The Great Wave off Kanagawa has been described as possibly the most reproduced image in the history of all art, as well as being a contender for the most famous artwork in Japanese history. This woodblock print has influenced several Western artists and musicians, including Claude Debussy, Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.
Roger Start Keyes, art historian, Hokusai scholar, and co-founder of York Zen, wrote his poem “Hokusai Says,” featured on the York Zen Welcome Page, in Venice in 1990. It appeared suddenly as he was making notes for the “Young Hokusai” paper he was to give at a symposium on Hokusai the following day.
Hokusai says look carefully. He says pay attention, notice. He says keep looking, stay curious. He says there is no end to seeing. He says look forward to getting old. He says keep changing, you just get more who you really are. He says get stuck, accept it, repeat yourself as long as it’s interesting. He says keep doing what you love. He says keep praying. He says every one of us is a child, every one of us is ancient, every one of us has a body. He says every one of us is frightened. He says every one of us has to find a way to live with fear. He says everything is alive – shells, buildings, people, fish, mountains, trees. Wood is alive. Water is alive. Everything has its own life. Everything lives inside us. He says live with the world inside you. He says it doesn’t matter if you draw, or write books. It doesn’t matter if you saw wood, or catch fish. It doesn’t matter if you sit at home and stare at the ants on your veranda or the shadows of the trees and grasses in your garden. It matters that you care. It matters that you feel. It matters that you notice. It matters that life lives through you. Contentment is life living through you. Joy is life living through you. Satisfaction and strength is life living through you. Peace is life living through you. He says don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid. Look, feel, let life take you by the hand. Let life live through you.
Click to listen to poet Roger Keyes recite his poem, Hokusai Says.
Hokusai’s instructions, received, written and recited by Roger Keyes, about paying attention, noticing things, and living life fully, remind me of Mary Oliver‘s lessons on attention, receptivity, listening, delighting in and writing, expressed in many of her poems, like Mindful and Praying.
Here are more cartoons from Dave Coverly in Speed Bump: A 25th Anniversary Collection. The book is filled with many gems. These two remind us of how tied up we are with our digital devices.
Page 22 shows a bungee jumper hanging upside down still talking on his phone. It was originally published on September 7, 2009 and is as funny today as it was back then.
Page 168 shows a man standing naked in front of his computer screen attempting to answer a verification question. It was first published on September 27, 2018. Very funny!
Dave Coverly was kind enough to send me these funny cartoons for this blog post so I could share them with you. The book’s inspiring and insightful Foreword was written by fellow cartoonist and friend Nick Galifianakis at his mother’s hospital bedside. You can read it on Amazon, along with hilarious cartoon samples from the book by using Look inside. They were so funny I had to buy a copy, which Dave inscribed at his local bookstore, Schuler Books. Amazon also lists his 11 book titles.
Here are two more funny Speed Bump cartoons from Dave Coverly. These deal with dogs begging for food, but from two different perspectives—that of humans and of dogs. I liked these so much, Dave sent me copies of them for posting. This first one came out March 28, 2014. The second one, July 3, 2019, which I posted a month and a half ago.
When I first saw and posted the begging cartoon below, I asked Dave how it came about. He replied: “I don’t recall an exact moment that the idea hit me, as info tends to settle somewhere in my head and doesn’t percolate until later when I’m in my studio and I turn my work brain on. But at the time this was drawn, our pup was still with us, and she was very food oriented. Easy to train thanks to this, but also could get a bit obnoxious with the begging.”
Dave went on to say it was entirely possible that his wife had said, “can I get you anything” and that he “made a mental note to convert that into a dog’s world!” And he certainly did! He turned what must’ve felt like a human’s frustrated sarcastic remark into a sincere request from a dog’s perspective. I laugh every time I see this cartoon, it’s that funny.
While reading Dogs Are People, Too by Dave Coverly, I noticed three funny cartoons that deal with greetings between humans and dogs. They show an evolution on the part of dogs—they’re smarter than humans! (Click on a panel to enlarge it, then on the top left arrow to come back.)
About Dave Coverly and Speed Bump
Dave Coverly is the creator of the cartoon panel “Speed Bump”, which runs internationally in hundreds of newspapers and websites. His work was named “Best in Newspaper Panels” by the National Cartoonists Society in 1995, 2003, 2014 and 2022. In 2009 the same organization gave him its highest honor, the prestigious Reuben Award, for “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year”. See his impressive bio, which includes a photo of Dave with his dog Macy.
Amazon lists his 11 book titles where you can look inside to see some of his cartoons. Dave’s local bookstore, Schuler Books, also carries his books and is set up for him to personally inscribe copies for customers.
Cartoonist Dave Coverly has a clever knack for anthropomorphizing animals with ordinary human speech. Here’s an example with a dog that just cracks me up.
He uses a similar approach blending both worlds when humanizing a crash test dummy in this New Yorker cartoon.
Dave Coverly, (with assistant Macy), creator of the cartoon panel “Speed Bump”, which runs internationally in hundreds of newspapers and websites.
His work was named “Best in Newspaper Panels” by the National Cartoonists Society in 1995, 2003, 2014 and 2022. In 2009 the same organization gave him its highest honor, the prestigious Reuben Award, for “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year”. (See his impressive bio.)
I later sent Dave a tweet asking him which book the dog cartoon appears in and which one he’d recommend with this kind of human transference to animals sense of humor since I wanted to buy one. I’m adding this information in case you’re also interested in ordering one of his books for yourself or as a gift for someone.
Update: I’m glad I ordered it, but that cartoon was not in the book. Dave later apologized recalling that it must’ve missed the deadline to make it into the book and offered to send me a print of it. He also sent me a digital copy of it along with copies of some of the dog cartoons I liked from the book for posting.
I asked him if it was in Speed Bump: A 25th Anniversary Collection. It was not. The Foreword was written by fellow cartoonist and friend Nick Galifianakis at his mother’s hospital bedside. You can read it on Amazon, along with cartoon samples from the book. The Foreword is so well written, the cartoons so funny, I ordered a copy from Schuler Books, where Dave will personalize it with an inscription.
I saw this beautiful watercolor painting online and was so impressed with its zen-like quality I had to post it. Along the Potomac by Margaret Pearson seems appropriate for this time of year. The different textures in the sky and on the river along with the various shades of black and white contribute to the gloomy atmosphere in this stark winter scene. But the sun must be shining through the clouds since we see the picnic table casting its shadow onto the brightly colored sandy beach at the bottom.
“Along the Potomac” by Margaret Pearson, member of the Potomac Valley Watercolorists, a juried society of watercolor painters based in the Maryland/Virginia/D.C. area.
John Ford and the horizon line
I am reminded of what John Ford, played by David Lynch, said to a young Steven Spielberg at the end of The Fabelmans, the semi-autobiographical film about his life. Ford asks Spielberg what he knows about art and tells him to look at different paintings in his office and describe them. Spielberg’s descriptions miss the main point. It’s all about where the horizon line is placed in a picture. Ford tells him if it’s at the top or at the bottom, it’s interesting, but if it’s in the middle, it’s boring. The horizon line in Margaret Pearson’s painting is in the lower half—another reason for it being interesting.
I added that clip in this recent blog post on Steven Spielberg, where he tells Martin Scorsese how he was able to get David Lynch to play John Ford. He also reveals that he and his wife had learned TM 3 years ago from Bob Roth at DLF, and had mentioned it to David Lynch in the hopes of softening him up to take the role. Visit that post to get the full story.
When I saw this wise cartoon by Karl Stevens on his Twitter and Instagram feeds I had to share it. I posted comments on both and Karl replied. Turns out there’s a TM connection. See our conversation below.
I was so taken with this cartoon, I had to share a comment on Twitter and on Karl’s Instagram: “Love this! So funny and so true!!”
Surprisingly, Karl replied to both! Here’s a compilation: “Thanks, Ken! By the way, (You know) I’ve been doing TM for the past 7 years. Completely changed my life for the better! Thanks for all your work.”
I’ve been doing TM for the past 7 years. Completely changed my life for the better!
I had a suspicion this may have been the case when I saw a page from Karl’s forthcoming book, Penny, A Graphic Memoir. Published by Chronicle Books, this colorful graphic novel features the philosophical and existential musings of a cat named Penny.
The original publication date of April 13 was pushed back to April 20, then May 4 because of the shipping crisis, but you can still preorder the book in Karl’s profile @karlstevens from booksellers around the world.
In this frame on his Instagram, Penny says: “No, true transcendence comes from within. There is an oasis of happiness inside of me waiting to be unlocked. I just need to find the right key.” The second frame shows the cover of this new book, his fourth.
I had asked Karl if I could post his cartoons and he replied: “You can absolutely use that Penny comic for your blog. I’ve been meaning to be more vocal regarding my TM practice. Use the links for the Penny graphic novel in my profile, and my IG and Twitter handle,” which I’ve done.
I looked up Karl Stevens’ books on Amazon, and Time Out Boston wrote on the back of his book, Failure, “Karl Stevens may be the closest thing to a Charles Bukowski equivalent working in comic art. Except Stevens is way classier….” I mentioned it to Karl and told him that Charles Bukowski had learned TM later in his life. Karl was excited to learn about this. He said when he was working on Failure, “I was struggling with alcoholism which I think was where the comparison lies. I stopped drinking a couple months before beginning to learn TM. Obviously the practice was crucial to helping me focus on living a cleaner life.”
I stopped drinking a couple months before beginning to learn TM. Obviously the practice was crucial to helping me focus on living a cleaner life.
Karl Stevens is a Boston-based comic strip artist. He’s written four graphic novels, and his comics have appeared regularly in the New Yorker, Village Voice, and Boston Phoenix. His comic strips appeared in the Boston Phoenix between 2005 and 2012. His work has been well received all around, and The Lodger was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist.
UPDATE: After reading this blog post my niece found a cartoonist profile on Karl and sent it to me. He mentions his TM practice further down under Misc. It was posted May 22, 2019 on A Case For Pencils. The blog, created/edited/run by Jane Mattimoe, is a peek inside the pencil bags and minds of New Yorker cartoonists, where they talk about their art supplies and drawing process.
Cartoonists sit and concentrate on drawing for long periods of time. In that profile, Karl describes the benefits of exercise and TM. He says:
It’s important to take breaks during the day, especially exercise. At the risk of sounding like David Lynch, I would also recommend learning Transcendental Meditation. I’ve been doing it for five years, and have never felt more creative. Slacking off twice a day for 20 minutes each really does help your mind and body recharge.
Karl also recommended The Winner, published May 23, 2018. He did it after he started TM. He said, “It’s on the lighter side, basically a love letter to my wife Alex.” I took a Look inside at the book preview on Amazon and it’s beautiful! Some of the panels are like miniature paintings. I can see why this book garnered rave reviews.
When I asked Karl what or who inspired him and his wife to learn TM he said that a friend of his had started six months before they did. He also said, “it was because of David Lynch. Well, Howard Stern too. We were/are regular listeners and would hear about the benefits from him too.” I sent him a link to a conversation Howard Stern and Jerry Seinfeld had about their TM practice.
Speaking of slacking off twice a day for 20 minutes to meditate, Jim Carrey, in his 2014 Commencement address at MUM/MIU mentions a similar thing at this point in his talk. Very funny!
July 17, 2023: WBUR’s Radio Boston aired: Local artist teams up with Jamie Lee Curtis in new horror comic about climate change. Host Tiziana Dearing spoke with actress Jamie Lee Curtis, co-writer and film director Russell Goldman, comic book artist Karl Stevens, and Joel Christian Gill, inaugural chair of Boston University’s MFA program in visual narrative.
Jamie said she had this idea since she was 19 and it’s finally being realized with Russell. They came up with a script, and then reached out to Karl, who put in hundreds of hours of work giving it a shape and a direction. They worked on this graphic novel, Mother Nature, for 2 years. It comes out Aug 8, 2023. The movie is in pre-production.
Karl tweeted 4 images: Pics from San Diego Comic-Con International where @jamieleecurtis@russell_golds and I debuted our graphic novel MOTHER NATURE. It was a surreal and incredible experience. BIG thanks to @ComicsTitan for organizing it, and ALL their hard work. ❤️ ❤️
The video in the 4th panel shows Karl flipping through the pages of their newly minted graphic novel. Jamie Lee stops to ask him who that is focussing in on Cynthia, the main villain, then says, tongue-in-cheek, that “she looks a lot like someone we know.” Karl later posted it separately on his Instagram. Interestingly, one of the panels shows a character that looks like Karl. I asked him about it, but so far he hasn’t responded.
At 1:08:25 Karl discusses his morning routine, which consists of him and his wife Alex both doing Transcendental Meditation for 20 minutes, running for 5 miles, then getting ready for their day. They’ve been doing TM for 10 years now. Jim and Karl talk about the value of running for physical and mental health, especially for cartoonists who sit in a chair drawing for hours.
At 1:14:18 Karl advocates for TM and how it helps him improve his focus, increase his energy, and enhance his awareness of everything. TM rests his brain deeply and sometimes ideas come up for his work. He even sleeps better. When asked how he learned TM, Karl mentioned that he and a friend used to listen to Howard Stern who talked about it on his show, and knowing that David Lynch promoted TM as well. His friend learned first and encouraged Karl and Alex to learn, which they did. That TM section ends at 1:16:26.
August 4, 2023: LiveSigning: Jamie Lee Curtis’s Book Signing & Interview | Mother Nature. Jamie Lee Curtis, Russell Goldman, and Karl Stevens discuss the creation and evolution of their graphic novel, Mother Nature, as they sign copies, interview each other, and answer fan questions.
You can get a Hardcover Edition of “Mother Nature” with Jamie Lee Curtis, Russell Goldman, and Karl Stevens’s Personal Autograph Inside Book and a Certificate of Authenticity from Premiere Collectibles.
September 23, 2023: On my way back from visiting family in Europe, then seeing Angelina Jordan at her Portsmouth, NH concert, I met Karl Stevens for lunch in Boston’s Chinatown. He took me back to his apartment where I met his cat Penny. Karl’s wife Alex arrived home later. Here is a photo of the three of them.
Karl generously gave me a signed copy of MOTHER NATURE. He then surprised me with the original print of the two dandelions he had sent to The New Yorker seen at the top of this post! He showed me the February 1, 2021 issue it was published in. My commenting on it had started up our correspondence and subsequent friendship.
Karl happened to mention that David Sedaris will be promoting PENNY again on his upcoming new book tour.
A while back, Karl had offered to donate some of his original prints to an upcoming DLF fundraising event, so I connected him with one of the organizers. When I asked him what had happened to them he said that Jamie Lee Curtis, or her husband Christopher Guest, had made a generous donation for them. A fan of Karl’s work, Jamie was happy to receive the prints and support the work of the David Lynch Foundation.
I recently saw some of Karl’s New Yorker cartoons in the Condé Nast Store. I cracked up when I saw the one from the classic film Casablanca, where Humphrey Bogart’s character Rick Blaine looks forlorn sitting at the bar with a drink in his hand saying, “Alexa, play ‘As Time Goes By.’” It’s so funny, so good, blending an iconic film character from the 40’s with today’s technology! Clever! And done with superb artistry!
Speaking of Jamie Lee Curtis, Karl said she bought this Bogart cartoon independent of the DLF contribution. “It’s how I got to know her, and she was just being nice by donating to the foundation.” You never know how one thing will eventually lead to another unexpected opportunity—an invitation to collaborate on a graphic novel with a famous Hollywood actor and author.
— Written and compiled by Ken Chawkin for The Uncarved Blog.
Life does NOT happen to you, it happens FOR you. Many things in life are outside of our control, but the way we respond to events can shape our reality. Viewing challenges as opportunities, not misfortunes, will help you lead a productive, successful life. We all know Jim Carrey for his comedy, but he is now spreading joy through his inspiring words.
Mark wrote on his Patreon page: “My goal with After Skool is to enhance the most empowering ideas with my art. I animate the ideas that have impacted my life in a beneficial way, and hopefully by sharing them, they have helped you in some way.” Visit his website to see more of his amazing work: kRAMgallery.
Many years ago, at a local bookstore I used to frequent, I came across a profound little poem on a poster with a beautiful image from nature. The name of the poet, Kiyo, appeared under the poem. It may have been the first type of Japanese poetry I’d ever read, in English translation of course. I had discovered haiku—a 3-line poem of 5-7-5 syllables respectively. I had written it down and recently found it. Here it is.
Softly unfolding, Beauty awakens each heart to wonder … to life.
I’d never heard of Kiyo. Did a search and found Ungo Kiyo (1582–1659), a Japanese Rinzai Zen master and poet. Couldn’t find any more poetry, just a quote on enlightenment in an antique book of calligraphy.
Even though we can’t adequately translate haiku into English due to the syntactical differences of a pictorial language, an important aspect of it was explained to me by a Japanese TM teacher I had met on an international course. Haiku was part of his educational upbringing. They usually have a seasonal reference. To be effective, the first 2 lines describe something in nature, but the 3rd line brings in another element that causes the mind to skip a beat, have an ‘aha’ moment of realization.
Kiyo’s beautiful short poem inspired me to start writing haiku and then tanka, a 2-stanza poem combining haiku with 2 lines of 7 syllables each. The second part would continue the theme of the first part, but give it a slightly new angle. In olden times, the Japanese court poets used to compete with each other in rounds of tanka called renga, linked verses.
I wrote my first haiku after a walk-and-talk about relationships with a lady friend. I noticed a furry caterpillar crawling on the ground. It became the metaphor for a poem on commitment and spiritual transformation.
Caterpillars spin increments of commitment; Butterflies fly free!
I wrote many haiku and tanka over the years. I even wrote Haiku on The Nature of Haiku, which was very meta. These first 4 haiku—Defined, Discovered, Transformed, Translated—were among the 13 Ways to Write Haiku: A Poet’s Dozen, published in The Dryland Fish, An Anthology of Contemporary Iowa Poets.
on the edge of space two egrets in morning light woken from a dream
I recently came across a poem I had written a while ago, but never posted it. A photograph of cranes flying in a snowstorm inspired this Japanese Haiku.
Red-crowned cranes in Akan National Park, Hokkaido, Japan. Photograph by Vincent Munier. Click on image to enlarge it.
Three Japanese cranes Soar above trees in snowstorm Grace under pressure
Tanka on the Japanese art of kintsugi
I discovered other aspects of Japanese culture, which inspired tanka poems. Click on the titles below for more information and images.
The first is about kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold or silver lacquer thereby making it appear more beautiful than the original. Robert Yellin had tweeted an image of a repaired bowl to show this art, which is how I discovered it.
life’s lessons build character what was broken is now whole
The Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs selected Robert to introduce Japanese craftsmen to the world in a special documentary, Takumi: Japan’s artisan tradition. Because of his expertise, Robert became a cultural ambassador. His film inspired people from all over the world to visit the country, and helped boost Japanese tourism.
How Robert ended up in Japan is revealed in the documentary film, Jerry’s Last Mission, about his father, Jerry Yellin, who was the last WWII fighter pilot, an author, and proponent of TM for veterans with PTSD.
Tanka on the Japanese martial art of Aikido
On a visit to see my son in California, I wrote this tanka after watching his Aikido teacher demonstrate how to defend oneself from attack. She stood in one spot and effortlessly deflected the repeated charges from her students. It was mesmerizing! It took me a while to process what I had seen before writing the poem. I had emailed it to my son to read to her on her birthday. A volunteer at the dojo found the poem and posted it with a photo of a leaning tree as a screensaver on the office computer. It’s beautiful. Click the title and scroll down to see it.
Rooted to the ground She repels her attackers Flowing, not moving.
In storms, trees bear great burdens Bending, not breaking.
Two tree tanka
Speaking of trees, this tanka is from the perspective of a willow tree. Click the title to see a photo of a special one, and links to audio clips of me reading the poem on different media platforms.
Willow Tree Whispers People say … Weeping Willow But I’m not crying
Just bowing down … to the Earth Kissing the ground … with my leaves
Another tree tanka resulted when I saw the willow that inspired the previous poem, and the honey locust next to it, intertwined on top! They were on each side of the entrance to the place I was living in at the time.
See more haiku and tanka archived on The Uncarved Blog.
Suggested Reading
Jane Hirshfield’s 29-page essay about the life and poetry of Matsuo Bashō—recognized as a master of concise, compelling Japanese haiku—is worth reading. The Heart of Haiku was named “Best Kindle Single of 2011.” It was the first Kindle I ever bought, and described it in a post, Haiku on The Heart of Haiku, with links to interviews and more.
The Uncarved Blog 