Kemson Cooper comics
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a cartoonist. I loved Hagar the Horrible, goofy joke books, and Mad Magazine. Then, when computers came along that all changed: I wanted to write computer games. I went into Computer Science. But as I'm fond of saying, "Life loves a curveball," because then - due to circumstances beyond my control - I eventually dropped out of college, went to work, and didn't go back.
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Over the years, I lived and worked in many places, never quite knowing what I was doing, or why. As much as I have always loved humor, my life was decidedly unfunny. After a while I finally landed in Massachusetts, which was a very good place for me. In my decade there, my life stabilized enough to engage in creative pursuits once again: I tried painting, cartooning, digital art, writing, and performing.
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Two important things came out of this: I found my own cartooning style and in effect became the cartoonist I always dreamed of being. (You can visit my dedicated comic website here.) And I started doing the deep personal work that led to my body-artwork and to my body-positive "Love Yourself" book.
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But it's my second book, The Bird Who Had No Clue, that I want to talk about. This book happened a few years after I moved to California, at a time when had so little money that I could not even go out for a candy bar. I decided that this "house arrest" was the perfect opportunity to make the type of illustrated story I always wanted to make. Which is what I did, although my easy "weekend project" would end up taking me eight whole months instead! (I seriously wanted to rip my hair out.)
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So below is my funny, emotional, comic-y, Seussian, Shel-Silverstein-esque classic book about a little bird (well, no one is calling it a classic just yet - but maybe you can go ahead and start) ...
But also below are some select comics I've made over the years, which - through my dedicated Comics website - you can order on mugs and tees and such. I have a lot more images on my Comics site, so go there to see much more.
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Anyway, life's too tough sometimes to not laugh at the insanity of it all, so I hope my work cracks you up just a little, and offers a little relief.
Enjoy!
This was the first thing I ever made to go viral online. It was completely unexpected. Turns out, math people love bad jokes!
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Anyway, like I said, I have lots more on my dedicated Comics website, and - who knows - maybe you want one of these images on a mug or sticker or greeting card or something ... or not. Whatever. It's cool, you don't have to like me. Anyway, there's quite a bit more there to see, so quit stallin' and at least go check it out ... Oh, right ... and thanks! (You should always say thanks.)
I was very happy when Jack Kornfield retweeted this comic a few years ago. Jack is one of the granddaddies of mindfulness meditation - been on Oprah and all that - so I was very honored that I cracked him up.
OH, and here is my funny little illustrated book, too! ...
The Bird Who Had No Clue
about the book​
Who am I? ... Where am I? ... Where should I go? ... What should I do? ... Will anyone be my friend?
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A little bird appears all alone in the woods and does not know what to do, a feeling we all share when starting off in life or embarking on anything new. Follow the innocent little bird as it fumbles its way along, questioning as it goes, hoping to find a friendly face out there and maybe its place in the world.
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The Bird Who Had No Clue is a great book for anyone. It reads as an entertaining children's story for kids, but also serves as a fable about life for adults. It makes a great gift book for anyone going through new ventures, transitions, or rites of passage. With hints of The Giving Tree and Jonathan Livingston Seagull, this funny philosophical tale about finding friendship and your place in the world will give you (or a friend) hope and heart as you set out on any new journey ...
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