That’s a wrap! The 100 day project that took me 231 days to complete. I started it back in August after a weeklong workshop called Writing the Unthinkable with cartoonist Lynda Barry. I expected to come away having deepened my writing practice, which I did. I did not expect to develop a new obsession. In the workshop (which was A++ from the first minute to the last) one of the things she taught us was how to easily and quickly draw what she calls ‘head shots.’ I hadn’t really drawn since childhood. And if I ever did try, I could never get on paper anything that resembled the thing I was trying to represent, so I always gave up. But Lynda showed us how easy it was. I fell in love with making head shots. They thrilled me. I am not totally sure why, I didn’t stop to find out, I just followed the feeling. In the days following the workshop, I probably did over 300 of them on 4x6 index cards (her preferred canvas for us in the class). I was so excited by this discovery, and told her so — she picked up my notebook and told me to take a photo. She also gave me a pen from a string around her neck. That was pretty much the best moment ever. It would have been easy for me to make these stories dark, that’s what my imagination naturally leans toward, but I decided from the beginning I wanted these folks (and one potato) to be up to something good, I wanted to them to be big-hearted and open, or at the very least offer some levity. Those kinds of stories didn’t come as easily after the election. Many days passed between entries. I couldn’t hear my characters’ goodness or their hope. But even when the stories wouldn’t come, I kept drawing. I have hundreds and hundreds of head shots in drawers and piles on my desk and just as many in the recycling bin. The day I figured out how to draw a beard was awesome! It took me around thirty tries to capture the folds of a scarf. I still can’t draw animal faces. But I have had fun trying. The coolest thing about this project is that I did it simply because I loved doing it. I’m proud of it. As a word person, it has been really cool to make pictures too. #the100dayproject #100daysofcartoonheadshots #madeupbiographies #thankyoulyndabarry #pamtoons
💯/ 💯
Psst!
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Psst! is a whisper from the back of your brain, a trace of perfume of someone who has just left the room, a tune from a distant radio you can’t locate. It is an idea that you think came out of nowhere, but oddly makes a whole lot of sense. It is patient, persistent, and wise. It will hang out until you notice it, it has nowhere else to be. It knows when to strike. It will pop into your head while you are putting on your socks or walking the dog or buttering your toast. It will tell you to buy red shoes. It will put a book in your hand in the bookstore even though you can’t really say why you picked it up. It will say write a story, pick up those paints, notice that old lady, don’t you want to learn guitar? It will tell you to get in a canoe as soon as you can, quit your job, start your own thing. Psst! will keep showing itself to you until you look it in the face, grab it by the hand, and run — even if it takes thirty years.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
99/100
Nita
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Nita told her mom she wanted to make a video message for the people who make the rules and run the world. Here it is: “Dear in charge people! Be nicer. Don’t be mean or grouchy. Take a time out if you need one. Be kind to animals. And trees. And water. Pick up your trash. Respect everyone, no matter what. Don’t fight so much. Protect me and my friends from gun people. Save all kids in the world from bad guys — even Scotty and Britney. Help people who don’t have food to eat or places to sleep. Don’t be greedy. Share your stuff. Oh yeah! Don’t be a butt head!“
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
98/100
Maxine
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Maxine is a lifelong worrier. Her father was too. He stuck to his routines and regular routes and rarely left town or tried new things. He expected the same safe predictability of his family. At an early age, Maxine recognized her father's fretful tendencies in herself. She was determined to channel her worry, befriend it, make it work for her. She has tried to say yes to opportunities more often than no. She has taken enough risks over the years to have grown comfortable being uncomfortable. She has taught her kids not to be afraid of the unknown, that most worries do not bear fruit. She has learned how and where to aim her worry. Last month, in Japan, she was honored for her decades of work as the world’s foremost disaster forecaster. Her predictions have saved many lives. Her superpower is lighting fires under the asses of complacent bureaucrats. If her forecasts don’t convince them to act, she has a knack for planting worry in their heads about what will happen if they do nothing.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
97/100
Dickerson
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Dickerson is a former high school guidance counselor. The summer of his last year on the job, he and his family traveled the world. He was relaxed and happy and excited for what was next. Once school started up again in the fall, he was aimless and irritable and particularly interested in things around the house that had never warranted his notice before. His wife told him he had a month to figure something out, to find a purpose, some meaning to shape his days. To her complete shock, he enrolled in a yoga teacher training program. And then he bought the arcade two blocks west of the high school. When word got out that the arcade was open again and Dickerson was the owner, the place was mobbed. It took a little while for the yoga to catch on. Every day at 4:30pm, Dickerson leads his Yoga is the Shiznit class in the arcade storeroom. And kids show up. His wife wants you to know that he is much less serious than this portrait would lead you to believe.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
96/100
Georgia
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Georgia is at the epicenter of our nation’s greatest political scandal, which has made her famous. Very, really, scorchingly-hot famous. She had a bit of notoriety in certain circles as the editor and owner the award-winning online satire magazine, BrightBarf. But she shot to fame after inadvertently catching on video the President of the United States and two Russian businessmen getting out of a limo with four underage girls. It was clear to her and everyone who has seen the video — which by now is anyone in the world with access to a television — what was going on. The second half of the video goes dark and you can hear scuffling and Georgia calling ‘Girls! Girls! There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been? Come on, we’re wanted inside!’ The men seem confused and in the confusion, Georgia leads the girls away to safety before all hell breaks loose. Which was about fifteen seconds later.
Or, at least that’s the character Georgia plays on the Emmy-winning weekly drama, Our National Nightmare.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
95/100
Marta
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Marta grew up gardening with her grandfather, who taught her everything he knew. He was a psychoanalyst and when they weren’t talking about garden design and planting schedules, they discussed all the zigs and zags of human nature. When she got to college, she wanted to honor each of these interests, so she got dual degrees in horticulture science and psychology and went on to get her masters in both. For a time, she did tree care and landscape planting in Central Park. Then she shifted to family counseling for a decade. If you ever visit her apartment, you will marvel at its welcoming lushness. One night, a couple of years ago, over drinks with friends, she spaced out as yet another person detailed the million ways in which they were deficient in keeping plants alive, and how this made them a bad person. She could hear, behind the humor and sarcasm, the pain and helplessness at causing — or at least not knowing how to prevent — the death of a living thing. She decided then and there to become a plant therapist. She comes to your house, assesses your plant life, and talks you through how to bring them back to health. She also roots out any underlying issues that may hinder you from giving your plants (and other things in your life) the proper care and attention.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
94/100 Chance * * Chance is currently in the midst of year-long project which requires him to be in character at all times. His commitment is impressive. Or, according to his family, totally insane and why is he doing this again? His character — Kill Me Now Kenny — is a sad, silent, strung-out clown with chronic insomnia. His days are spent on park benches and city busses, in bars and cafes, libraries and laundromats, department stores and the dog park. He sits quietly and stares off into the distance or the ground. People often approach him. Some are concerned, others are confused, amused, scared, or curious. Passersby often leave him cups of coffee or flowers. Or pat his hand or knee and say some kind words. And there are always a few who get angry. He records all these interactions and reactions. This project thrills him. Behind Kenny’s dead eyes, Chance is in there, feeling totally and completely alive. #100daysofcartoonheadshots #madeupbiographies #pamtoons #the100dayproject #thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing * (Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
93/100
Kevin
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Kevin is a dialect coach. His niche is the Boston sound. His methods are rigorous and immersive (and not for everyone). Working with Kevin means moving to Boston for three months, longer if mastery is not acheived during that time. His clients work ten-hour days and move through a circuit of embedded experiences. First, his clients spend a week in his brother Terry’s bar, then a week in his sister Sharon’s boxing gym, followed by a half a week in his uncle Brendan’s auto shop, then the other half of that week in his mom’s beauty shop. They wind down with a week of ride-alongs in his nephew Matty’s squad car. Sometimes he’ll add on a few days in the newsroom of the Herald where his sister Mary is a city desk reporter, or send them up to Gloucester to hang out with on his uncle Ray’s fishing boat. And everyday, they are required to hit up the nearest Dunkin Donuts and order in dialect until they stop getting funny looks. He graduates his clients when they can convince a diverse panel of twelve Bostonians that they are local. Kevin requires a unanimous vote. Anyone you have ever seen in a movie or television show who had a lazy, unconvincing Boston accent did not work with Kevin.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
92/100
Gloria
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Gloria is a rocket scientist. Or, rather, an aerospace engineer if you want to be precise, which you do. Gloria is also newly single and trying internet dating for the first time. When meeting new people and the inevitable ‘what do you do?’ question comes up most men seem disappointed with her answer. She senses that many of her dates worry they’re not as smart as she is. But none of them cop to it, they just disappear. But last Tuesday was different. Three sips into her glass of Rosé, she asked her date what he did for a living and he said, ‘I’m a brain surgeon.’ She laughed and said, ‘I’m a rocket scientist.’ ‘No, really, I’m a neurosurgeon,’ he said and handed her his business card. Then she handed him hers. As of last night, neither of their dating profiles could be found online.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
91/100
Azadeh
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Azadeh is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her latest project is a 26-part BBC/Netflix series called Haters. For the last 18 months, she has been bringing together people deeply entrenched on opposing sides of an issue: feminists and misogynists; white supremacists and black lives matter activists; yankees fans and red sox fans; bullies and the bullied; the well-mannered and those who behave badly on the subway; evangelicals and LGBTQ folks; nationalists and immigrants; environmentalists and climate change deniers. She brings them to a remote cabin in the woods for a week’s ‘vacation.’ Only after they have shown signs of empathy and bonding with each other, does Azadeh share with them who they are and why they were chosen. It’s a human moment that never doesn’t deliver. Only occasionally does she feel bad about the subterfuge.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
90/100
Ardelia
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Every other Friday, when the kids are at their dad’s, Ardelia hosts a poker night for her closest mom friends. They don’t play for money, they bet time — half-hour increments. Almost always redeemed for some form of future child care, but sometimes for filling freezers with homemade meals or being the designated driver on rowdy nights out. Once, Ardelia lost badly and had to read The Fountainhead and make a cheat sheet for her friend Gayle for her book club night. The next time Ardelia wins, she is either going to have someone have the sex talk with her son, or do her taxes. She hasn’t decided yet.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
89/100 Jenice * * All through fifth and sixth grades, Jenice had a paper route. She never missed a single delivery. To reward her record of excellence, she and five other stellar paper boys and girls from around the city were invited to a luncheon downtown at the offices of the newspaper. Before lunch, they got a tour of the newsroom and printing press. It only took five minutes of the bustle and hum of the newsroom for Jenice to know what she wanted to do with her life. When she was thirty seven, she won a Pulitzer for her series on the secret use of private military contractors by the U.S. in the Middle East. Today, she is a journalism professor. Yesterday threw out the syllabus for her investigative journalism class and announced that for the rest of the semester, they were real reporters. The assignment: Investigate the recent immigration raids of the city’s restaurants. #100daysofcartoonheadshots #madeupbiographies #pamtoons #the100dayproject #thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing * (Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
88/100
Ivan
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Ivan is a Russian piano prodigy. When he was eighteen, he defected to the U.S. while in Los Angeles with The Soviet Youth Orchestra. It was big news, even making a 60 Minutes segment with Morely Safer. Soon after, he ditched classical for popular music. He worked as a studio musician for a decade. In his off hours, he developed a one-man show with which he eventually toured the nation’s best piano bars. Ivan rarely tours these days — he is the artist in residence at Ivan’s Piano Bar (and also the owner). His devotees love his sharp (and hilarious) takes on the week’s news — which he delivers by reimagining the lyrics of hits from the sixties, seventies, and eighties. Ivan’s has had record crowds for weeks.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
87/100
Polly
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Polly is nine. Her most prized possession is a pair of roller skates her grandmother wore when she was in a roller derby league in 1950 in New York City. Her second most prized possession is a tie between this red hat and a cuckoo clock her grandpa picked up in Austria when he was on a skiing trip. Her third most prized possession (which is also a secret one) is a soft scrap of old baby blanket she carries around in her pocket. Her fourth most is a fold up record player her uncle sold to her for one dollar. Her fifth most is the crate of records that came along with it. Her sixth most prized possession is her stash of jaw breakers she hides inside a Candy Land game box far under her bed.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
86/100
Kate
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Kate helps humans find their animal soulmates. Her clients undergo a thorough in-home interview where Kate might lie on the floor for a cat or dog’s eye view, or crouch on a chair near the window at bird-cage height. She wants to know if her client had pets when they were a kid and if so, what was that relationship like? Have they ever had any bad experiences with animals? How patient a person are they?…how quick tempered? …how loving? …how playful? Will animals be allowed on the furniture? How often will a pet have access to fresh air and sunlight and exercise? Will they talk to their animal as if it were a person? Once she gets a good understanding of the human, she gets to work on finding the right animal through rescue groups and foster families. Then she sets up a series of dates, which she chaperones. She knows in the first ten minutes if it’s a match. She has a one hundred percent success rate.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
85/100
Ida.
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Ida is the proprietor of Idamins Cafe, a vibrant, soul-lifting place. Idamins is a riff on vitamins — the vital nutrients our bodies require. The concept came to her while she was teaching a nutrition class at City College in 2005. In her cafe, she supplies many of the vital nutrients our spirits require. The walls are lined with books and found objects, there is always music playing. There are open mic nights for poetry and comedy, and once a month, a showcase for talents weird and wonderful. There are paints and brushes available at all times. There are maker workshops and rotating shows of local artwork. Mondays are movie nights, Wednesdays are for talking to strangers, Thursdays are pay it forward days. Fridays are drag nights and Saturdays are for salsa dancing. Dogs are welcome at all times. Recently, Ida transformed the back room into a space dedicated to community organizing. There is a bank of old bus station lockers by the front door — all electronic devices must be stowed while at Idamins.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
84/100 Becks * * For weeks, as day broke and her neighborhood came to life outside her bedroom window, Becks woud become half-aware that she was dreaming, again, about current events. Dark, no-hope dreams of greed and ruin. Two nights ago, before falling asleep, she told her brain to dream different, to find hope and light instead. And to her surprise, it obliged. She woke with a clear purpose: To be on the look out for the stricken — by anxiety or grief or fear or despair — and as often as she is able, do something about it. People fitting this description are not hard to find these days. This morning, for example, on her way to the train, she passed a man on a bench reading a newspaper. He was grimacing and rubbing his forehead. She slid in next to him and said, ‘Hey, hi there … are you okay?’ and he looked Becks straight in the face and said ‘No. No, I am not oaky, it is all so bad.’ She reached in her bag and pulled out a comic book, held it out to him and said, ‘Trade me.’ His face brightened and he gave Becks the newspaper, which she tossed in a nearby recycling bin. This is the first of many 'Becks Checks’ to come. #100daysofcartoonheadshots #madeupbiographies #pamtoons #the100dayproject #thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing * (Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
83/100 Nadia * * Nadia loves intricately plotted tales of global conspiracy, intrigue, and espionage, of crimes and cover ups. She roots for the characters who follow the trails of money and misdeed and ultimately get their guy. She has watched every film and tv show — the new ones, the old ones, the domestic, the foreign. Her bookshelves sag under the weight of fictional accounts of spies and politicians and governments and profiteers, of murder and worse. Lately though, she has lost her appetite for them. She has felt as if she — we, all of us — are trapped in one of these tales in real life. Instead of watching and reading, she is writing a screenplay for the movie she really wants to see right now. It’s a thriller, and yes it’s full of intrigue and espionage and conspiracy. In her tale, the good guys win. By any means necessary, for all the right reasons. #100daysofcartoonheadshots #madeupbiographies #pamtoons #the100dayproject #thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing * (Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
82/100
Ellery
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Ellery is a fashion facilitator and personal stylist. He believes most of us suffer from a deficit of personality in our daily dress. His mission is to midwife people into their own particular fabulousness, which he does in his monthly YOUniqueness workshops. Every third Saturday in the rec room at the YMCA, he kicks things off with a guided meditation. He asks his participants to imagine a spacious closet full of clothes…a wardrobe unlike any other…made up of pieces that have been chosen specifically for them, that perfectly express their personality and spirit and imagination — their life force. He asks them to look at the clothes up close, to notice their colors and patterns and fabrics. He tells them that they each have an inner stylist who has chosen an outfit for them to wear to a special party. He tells them to put on this outfit… and to turn around and look into the mirror. There are usually some ‘mmmms’ and ‘oohs’ and ‘aaahs’ at this point. He ends the guided visualization by telling them that their inner stylists know how to make their outsides reflect their insides… that they can tap into the sartorial wisdom of their inner stylist anytime they wish. In the YOUnique closet there is no judgement or fear, only the joy of personal expression through fashion. Sign ups for nest month’s workshop are going fast.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)