Sometimes I am reading a book and suddenly I think, shit, this is good. My artistic awe is generally short-lived, however, because it is almost always immediately followed by a wave of self-pitying desperation as I realize I will never be able to create something on par. Wine is then required.

Then today, while reading  the Clifford Collection to my three year old, I happened upon a quote by Norman Bridwell, revealing some similar sentiments of his own. According to the infamous writer and illustrator, as a student he felt “there was always someone better than [him]; the art teacher always liked their work better than [his].”

In other words, it’s okay if other people are more gifted or skilled at this writing thing than I am. There probably always will be. I don’t need to beat them– I just gotta figure out what my big red dog is.