Thanksgiving

Posted on November 14, 2010 by Marshall Ramsey

Things I’m thankful for in no particular order.

  1. My wife Amy
  2. My kids
  3. My parents and sisters.
  4. My in-laws.
  5. Indoor plumbing.
  6. Being able to read.
  7. Having opposing thumbs.
  8. Sliced bread.
  9. Heated seats.
  10. My former career as a full-time cartoonist at The Clarion-Ledger.
  11. My future career whatever it may bring.
  12. My amazing friends.
  13. Having so many people believe in my talent.
  14. That my cancer was caught in time.
  15. Being able to make people laugh.
  16. Airplanes.
  17. Mississippi
  18. Friends that are helping me start a new career.
  19. Having a cousin that is a great role model for using your talent to make  a difference.
  20. My church.
  21. Banjo the dog.
  22. Having a roof over my head.
  23. Twist off caps on beer bottles.
  24. Living in the greatest country on Earth.
  25. Democracy.
  26. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
  27. Christmas Music.
  28. Fried foods
  29. The sunrise.
  30. My enemies (they make me stronger).
  31. Fall
  32. College Football
  33. Hugs from my kids
  34. Laughter
  35. Getting to know my grandparents when I was an adult.
  36. The Mountains
  37. The Interstate Highway System.
  38. People who care.
  39. Books.
  40. HDTV
  41. This blog.
  42. You reading this blog.
  43. Being able to draw.
  44. WiFi
  45. Getting to work with people like Billy Watkins, Keith Warren, Rick Cleveland, Sid Salter and others throughout the years.
  46. Being a high school janitor for a year.
  47. Being able to run a marathon successfully and raise tons of money.
  48. The Internal Combustion Engine.
  49. Mark Twain.
  50. Singers who write their own songs.
  51. Living in the most generous state in the nation (per capita).
  52. Having goofy politicians to draw.
  53. Sunscreen.
  54. Bread.
  55. People who inspire me to be better.
  56. Beef Tenderloin and Penne Pasta at Bravo.
  57. San Diego, CA and all my friends who are there.
  58. Being able to travel.
  59. French toast.
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Tiny Wheels Media, LLC

Posted on November 13, 2010 by Marshall Ramsey

Someone asked me, “Where did you come up with the name ‘Tiny Wheels Media, LLC’?” Good question. Here’s the story.

A little over twenty years ago, I was at an Association of American Editorial Cartoonists Convention. Us wee college students could have real, professional cartoonist review our portfolios.  We gathered our work and went to the tables in that hotel ballroom.  I laid mine out in front of The Kansas City Star’s excellent cartoonist, Lee Judge.  Lee looked at my work and looked me in the eye and said something that has stuck with me since: “If you’re going to draw a cartoon, make it look funny.”

Kind of seems like common sense, I guess, looking at it in hindsight (making a cartoon look funny) — but I immediately changed how I did my work.  And one of the first things I did to make my work funnier, was to draw impossibly small wheels on cars.  Tiny wheels were born that day.

When I go speak I get asked lots of questions.  But the #1 question I get is “why do draw wheels on cars so tiny.” It’s kind of my trademark.

I’ve been throwing the name Tiny Wheels Media around in my head for a few days. Then someone on Facebook mentioned it in jest. It was a sign from above.  Tiny Wheels Media reflects my mission and reflects who I am.   It stands for my promise to you to add a touch of humor to everything I do.  To make it funny.

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A leaf in a whirlwind

Posted on November 13, 2010 by Marshall Ramsey

Last week was like a country song — my dog died, my job radically changed and my family was left in a position that gives me acid reflux.  And all that was after coming off the huge high of running my first marathon and raising $13,000 for cancer research.  It got so ridiculously bad that I was waiting for my mother to get “runned over by a damned ol’ train.”  I was defeated. I was deflated.

I got the bad news on Thursday.  Someone leaked it on Facebook and soon my page was lighting up like a Christmas tree. People were very supportive.  The phone started ringing.  TV stations wanted me to comment — I chose not to.  My focus was no longer on the past (my amazing career at The Clarion-Ledger.).  It was on my future. What was I going to do now that I have to grow up?  I had to make sense of my new, reduced role at the paper.  I had to find out how to get health insurance coverage for my family.  And I had to do in a hurry what I should have been doing for the past couple of years: Build a lifeboat.

I almost went to Tulsa a couple of years ago. I turned down a very lucrative job offer there to stay in Mississippi. Why? I believe in this state. But that crossed my mind a few times last week.  Did I make the right move?  I also did a radio show (filling in for Sid Salter) the day my job changed. I did three hours of radio while I was in shock.  But the funny thing is, I did a pretty good job.  Part of me wonders if that is in my future as well.

I had to mourn my dog and my job. Cobble together a way to keep my family safe and then start planning for the future. All in two days.

But the encouragement kept pouring in.  I heard from people in high places and I heard from everyday Mississippians. People are behind me 100%. My cousin Dave sent the most amazing e-mail — it lit a fire under me and got me moving.  A great project came my way at my church.  And thankfully I got to keep drawing so you can see my cartoons. And as a bonus, I can work from the house. The windows are opening up after the door slammed in my face.

Here’s what I’ve done so far.  I’ve laid the foundation for the future. I now have an LLC.  That means I have a new business called Tiny Wheels Media. (named after the wheels on my cars I draw). It’s not a business to compete with any of the other media entities out there –it’s a way for me to put all my talents under one fiscal roof.  I’ll be a speaker. A cartoonist (for The Clarion-Ledger and Creators Syndicate). An illustrator.  A book salesman. And a motivator.   I’m also working on some other potentially exciting deals.

Back when I was a janitor, I fell into the trap of feeling sorry for myself.  I broke out that trap by using my talents.  Twenty years later, I intend to do it again — just this time much better.

Life is changing rapidly and I think it’s for the better.  I appreciate everything from my past. I cherish the great things that are coming in the future. And I’m blessed to have a wonderful family and friends.     I’m a leaf in a whirlwind right now.  But I know I’m going to land in a great place.

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Welcome to MarshallRamsey.com

Posted on November 13, 2010 by Marshall Ramsey

Welcome to MarshallRamsey.com. This will be one of my two blogs. You’ll see the cartoons I do for The Clarion-Ledger and occasional posts on The C-L  blog. And you’ll see everything else, here on MarshallRamsey.com.  Writing, artwork, stuff for sale — you name it. This is Marshall Ramsey HQ. I’ll also chronicle my journey from my former career as the full-time editorial cartoonist for The Clarion-Ledger to something new.  Oh, if you’re expecting me to say something negative about the C-L, I won’t — what happened is what it is.  I appreciate my current role as a part-time employee for them. While it’s not what I would have chosen, I view it as an opportunity to soar and create a new career. My world didn’t end. It just changed. And that happens to people every day of the week.

So welcome aboard.  This will be a place full of fun, hope and levity in a world that seems to be short of all three.

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