Thank You everyone!

Six months ago, I knew I had to find a way to create my own job.  I was one of thousands of people in this region having trouble finding a good job.  Actually... finding any job.  Maybe employers see me as too old, too fat, or just too weird since my last career was as a taxi driver.  My wild and varied work life just wasn't playing well here in the ultra-conservative southern state of North Carolina.  I decided my best bet would be to focus on the artwork I'd been doing for years.  But I knew I had to step up my game.  I also knew it wouldn't be easy.  While I had a place to live for free, I didn't have a phone, a car, very many art supplies, or any money at all.  Seriously, I started literally without a dime.  At that point, no one thought this was a good idea.

My first task was wandering through the internet looking at art that got me stoked.  I had a simple question:  What could I draw that I'd want to put on my wall?  Graffiti and street art are my favorites.  And I soon found myself checking out a bunch of stencils work in urban areas.  The high contrast work reminded me of the zine art I did 30 years ago.  I found a stencil pic of Bruce Lee, and drew it.  I knew I was on to something.  It's on my wall right now.

Then my computer broke.  I had an ancient Dell laptop so old that I joked was Fred Flinstone's old computer.  It didn't crash, the hinge actually broke.  At that point I was starting an internet based art business without any access to the internet.  I did a few drawings for my sister for her kids and dog, and that money got me another refurbished laptop.  After a month or so of different ideas, I decided to start a Go Fund Me page to jump start my little business.  Hey, it's the 21st century now, and crowdfunding is a new way to get businesses started these days.  I had absolutely no idea if it would work.  But I really didn't want to work at Wal-Mart or something like that for the rest of my life.

The Go Fund Me page started slow.  The first 3 or 4 days, no one donated.  Finally my mom's best friend Linda in Ohio sent me a check for $20.  Then old riding friend Keith Treanor contributed.  Little by little, I plugged away drawing and I've been drawing seven days a week for three montths now.  The drawing below is the one I just finished for the Boozer Jam 360 at Sheep Hills (that's BMX jam at some legendary

jumps for those who don't know).

While I'm still scraping by, I'm scraping by doing something I love.  So I want to say a HUGE thank you to all the people who helped me get this little business off the ground.  I have a lot of things I want to do in the future, and now they're starting to look possible.  Thanks to:

My sister Cheri Durham
Linda Kearns
Keith Treanor
Athene Dixon
Alma Jo Barrera 
(who ordered multiple drawings)
Brendan Thompson
Mike Haupt
Randy Lawrence
Paula Piltz
Scotty Zabielski 
(who ordered multiple drawings)

Sonja Axelrod
Paul Smith
My mom, Kathy Emig
Ryan Brennan
Rob Lawrence
and my aunt Sue Davis

I can't thank you enough for helping me at a time when very few people saw any promise in my weird scribble drawings.  I couldn't have done it without all of you.  And I do guarantee all my artwork to double in value by the year 2343.  Thanks again everyone!