Our new book, Simple Stuff, is available for purchase for $2.99 as an ebook on Amazon (click here). This book was written in 2002-2003, before the trip for the original documentary "Boys of Summer" was even conceived. It was a key point in our relationship, however, as it drew us together, literally, over an artistic venture. Below is the original introduction my dad, the illustrator, wrote for the book.
Dad’s Intro (written in 2005)
How do we know we can do things? There may be many different avenues. For me it has come primarily from being around people who were doing things, which makes the process very real, very concrete, very doable. My first memory of creating art work came from my Aunt Libby. She would draw greeting cards for birthdays or special holidays and that seemed magical to a five year old. The same kind of magic my grandmother would use to bake a fresh loaf of bread. Nothing abstract, just put your hands in the flour and create.
School work always seemed to me to be a much more abstract learning process that did not capture my interest until my sophomore year of college. Actually it was either get interested or get out. I decided to get interested. Graduation, marriage, a family and a business career followed. From time to time I would draw greeting cards for family members and they were always well received. I never expected to develop my efforts any further but when you have children and they become a source of energy and creativity the genie is out of the bottle.
The genie in this case was my son, Bob, who proposed the idea of working together on an idea he called Simple Stuff. This would be a departure from projects we worked on in the past that usually involved such things as bundling tree pruning or building a sport court in our back yard. As Bob explained it, he had some observations about life that I would illustrate. I had not read any of his thoughts so I didn't really understand what the project would amount to. The idea of joining Bob in a creative effort sounded too good to miss. Bob had a very wise approach: in the beginning, he didn't mention how many illustrations would be involved. He only sent me ten at a time. That kept me from becoming overwhelmed by the prospects of doing something as daunting as "a book". Quite the contrary, I found myself energized, trying to interpret Bob's ideas.
Thank you, Bob, for being my genie and for trusting me with your magic.
Love always,
Dad
The genie in this case was my son, Bob, who proposed the idea of working together on an idea he called Simple Stuff. This would be a departure from projects we worked on in the past that usually involved such things as bundling tree pruning or building a sport court in our back yard. As Bob explained it, he had some observations about life that I would illustrate. I had not read any of his thoughts so I didn't really understand what the project would amount to. The idea of joining Bob in a creative effort sounded too good to miss. Bob had a very wise approach: in the beginning, he didn't mention how many illustrations would be involved. He only sent me ten at a time. That kept me from becoming overwhelmed by the prospects of doing something as daunting as "a book". Quite the contrary, I found myself energized, trying to interpret Bob's ideas.
Thank you, Bob, for being my genie and for trusting me with your magic.
Love always,
Dad
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