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Liana Finck
Figure 1. Muji 0.38 mm black pen and “bright” paper
I love the New Yorker. The cartoons in particular. My favorite cartoonist is Liana Finck—known for her scratchy illustrations of life’s many absurdities. In her Medium article, she details her drawing process as a freelancer. A key quote and—probably life advice too if you can see the analogy—below.
Her two favorite tools for drawing are a pen (the Muji 0.38 mm black pen) and “bright” paper (slightly nicer than copy paper). I—of course—as a fan and amateur cartoonist have tried using these tools myself (Figure 1). I admit that I also do sometimes use the drawing app, Procreate, on my iPad to make cartoons (Figure 2), but there is something freeing—albeit less forgiving—with pen and paper.
If you are looking to put your tote bag—perhaps a New Yorker one—to good use by carrying a collection of cartoons, you should check out Finck’s “Excuse Me: Cartoons, Complaints, and Notes to Self.”
The first draft of a cartoon is very scribbly. I draw over and over the picture to try to figure out how to make the joke make sense.
ACADEMIC MUSING
Publish or Perish
Figure 2. Publish or Perish
Does the phrase, “publish or perish” keep you up at night? Or wake you up early in the morning? Or haunt you in the afternoon? Just me. Oh. Okay.
Well then, you’ve probably never wondered who may have first uttered or written this phrase. But, I’ll tell you anyway. According to Garfield (1996), the earliest written source of this phrase can be traced back to 1942 in a book by Logan Wilson, “The Academic Man: A Study in the Sociology of a Profession.” However, a teacher of Wilson’s, Robert K. Merton, has said that “publish or perish” was an already known phrase in academia prior to his book. So, we don’t truly know who to attribute the aphorism.
The prevailing pragmatism forced upon the academic group is that one must write something and get it into print. Situational imperatives dictate a ‘publish or perish’ credo within the ranks.
While I have no way of verifying this, I believe I am the first to draw a “publish or perish” cartoon—and ironically have rejected for publication—à la style of Finck (Figure 2).
Thank you for reading and have a fulfilling weekend!
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