Thank you to all who submitted pictures for the Fathers’ Day Stylish Dads Contest. My four favorites? Four generations from various families, pictured below. Enjoy!
Style imitates life imitates style
Style For Dads – A Fathers’ Day Contest.
A contest for my readers.
But first, an anecdote:
One night, when I was a lad about 14, my father took me out to the back yard to throw the ol’ ball around after dinner.
There was one serious problem.
Unlike most father/ son/ ol’ ball acts, I’d never really learned how to throw or catch. We’d been at a rummage sale that afternoon and, on a whim, had picked up a glove and ball.
Let’s just say that the ball spent more time rolling along the ground than it did whizzing through the air.
My father is a man of great style – and by that, I mean he knows how to conduct himself, with compassion, in any situation. He knew that his role was to run after the ball, and to keep his mouth shut about my throwing skills.
That sort of patience inspired me, throughout my life, to experiment, creatively, in my studies, my art, my teaching, my travels, and my style. Ultimately, style is not about what you wear, but about your stance in life – style is about trying things, and if you don’t like the way it works out, well, try something else. More importantly, I’m learning that style is about making space for other people to find their voices.
Sepia Style: Irv “Gramps” Wolkenstein
Pops “Alan” Wolkenstein
And now, the contest:
Dig up a photo (or take one, now) of your father (or a father figure) who, in some way, contributed to your style. You define style however you want.
Tweet pics to @StyleForDorks or Email to StyleForDorks (at) gmail (dot) com.
Include, if you like, a few words about what this fellow did for your style.
Winners will be posted at the end of Fathers’ Day.
Happy Fathers’ Day, everyone. (Especially you, Dad!)
Turning 40: A Send-Off – Part 2.
All cartoons drawn with Micron O1s in a Paperblank Journal. No corrections or erasures allowed. Boldly, onward, I draw.
Yesterday, the last day of my 30’s, I drew part one in a cartoon series about turning 40 – “Who I was, who I am, and who I’m becoming.” If you missed it, check it out.
Today, the conclusion. And if it raised any thoughts about your own birthday (if you are having a birthday any time this year), please – COMMENT below, share your thoughts, ideas, musings, and maybe a blessing for my new decade.
Happy-Birthday, Self!
Will Evan reach resolution?
Will Evan find his new self?
Tune in tomorrow – for the existentially exuberant conclusion to “Thoughts on Turning 40!”
Okay…
I hope you enjoyed my reflections on turning 40.
Below, share your thoughts on your own upcoming (or recent birthday – if you had one this year) – wherever you may be in this journey!
My 30’s – A Send-Off
In honor of this being the last day of my 30’s, I put together a series of comics – about who I am, who I was, and who I’m becoming.
Enjoy it, and at the end, share your voice.
Have you gone through this particular gateway? What are your thoughts and experiences about that?
If you’re in younger decades, what themes below speak to you?
Let the conversation begin.
All cartoons are drawn in a Paperblank Journal with Micron 01 pens. No erasures or fixes. Boldly, onward I draw.
Please share your thoughts below, and…
Stay tuned for part 2.
A good watch is not just a timepiece…it’s a conversation piece.
Drawn on iPad ap, Sketches.
- Maybe you got a watch for your bar-mitzvah and have been wearing it ever since.
- Maybe you don’t wear a watch because, well, cell-phones have clocks on them. It would be redundant. You don’t do redundant things.
- Maybe you think that wearing a watch makes you a slave to time, and you prefer to be free — in a …Burning Man mindset… 365 days a year.
That’s great. I still think you should have an awesome watch.
- A watch is an exclamation point on the end of your arm.
- A watch, like a good pair of shoes, aligns your whole look around a small focal point.
- And most important, a watch is a conversation piece.
The way good conversations begin is not by asking someone “do you come here, often.”
Rather, you notice something – could be something around you, something about the experience you’re both in, you share a bit of vulnerability by commenting on it, and if the other person is worth your time, he or she will respond in kind.
For example: I own a few of the watches above. And at various times, I’ve had conversations like this:
Sample One: Shinola “Runwell” (In cartoon, upper left)
- Other person: cool watch.
- Me: Thanks! I love this watch. It’s made in Detroit by this company that used to make shoe polish!
- Other person: seriously?
- Me: Yeah. If you jiggle the watch, it plays Motown.
- Other person: Seriously?
- Me: No. But that’d be cool.
Sample Two: Nixon “Rotolog”
- Other person: cool watch.
- Me: Thanks! I love this watch. I have no idea how to tell what time it is on it, though.
- Other person: seriously?
- Me: Yeah, I’ve had this for about three years. Wear it all the time. No clue what time it is.
Sample Three: Timex “Weekender.”
- Other person: cool watch.
- Me: Thanks! I love this watch. Actually, I think it’s the Band that I love.
- Other person: Yes, the colors really pop.
- Me: The colors?
- Other person: Yeah, the colors on the band. Red and blue.
- Me: Oh, sorry, not the watch band. “The Band.” You know, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down?”
Okay, that was a stretch, but you get the point. Something to remember: good people want to connect to other good people. People want to talk to you. And when you’re at a party or a cafe and you’re a little fatigued from a long day of writing code, maybe you’re not going to be looking for opportunities to comment on other people’s watches.
That’s okay! Drink your Matcha Frappuchino.
But when someone else comments on your timepiece, make your watch work for you – turn it into conversation.
(P.S. If you don’t know “The Band,” below is required-listening. Use that as a conversation piece. It’s even better than 10 watches!)
Style For Dorks 
