sabotage it? PTSA public relations intern, Colby Slanders, broke it down with a certain je ne sais quoi. “We suggest blowing it on purpose, it’s that simple,” the floppy-haired surfer beamed. “If you know you’re never going to work hard enough to succeed, why not have a good reason for it? It’s much less impactful on one’s self-esteem if they meant to fail.”

Everyday, thousands of young Americans are venturing out into the cold, harsh reality of adulthood. They’re emotionally fragile, yet unrelentingly confident and wildly optimistic; a dangerous combination, to be sure. What they soon learn is that the real world doesn’t placate them with unearned “likes” and smiley-faces. Most jobs require ACTUAL work. Bosses aren’t brimming with praise, encouragement and gentle hugs. Sometimes, success can be hard to obtain, but that’s no reason to fret, thanks to this cutting-edge new data.
​
The lesson is simple: you don’t have to be good at anything to feel good about yourself. Try hard if you want. Or don’t. You’re still awesome. *eye roll emoji*

Photo News Story | The MuseStand

Photo News Story | The MuseStand

Photo News Story | The MuseStand

Photo News Story | The MuseStand

For 2 months, Think Shop comics have been published in Story Monsters Ink magazine, the award winning literary resource for teachers, librarians, and parents.  Editor-in-chief Cristi Bertini and her staff have done a superb job putting together a family-friendly publication gem that includes the latest news on children's books and products, celebrity and independent author profiles, book reviews, reading guides, special features, and more!

Story Monsters Ink magazine is also a great read for kids, the litmus test being my own 8 year olds who look forward to each installment. Opportunities for kids to participate by submitting creative work is an added bonus... click here for more details!   

​Both print and digital editions are available. (Please note, I am not paid to endorse, advertise, or offer links to Story Monsters Ink magazine... I just love this publication!)  

​BROOKLYN, NY - For three days, a man in Brooklyn had passersby scratching their heads and searching for answers. Sometime after midnight on Sunday, an eyewitness confirmed they saw a young man emerge from an apartment building on Union Avenue. He was solemn and silent, armed only with a handful of personal items and a small bucket of industrial Glue. After applying a thick coat, the man started adhering objects to his sticky canvas. He neatly plastered his wares including a cell phone, Apple laptop, backpack, and mountain bike, leaving a large bare section in the middle. As the man lathered glue onto his shoulders and slightly pulled down his jeans, onlookers started to realize what was coming next.

Standing on a metal folding chair, the man pressed his backside into the glue. A few minutes later, kicking the chair away, he was stuck, fully attached to the wall, noticeably uncomfortable, a sight that quickly begged the question… why?

“I just figured it was some idiot’s idea of performance art,” recalled Theresa Mendel, a curious onlooker on her way home from a nearby bar. “It reminded me of that dude in Columbus Square a few months back. What a moron.”

The dude Mendel was referring to was Will Barrow, an art student and desperately-dense narcissist that pulled a similar stunt at his own Columbus Square apartment building in the spring. One morning, Barrow was discovered at the Samwell Heights Lofts, standing, motionless in the shallow end of their private pool. Though adorned in too-tight Polo board shorts instead of jeans, Barrow was similar to this nameless wall-hanger with his mysterious silence and thousand-yard stare. His intentions were unknown, but after the 75 consecutive hours of pool loitering ended, he shared his reasoning.

“See my hands,” Barrow shouted at reporters while holding up his disgusting prune hands in the air. “This is what’s happening to art. It’s shriveling and dying.” Reporters laughed heartily as the wrinkly student darted back to his apartment. Surprisingly, he was never heard from again.

So, was that what this sticky wall exhibition was, a statement? Or perhaps, a work of terrible art? Self-professed local historian, Dorian Abrams didn’t think so.

“To me, it’s reminiscent of a movement in 13th century France,” Abrams smugly informed. “A rather zealous architect named Bardeau tied himself and his belongings to one of his creations. The anniversary of that event is coming up. That’s what this is, and that's what he is, a structural infatuation copycat.”

Abrams’s theory, while mildly intriguing, was easily disproved with a 20-second internet search on a smartphone. Bardeau never actually existed, and Dorian Abrams was no expert on history.  In fact, it was later revealed that he’s an out-of-work garbage man with a lust for cheap bourbon and inaccurate historical factoids, who happens to be a close friend of the glued mystery man! Can this story get any more bizarre?

Other onlookers decided the stunt was a political message, but not the kind you might expect. New York morning DJ and self-described, “slob of the people,” Mark “The Beast” Parks, had inspired these sorts of acts in the recent past. Two months ago, after The Beast threw his sweat-stained Mets cap into the local political race for one of Brooklyn’s city council seats, his mentally-defective following became politically active, emboldened to support their unlikely candidate, pulling dozens of publicity-grabbing stunts similar to this one.

“Yeah, I was there when that naked guy wearing nothing but a Giants helmet jumped out of a tree and into a dumpster,” recounts a nameless, mullet-adorned wall-watcher. “It was hilarious, man! Don’t be narcs, vote for Parks!”

Conceivably, this glue act was a lame publicity stunt to draw attention to The Beast’s political race, of course, but it was missing that trash-diving comedic pay off. Nothing funny happened since he attached himself to the wall. Sure, there were a handful of urine-related moments that caused a few giggles, but nothing shock-worthy.

On the third day of his endeavor, the sticky, silent man of mystery was visibly worn down. His eyes fluttered with exhaustion and, by all accounts, the slathered glue was losing its grip, occasionally ripping the man’s skin as it separated from the adhesive. He was running out of steam. Then, out of nowhere, the answer came.

A young woman approached and when she did, the man’s eyes lit up.

“I’m sorry, baby,” she whispered staring up at him. “Please, just come back upstairs.”

And, so he did.

With a collection of pain-filled squeals, the man peeled himself off the wall and crashed onto the pavement below. His equally-mysterious partner helped him to his feet and escorted him back into the apartment building. The befuddled crowd let out an audible groan of disappointment. It was over and apparently, all for nothing.

It’s a story as old as time, and therefore, not the most captivating. We’ve seen it countless times, a foolhardy young man will do just about anything in the name of love. Add, “glue himself to a brick wall,” to that list of anythings.

Photo News Story | The MuseStand

Photo News Story | The MuseStand

Photo News Story | The MuseStand

​SEATTLE - Nothing feels quite like waking up at 6AM to challenge your mind and body with an intense 45-minute cardio workout before facing the rigors of the upcoming work day; that is, unless you follow it up with social media time to catch up on overnight posts. A recent study of nearly four thousand 20-somethings conducted by Harvard’s Center for Millennial Health decisively concludes that social media has a net positive influence on all facets of Millennials’ lives, putting to rest mounting speculation to the contrary.

When asked about her Instagram and Snapchat ritual before work, Seattle native and recent college graduate Ashley Lessen admitted, “I usually come in late, but my boss doesn’t really care, as long as I’m happy at work, and happiness at work is a basic right. The quality of my creative work is better, and I get more done. My boss should totally see that.” Explaining how social media influences other aspects of her life, Ashley explained, “My time on these apps is kinda like a religious experience. I look at the world differently.  I see a lot of ugliness, but I also see the goodness in people, especially in the smiley-face emojis they use.”

Despite compelling evidence pointing to social media's addictive properties, Lessen has adopted a perspective more and more 20-somethings now share, namely, thinking skeptically of social science research.  “I don’t agree that social media is addictive. What do these researchers know anyway? In school, I learned that all research studies have bias and you can’t get rid of it. I only look at how social media affects me.” Lessen goes on, “I can quit whenever I want, just like when I quit reading Teen Vogue when I turned twenty. It was totally easy!”

Lessen aspires to a career in law, recently completing her degree in social ecological studies, with a minor in political science. Drawing from what she learned in school, Ashley offered her thoughts on the intersection of social media and the workplace. “Any employer who tries to take social media away from employees is committing a capital crime against our basic human rights and could be opening themselves up to a class action lawsuit. It’s probably a civil right thing too.”