"Excuse me, could I have five minutes of your time?"
Today marks five years since I became a full-time freelance cartoonist. Friday 30th July, 2004, was my last day of salaried employment, then I had the weekend off to think, "Argh, what have I done?" before starting work on Monday 2nd August by staring at a blank piece of paper.
It's been an up and down few years, as most freelance work is, not helped recently by the recession. But the wolf has been kept from the door, even if he has sometimes got worryingly far up the garden path. And I have really enjoyed it.
I've developed far more, in terms of drawing and writing, than I would have if I had not had so much time to dedicate to cartooning. (The cartoon above, which appeared in Private Eye, was drawn not long after I went full-time, I think my style has developed a lot since then.) I have also had more time to get involved with cartoon organisations, events, festivals etc.
Anyway, I'll celebrate with a tipple tonight, and will drink to the next five years.
Help keep me in gainful employment by buying my cartoons!