Beg, Borrow, Steal, Repeat
The four keys to creativity
The Reuben Awards are happening tonight in Columbus, Ohio! I’ve had a grand ol’ time getting to meet many of my colleagues, and quite a few of my idols. (Jim Davis?! You mean Garfield Jim Davis?!) This is the 80th anniversary of the National Cartoonists Society, which doesn’t look a day over 65, honestly. Gathering together with such an exceptional group of artists has reminded me that none us work in a vacuum, that we all benefit from the influence of our peers and forebears.
Without Helen Hokinson’s ladies rotary club, for instance, I never would have drawn a band of outlaw book lovers—
Without Charles Addams’ awe-inspiring artwork, I’d never have dared to attempt this ornate interior—
Without Saul Steinberg’s minimalist line, how could I have trusted that a single penstroke would convey an entire joke?—
And don’t get me started on the debts that I owe to Gary Larson, Bill Watterson, Roz Chast, and Jack Ziegler, not to mention my contemporaries whom I hesitate to name lest they look closely at my cartoons and spot how much I’ve pilfered from them.
Shared influence is how we learn and grow, how our work endures through the imaginations of others, and how the art form evolves over time.
But enough about legacy — the moment of the 2026 Reuben Awards has come!
I’ve got to squeeze into a rental tux. Wish me luck in the Gag Cartoonist of the Year category! I’ve been nominated twice before, so I’m putting my faith in the rule of threes.
What better way to send your encouragement than to become a paid subscriber for just $7 a month or $70 a year?! You’ll smash straight through the paywall and receive 3 brand-new exclusive cartoons every week, plus unpublished New Yorker pitches, process videos (with cat cameos), and sneak peeks into my ongoing projects. Your generosity is what makes my work possible. Thank you!
