I always have admired the creative side of art. I find it like capturing lightning in a bottle. You never know when it’s going to strike. On one of these occasions, I was spending my last night at a convention in Houston, Texas. I had nothing to do and was hoping to catch a movie. As I was heading toward where Google said the theater was located I noticed I was walking by the Toyota Center and there was a Houston Rocket’s basketball game happening against the Chicago Bulls. Wow! What an opportunity!

Long story short, I was walking around and saw a young man with a funny Simpson’s fish character T-shirt drinking a beer and I actually asked him about it. Later after the game I found myself drawing a good dog and a bad dog version of that fish in my sketch book. I decided to try something different and I went with the bad dog. I went against what I normally do (draw dogs in a loving or funny situations) and went for…Naughty Dog!

Since this time, I have learned that not being busy is a great time to be creative. Not everything you think up with be awesome, but the more ideas you create, the better chance something will stick or an idea that can be sharpened. I carry a small notebook and pens in my jacket pocket or briefcase to capture ideas, word combinations and jot down quick sketches. 

Every day I attempt to get something down on paper as an artist. It’s the quantity over quality challenge that helps me move forward in my art. What will be my next Naughty Dog or even better design be?

What if?