Tales from tmy Shelter-in-Place Art Bunker - a new old Song

Re-emergence

Since the death of my husband Nik Green, I have tiptoed back into life again, as the tsunamis have become more like ripples with the occasional rogue wave.  The grief of losing one's best friend, musical and life partner, lover, husband of 22 years was quite devastating.

During the time I was a full time caregiver, I put everything on hold -- my books, book signings, music, our dreams together.  Completing the book "Goodbye Yellow Butterfly" as a tribute to Nik has been part of my healing process.  I expect to be finished with the album of my original songs to accompany that book by midsummer.  I am still awaiting a few more tracks from the guitarist.  Late in 2018, I  completed Nik's first solo album for him, "Now and Ever Shall Be" which I promised him on his death bed.  One of the pieces on this album "Tarantula on a Wedding Cake" was performed at his Memorial by two members of the State Street Ballet and an ensemble from Summer Solstice Celebration.

Now it's time for me and my Little Savage again!   I have three books available on Amazon.com and I'm working on the fourth book "This is NOT a Book" which has outtakes and musings and more words than all the other three books combined.   My goal with the other three books was to have a few words as possible. Besides cartoons and words, this new book will contain some "art exorcises" to inspire and inpiserate creativity.  

If you want to check my books out:

Here are links to Little Savage Cartoon Books:

This is NOT a Coloring Book

This is NOT a CookBook

This is NOT a Datebook

So I'm getting out of my rut, although it was a valuable and necessary part of my life -- and getting back into my Little Savage groove!

Politically Correct

What can I say? 

What happened to my Party?

Whether you're Republican or Democrat, you might be wondering what happened to your party.  The party isn't even fun anymore.  The safety protocols on this crazy holodeck simulation of a Presidential race is more like WWE Smackdown than the bid for the highest office in the USA.


Republican Bumper stickers available here.
Democrat Mylar Balloons available here.

HolyDaze are upon us!

The Holydaze of December are upon us.

It’s NOT just Christmas in December.  Diversity gives us more to celebrate.   It’s Chanukah, Boxing Day, Bodhi Day,  Yalda,  Yule, Winter Solstice, The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe,  Feast of St. Nicholas,  Pancha Ganapati Kwanzaa, Hogmanay , Dongzhi Festival, New Year’s Eve. No matter how hard I try to list all the celebrations of December, I’m going to miss one or a dozen.  Then there are the fictional or parody December holidaze:  Festivus, Decemberween, Feast of Alvis, Wintersday, Hogswatch.  

Little Savage celebrates whenever, where-ever, whatever!

Savage Halloween

Little Savage ™ Cartoon of the Month - Oct.

Cartoon of the Month - September

This is a cartoon from my new book “This is NOT a Cook Book”.  I think there are at least a dozen pages on coffee. . .    good for you, bad for you, then good for you again, like eggs and butter and chocolate . . . . I’m moderating.

Don't Call Me Ma'am

Don’t call me “Ma'am” unless I look like I’m over 65. Even then, Sir, doesn't every woman wants to think she’s not past her "sell-by date.”   If you're my waiter and  you want a big tip from me,  call me “Miss”.  If you're a shoe salesman and you want me to buy those shoes, say, "Can I help you Miss"?   At the check-out counter, if you want a big smile,  DON'T CALL ME MA'AM!  I'm willing to bet most women still love being called a “Miss".   It's subtle . . .  it's flattering, it's like you just said, "You're still attractive.” 

I LOVE the guy at the Post Office who says, “Hello Young Lady”.   He’s from the South and he doesn’t call me “Ma’am”.   He knows something a lot of gentlemen don't.   

When you say “Thank you Ma’am.” I cringe and my inner voice screams "I’m NOT my old Aunt Edna!!  I’m NOT my mother"   It's like a poke in the eye , a term of non-endearment and everything it represents.    It's a moniker reserved for women of a "certain age",  but there's an undercurrent of something derogatory in it.  What is the exact age at which a woman becomes “Ma’am” and not “Miss”?   30? 40? 50? 60? 70? Does it mean I'm a married woman not a single woman?   Why must age and status enter into a casual relationship with a stranger?  Ok, Mister.  I’m not your mother or your boss, the Queen or your teacher.   

How do I correct those nice young men at the checkout, at the bank?  I don't.   I’m not allowed to say anything unless I can figure out a way not to sound snarky or sound like I have a chip on my shoulder.   Just five years ago, I was still being carded when I bought a bottle of wine, which meant  I appeared to look 28 or younger.  That is a stretch but I liked it.  Somehow, it made me feel more relevant in this youth obsessed culture.   And, exactly when did youth become the pedestal upon which we all must live, gauge our self worth?  Our culture does not affirm the glories of older women.  Men with grey hair look "distinguished", women with grey hair, over the hill.   I resent this, yes I do.

When I was 28, making my living in the entertainment business, a director told me, "You ain't no spring chicken".   OMG, I'm over the hill at 28?!!  I'll be wearing polyester and hobbling along the street with a cane in no time.  And why do we say "28 years OLD"?  Why isn't is "28 years YOUNG"?  

This brings up the topic of Age-ism, which is rampant, especially in the ole US of A -- and it somehow seems more imposing if you're female -- or if you're in certain professions where the 20 somethings receive most of the adulation and attention  Nearly every popular magazine shows svelte young women, air brushed, too thin, professionally  made up and super-groomed.   We are obsessed with celebrity and youth.  Birthday cards are often jokes about "getting older."  Articles on how the years have not been kind to certain "celebs", their cellulite and flab exposed to the world; shame on them for not retaining their youth.   The cosmetics and plastic surgery industry, injecting face parts with botulinum toxin, fad diets, brain supplements, all support the myth that youthful beauty means you're desirable, hip, and valued.

I do believe that living well, thinking well, eating well, and being well improves the aging process.  If we're lucky enough we have the privilege of living a long, healthy, rich and fulfilling life and we might deserve a certain degree of respect.  Our entire culture seems to have forgotten that elders might be wise productive members of society.  We put them out to pasture in granny farms, reinforcing age as something to hide away, remove from view.   The graceful aging process doesn't deserve to be reduced to "Ma'am" --  an aberration of the French "Madame" which has some air of dignity and authority to it.  Kiss my hand and call me "Madame" with a French accent, that somehow  feels different.  Then again, "Madam" can refer to an older woman who manages a brothel, escort service or some other form of prostitution,  What about "My Lady"?   Ooooh, how 18th century romantic.  

Hey maybe some women feel "Ma'am" connotes respect. They're proud of their Ma'am-ness.   Well  . . .  not  for me, “Ma'am” does the opposite.

Is it the same for men?  If a man is  called “Sir” or "Mister" does that mean they’ve hit THAT AGE of not being youthful, virile and vibrant- i.e., past your prime, no longer full of potential, hopes, dreams?    In the military, in school, or if you’re not on a first name basis with your boss, maybe "Yes, Sir!" is required . .. But in street clothes,  does “Sir”  make you feel better, more distinguished? Maybe it does for men.    Maybe it denotes authority and respect?   And, we've been trained to trust the image of the white, grey haired white male more than any other demographic in the USA.  These are usually the most influential leaders in politics, business, military, in all areas of life.  Maybe it's because they remind us of "Daddy'.    And the "Ma'ams" and "Madams" are old women who are regarded as well . . . old.   This might be different for transgender folk.

I'm not talking about political correctness, eliminating or creating gender neutral forms of address. I'm talking about what is a kind and polite way to address women in public situations where you don't know their names.   When in doubt, leave it out.   It's easy to say "Thank you" without the "Ma'am".

Abraham Lincoln said, 'In the end it's not the years in your life, but the life in your years."  And Henry Ford, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.  Anyone who keeps learning stays young."   It's not just about being young at heart, it's having a purpose and a place.   

If I do happen to hobble into your establishment wearing polyester some day and you call me "ma'am", I probably won't give a damn what you say.  I'll have earned my license to speak my mind. In fact, I've earned it already, and I've gotten over it by writing this rant.   But remember . . .  If you don't call me Ma'am, I won't call you "Mister".

PS.  I  discovered this Blog after I wrote this little rant.  Check it out:  "Don't Call Me Ma'am".  It's reassuring that others feel the same. 

Cartoon of the Month - August

This one’s for all of you having some brain trouble.   This cartoon is in the first edition mini book “This is NOT a Coloring Book”

Savage Beta Brain is tested.and released prematurely.

I’ve  got a bad case of  “CARTOON BRAIN.”  Is it time to unplug and reboot?

This is the latest greatest new improved upgrade? I’m sure I’ve been downgraded.   The more I try to fix it the more it tries to fix me!

When things go wrong, do you wonder if the Operating System is corrupt?

What's the Big Secret?

LITTLE SAVAGE:  I just saw the movie “The Secret”.  It’s message seems to be that thoughts are the most powerful things in the Universe.   So....If I think the right thoughts, will the Universe align itself with me, and everything I want will fall from the sky?  If I really feel it and think it, will that shiny new Tesla arrive in my driveway free of charge?   Would this mean that Everything and Everyone are mass hallucinations of each other’s thought processes creating the Universe each according to her/his own reality?   That works for me! 

I am a cartoon.  In my multi-universe, I can have anything I want; anything can happen on the page.  If I fall off the edge and crash, I pop right back up, intact and whole.   I don’t know how it works; it just is.  I’m simply the outward expression of my creator’s thoughts.  That’s the beauty of being a cartoon.  

SAVAGE CREATOR For those of us who are NOT cartoons, here are a few NOT-so-secret pieces of wisdom.  If you find the love in your work and you do the work, the possibilities open up.  Thoughts are powerful things: your attitude,  sense of purpose and resilience do matter.  Small successes build upon each other,.  Mistakes are simply part of the learning curve and are often the best teacher.  Redefine your work, play and embrace it.  Love it. Love it Love it. . The more present you are, the happier you are. Everything is NOT your fault (nor the other person’s).  Leaping tall buildings in a single bound is for super heros and cartoons.  It does happen occasionally. The more you are willing to do for your dream, the greater the possibility you will make it come true, with a little help from your friend the Universe.  Ask not what your dream can do for you, but what you can do for your dream. The “how” tends to reveal itself if you’re paying attention and doing the work. “WORK?!!”  Is that idea going to sell? 

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with having the “good life”.  Give us this day our daily bread, roof, health and needed implements.   But, if it’s more things you want, rather than the good you can do with your abundance, think about that for a minute.  Aren’t things just part of the clutter? Ever see the “Story of Stuff”?   Things are only good if they’re being used for something good.   Accumulating  things for the sake of it, or because you want the hottest new car because some advertiser sold you on it . . . . what is that?    WHY do you want it? What will you use it for?   Your ego gratification?  Ever hear of GREED or wanting more than you NEED.  What about ENOUGH?  Is it really all about YOU?  What about US?  Is your dream about stuff and fluff, or is it bigger than that?  End of transmission.

Channeling My Comic Self.

My housemate said she thinks I’m a cartoon.  Does this mean she think's I’m not living in the real world?

Well, I don’t like the Real World, but I especially don’t like Digital World - where I can be replicated perfectly.  That's identity theft.

How many hours a day do you spend in front of a two-demensional device replying to digital bits and bytes?   Does what goes on in digital reality stay in digital reality?   Really?  Is it real? How do you know?  When the digital world becomes holographic and virtual reality seems more real than reality, what will be true?

I don't believe in digital reality  Even hard copy isn't proof that it exists.  Hard copy is a print out of a bunch of ones and zeros organized in a machine to represent something -  merely a symbol - not the actual reality. Digital world is living on the bleeding edge of non existence.  One giant degaussing and POOF! All gone. 

  

I prefer to live in Analog World, where things are wavy and bendy.   I am hand-made, raw, unhomegenized

I am channeling my comic Self.   Reality is what I can get away with.

I really do like being a cartoon.  

http://www.littlesavage.com

From "This is NOT a Coloring Book" Complete Edition ©2015 Penny Little

Write on!

After yesterday's whine about "No body reads anymore" it's obviously NOT true, because it provoked several responses of "I read".  Yay!  It just goes to show "What people say" is not always true.

I read --  voraciously, and I write even more voraciously -- every day.  First thing when I get up, I write.  I strongly advise everyone to do the same.  Write down your dreams.  Write down your wild or silly thoughts.  Write down two lines of poetry; who knows it may become something more than that.  Write down your to-do lists.   While books can be your mentors to guide and keep you company, writing solidifies your thoughts & organizes the Multi-verses. 

When I decided to draw my life in pictures instead of words as part of my journal process way back in the early 90's, it soon became apparent that words are insistent critters.  I would draw about a dozen illustrations every morning, a reflection of what was going on in my life at the time. Thought bubbles began to appear, characters developed a life of their own-- and soon after that, I had all these cartoons taking over my room.

I am reminded of the time I had decided I would not write songs anymore -- "NO MORE WORDS!" I proclaimed to God, the Universe.  "Words and lyrics are NOT pure music.  I will write only instrumental music."     Within seconds, I was scrabbling for a piece of paper, a napkin - anything - and a pen.  Words came pouring into my head, "I know you don't want to remember me, I'm in your head, your heart and your family."   

The Skepticat is watching me.   I have no clue what he's thinking.   What do you think about all this?

You have to write a book. You have to blog. blah blah blah

People tell me:  “No one reads anymore”.

So why bother writing?  Why write a book? Why write a blog?  I’m marinating this thought.  One more "should" do.  Even though no one reads,  everyone can now be a writer, a blogger or have a book!  For free!  It only costs you some time.  It’s like having a business card.  Just having that little piece of card and a web URL isn’t good enough anymore.  You have to write a BOOK!   

And, if everyone is writing, no one is reading, how can you get your story heard above the din?   Scream louder? Make a better sound byte?  Put cat videos on YouTube?  What?!!!  I CAN'T HEAR YOU!  Just click on the cat... he won’t mind. 

OK, so I'm whining a bit. 

Ticket from the Universe

This may not be funny, and it's not really from "Little Savage".   It's simply a short true story.  Today, I issued a “Ticket from the Universe” to a guy who took my parking space just as I was parking.   

I had my indicator on, pulled up beside the car in front of the only space on the block, in what is a deliberate display of intention to park. This guy in a brand new black Mercedes C class pulled into my spot, right behind me as I was backing into it. 

At first I was really pissed off, I turned and pointed to the driver then me.  When realized the MB driver wasn’t budging, I drove around the corner and parked. I started to cry, but then my anger kicked back in.  I wanted to call him an asshole. He had no clue what I was going through, that this tiny little smidgeon on the event horizon was about to be a catalyst for my deep sorrow about the state of the world, the universe and everything that was wrong in my life.  

Instead of diving into that mental space, I decided to pull up to my Higher Instincts.  I got out a piece of bright pink post-its and wrote.  “This is a Ticket from the Universe.  You need to exercise more kindness.”

That was it. No time to mull over the words. I hurriedly gathered my things, power walked to where my space had been stolen, secretly hoping to confront the driver.  I saw a man and a woman getting out of the car, rushing across the street behind the Lobero Theater.  For all their hurry in parking, it took them several minutes to exit their car.  I was secretly hoping they had had an argument about his bad behavior.

Feeling like an “Angel of Mercy” for the poor woman who had to put up with this guy’s Ass Holiness, I placed the Ticket from the Universe on their windscreen under the wiper blade, wishing I had a bright green City Parking Enforcement envelope in which to place it.   

Art and the American Dream

“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”-Pablo Picasso

Why is this important?  Why are the arts important?  Why should we care if we remain artists when we grow up?

Arts programs are often the first on the chopping block when budget cuts are deemed necessary in public schools. Funding for the arts in the US is considered nonessential when compared with all the problems we face - like hunger, poverty, violence, bullying, homelessness.  Private funding for the arts is often spread too thin among many worthy projects. While funding for wars seems to be a bottomless pit, funding for the arts and humanities is always at risk.

Outwardly it appears that our society doesn't truly support the arts and creativity,  yet creative thinking is now more essential than ever. Research shows that "students who are exposed to music education do better in other subjects." CEOs know that creatiity is essential to success. Applying our creativity may be the only way to restore our long gone "American Dream".  I say “long gone” because if you look at what the US has done in the past, and our current situation, it is difficult to support the idea that we are living the American Dream.  And exactly what was this American Dream? Is it the ideal that every US citizen  " should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative"?    

Or is it more than that? This dream is rooted in the idea that freedom is our birthright, as stated in the US Declaration of Independence.    James Truslow Adams in 1931 said that "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement, regardless of social class or circumstances of birth." 

It would seem that both freedom and creativity have in fact been discouraged by our system.  Why? What good can come of this?  We used to talk about "American ingenuity", prided ourselves on our inventiveness.  One cannot nurture creativity without freedom.  The best way to stifle creativity is through authoritarianism, the pressure towards blind obedience. 

"Creativity is nurtured by freedom and stifled by the continuous monitoring,  . . . pressure to conform that restrict children's lives today" and I would venture to say in adult's lives today. Peter Gray Article in Psychology Today: As Children’s Freedom Has Declined, So Has Their Creativity 

A research report by Kyung Hee Kim, mentioned in Peter Gray’s Article in Psychology Today, shows a decline of creativity in school children in the US over the last several decades.  In Kim’s words, the data indicate that “children have become less emotionally expressive, less energetic, less talkative and verbally expressive, less humorous, less imaginative, less unconventional, less lively and passionate, less perceptive, less apt to connect seemingly irrelevant things, less synthesizing, and less likely to see things from a different angle.”

Every one of us is creative.  It's the nature of life - to create. Freedom is a big part of creativity, being free within one's self and free thinking is crucial in order to access creativity.   But through years of schooling, our upbringing, we're essentially taught to conform, to fit in with standardized testing, homogenization of thought --  even in the arts, music, and creative fields.  We're living on the brink of an authoritarian maximum security society with fear as the foundation.  Money and the acquisition of power have become the primary focus, as more and more middle and working class people slip into poverty.   

Einstein said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.Had creative thinking rather than money/power thinking been used during the Fukushima, Katrina and other disasters,  the tragedies would have been lessened.

Life is tenacious - think of the blade of grass that pushes through the cement.   Creation is not something that can be contained, nor can the desire to be free.  Whether your belief system is based on spiritual or worldly views, you are alive and unique, you are constantly creating, your cells are creating, your mind is creating.  To open yourself up to creative thought is a holistic opening -- your heart, your mind, your body, your intrinsic Self-ness, call it Soul, call it whatever you like.   Every moment, awake or asleep, you are a Creative Being.  

It doesn't matter what you were taught; this is a base reality.  Now, all you have to do is get those belief systems (BS) out of the way.

There is hope through awareness and action. We can influence and change the conversation.   In 2012 the LA Unifed School District voted to make the arts a core subject.  This is a tangible goal, and with a little bit of rallying, organization, any small group in any city can do this.   President Obama attempted to restore federal funding for some large arts organizations when their funding was on the chopping block.  It was not as much a step in the right direction, as it was to prevent existing funding from slipping away.  There are examples from across the US of dedicated individuals and groups trying to preserve access and funding for the arts.  Whether amateur or professional, we need to build a society in which every person can fully express their potential; the arts and creativity play an essential role in the future of our attempt at self governance and a more civil society.

Moving

I have moved my blogging erratic -- as it has been -- over to a word press site.  I will occasionally check in here....... If you want to continue to follow my adventures with my life and books, I'll be over there:  http://thelittlesavage.com

Savage is back!

I've been busy editing and writing 6 Little Savage books, getting them ready for delivery on Kindle and some souvenir editions in print.   The only book which is incomplete is the Savage Cookbook and that is because it doesn't have any recipes.  It's got recipes for disaster, and all sorts of other cartoon kitchen wisdom.  If you would like to submit recipes to her recipe contest, please send Savage a message at:  win@littlesavage.com   There is more info here http://littlesavage.com/recipe-contest.htm

Savage Business Card

I hate busines cards!  I hate advertizing! and I especially hate people who network at parties!!....So, here's my card."
I came up with this when I was spending a lot of time in LA.  The Savage was young and inexperienced, trying to figure out how to market her Self.    People laughed when I handed them the card; most still do.

Another Letter from the Savage Muse

Dear Little Savage,

Will you paint by the numbers or explore a blank canvas?

Which life do you think will be more interesting?

Wishing you the Bestest,

Your Muse.