I love the Crossroads story. Robert Johnson meets the Devil. Trades his soul for mad guitar skills. The rest is legend and we have modern music. I even had the honor of watching Steven Johnson, Robert Johnson’s grandson perform an exorcism on stage for his grandfather.
He’s not a bad performer in his own right.
But when I drove through the Crossroads the other night (the intersection of Highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale) I thought about how my own life and career have been at a crossroads.
Editorial cartooning, the skill that brought me to the dance, is fading away as a profession. I have been in a process of reinvention for several years ago. And while standing at my own crossroads, I have also met the Devil.
And his name is Fear.
Fear, though, didn’t offer some amazing art talent for my soul. No, Fear tried to steal my talent from me by making me do nothing. Am I good enough? Will I be able to feed my family? Will I fail?
The answers: Yes, Yes, and YES!
And that’s OK. Because Fear lies to you. It places that seed of doubt in you that keeps you from even making the effort in the first place. What Fear hates the most from you is you doing the work.
I drove through the intersection (I had a green light) and headed down Hwy. 49E back home. My headlights pierced the darkness and my dreams illuminated the path before me. The very skills that make me a good editorial cartoonist make me a great storyteller. That’s my path. Two friends texted me yesterday and helped me see that path even clearer.
They seemed more heaven-sent than anything else.
• My cartoons aren’t going anywhere. The profession of being an editorial cartoonist for a newspaper is what left. I am grateful I can still draw for Mississippi Today.