81/100 Begonia * * It can be said of Begonia’s parents, Carl and Charlene Flower, that they sometimes don’t know when to stop. Or as Begonia’s husband puts it, “You know the guy who beats the dead horse? They beat the shit out of that guy.“ Case in point: Begonia’s middle name is Rose. Her older sister’s name is Peony Gardenia and her younger sister’s is Lily Sugarbush (although Lily legally changed her middle name to Anne when she turned eighteen). Their baby brother’s name is Snapdragon. When they were growing up, each child’s bedroom was decorated with wall paper and bed spreads and artwork featuring their namesake blooms. By the time they each hit third or fourth grade, they were sick to death of flowers. Carl and Charlene could not convince, entice, or bribe any of their kids to join them in the family business. The Flower Power Floral Mart is staffed entirely with non-relatives. #100daysofcartoonheadshots #madeupbiographies #pamtoons #the100dayproject #thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing * (Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
80/100
Shaw
*
*
Shaw is an art house movie theater projectionist. And a poet. While the films play, he writes. For the last few months he has been working on a themed collection. In one poem, his freckles carry on bitchy conversations about his life choices behind his back. In another one, he writes about the time his older brother played connect-the-dots with a sharpie on his face while he was sleeping. There is another one where would-be freckles compete in reality-show like contests to become visible freckles. In another, a band of flesh-eating freckles plot to devour his entire body after he says ‘freckles suck’ into the mirror. Tonight, during the 7:30 showing of Jules et Jim, he started a poem about freckles that blink on and off like Christmas lights when he is attracted to someone. The working title of his collection is Spotted Dick.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
79/100
Salma
*
*
When Salma was twenty, she and her best friend drove across the country. They broke down somewhere in the hot and dusty middle. They waited nine hours for a tow truck, and then a day and a half for a mechanic to look under the hood. And once he did, their road trip fund was wiped out. She never wanted to be stranded like that again. When they got where they were going and she’d saved enough money, Salma took a basic car care and repair class. When it was over, she decided to keep learning. She is now a master mechanic and owner of her own shop, Salma & Sons. There are no sons, she just likes the sound of it. She specializes in hybrids and runs her own car care classes for women on weekends.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
78/100
César
*
*
In his 18 years as a city bus driver, César has seen it all. Violence, romance, theft. Three births, a death, a half-dozen marriage proposals. The weird, the sad, the lewd. And a host of gross and concerning behavior. But on the whole, he has experienced goodness. His years behind the wheel basically add up to a PhD in human nature. He can tell the second someone steps on his bus whether they are going sit quietly or chat with their neighbor. He knows who the trouble makers are and who is having a hard day or week or life. His first day on the job he decided that he would try his best to never make anyone’s day worse. He almost always makes it a little better. He gets a lot of brightness shined in his direction as a result.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
77/100 Donna * * Donna used to hate everything and everyone. She could find complaint in the happiest of moments, and fault in the best of people. She was especially harsh on those she loved most. One day, on her way to work, she passed a homeless woman on the street. The woman was hitting herself in the head and thumping her chest and yelling ‘not worthy not worthy not worthy!’ over and over. Something made Donna stop. She stood in front of the woman and gently took the woman’s hands and calmly said to her, ‘shhhhh, stop, stop, shhhhh.’ The woman quieted. In that moment, Donna realized that running under her hatred of everything and everyone was the same shouted refrain in her own head. She vowed in that moment to also shush and stop. These days she is 82% complaint free and her hate now has more appropriate targets, when it shows up at all. She is working on finding the homeless woman’s family (her name is Martha). #100daysofcartoonheadshots #madeupbiographies #pamtoons #the100dayproject #thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing * (Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
76/100
Alberto
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*
Alberto is a professional model. His work takes him all over the world. Whenever he’s working on location, he tacks a week or more onto each trip. Before each job, he researches how his time and energy can fill a need in whatever part of the world he is headed to. He has volunteered in soup kitchens, on farms, in refugee camps, orphanages, animal rescues, and prisons. He has worked building homes, delivering emergency aid, and teaching English. After this photo shoot in the Italian Alps for J. Crew’s winter collection, Alberto is headed to Greece on reccomendation from a photographer friend, where he will spend two weeks with a humanitarian organization helping welcome new refugees to safety. His fellow models have given him the nickname ’Heart On.’
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
75/100 Teeny * * Teeny is four years old. She likes tending to seeds in cups on the windowsill which will someday turn into plants. She likes cartoons and cinnamon sugar toast and goldfish crackers. She hates bedtime, but likes story time which comes right before. She hates baths and broccoli and when her mom squeezes her nose with a tissue and says ‘blow.’ She loves her nana, her pops, her best friend Jaden, and sometimes, her brother. Lately, the grownups seem upset. She isn’t sure what’s going on, but she knows that hugs make people smile. So, she has decided to give a lot of hugs. Because hugs are magic. #100daysofcartoonheadshots #madeupbiographies #pamtoons #the100dayproject #thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing * (Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
74/100
Craig
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*
Craig is an architect. It’s been years since he’s designed anything he was really proud of. His bread and butter has been banks and office buildings and outlet malls. After his last project — a series of parking structures for a major university — he left his firm. He works for himself now. He is designing extremely mobile housing for the homeless and disaster stricken. His dwellings are attractive, useful, and well-loved by the inhabitants. He makes far less money than he used to, but he’s never been happier.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
73/100
Sharon
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*
Sharon — not her real name — is a private investigator. For the last year and a half, she has been deep undercover as an employee of North America's top active apparel retailer. She has been investigating claims of coercion and wage theft, capturing video through a tiny camera installed in the various yoga and running jackets she wore everyday. Although the investigation is complete, she still dresses in the company’s clothes. They will come in handy for her next assignment, for which she will go undercover as a 'soccer mom’ type. Right now she is in the intensive preparation and training phase, which involves SUV shopping, familiarizing herself with her new neighborhood, getting to know her fake husband and kids, and learning Russian.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
72/100
Carla
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*
Carla comes from a long line of addicts, alcoholics, and chronically unhappy people. When she was sixteen, she was doing a bang up job of elongating that line. When she was nineteen, she decided the line was long enough and she severed it. She got sober. She learned about herself and her family and addiction. She got a clear picture of what she was up against. That was ten years ago. Life as a sober person isn’t always easy. When it gets hard she thinks of the line, how far it reaches back, how it has wrapped itself around her relatives, how it can come for her at any time. She is vigilant, and happy.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
71/100
Rani
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*
When Rani was a girl, her elementary school lost their art and music classes when the school district cut funds for arts education. Rani was heartbroken. For about a week. Then she got angry. She told her parents she wanted to do something. When they asked her what, she said “get people who are mad like me and go talk to the people in charge.” And that’s what she did. Two months later, one hundred and thirty three kids and parents marched into a school board meeting and demanded to be heard. Rani was their spokesperson. She was ten years old. She’s been making a difference ever since. This year she was the youngest person even elected to city council in her town. She is going to law school in the evenings. She’s busy, but she can handle it. Rani Gupta has always been a powerhouse.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
Frida 70/100 * * Frida is the youngest of seven kids and the only girl. Growing up she was constantly teased, tickled, pinched, and poked. Her brothers’ friends, who were always around, would sometimes do worse. After high school, she joined the police force. She retired at 48. She was a great cop. Now, she’s the founder of Frida’s Fighters, a self-defense studio for girls and women of all ages. When she was brainstorming tag lines for her website, her favorite was ‘when they come grabbing, start stabbing’ but her marketing consultant didn’t get her sense of humor and shot that one down. #100daysofcartoonheadshots #madeupbiographies #pamtoons #the100dayproject #thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing * (Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
69/100
Goodie
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*
Goodie’s parents were going to name him after his maternal grandfather, but his grandad suggested naming him after Justice Thurgood Marshall, a hero of his. The name fit their new baby. His mom called him Goodie, though, and that fit better. Goodie has always had a good heart, spreads good cheer, does good deeds, he has a good sense of humor, good style. His family thought he might go into law like his namesake, but he went another way, traveling the world scouting for unique wow pieces and desirable wardrobe staples to sell in his famous vintage shop — Goodie’s. Look for the hot pink awning.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
68/100
Vanessa
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*
Vanessa is out of work at the moment, but she is treating finding a job like her job. She has been on dozens of interviews in the last four months. At some point in each conversation, she gets asked where she is from. “I’m from here,” she says. "No, like where were you born, where’d you grow up?” they say. And she keeps smiling and says, "I was born here, right here. I have lived here all my life.” They push on, unsatisfied, “No, like where are you from originally?” “Ohhh,” she says, dramatically, “you mean before I lived here, where did I live?” Everyone nods yes yes yes, now we’re getting somewhere. “In my parents’ hearts. And then in their groins. And then in my mom’s uterus.” She knows after that there will be no more questions.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
68/100
Samantha
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*
When Samantha was a girl, she and her brother found a baby bird in their back yard. The bird stood in the grass and chirped from a tiny raincoat-yellow beak. He seemed alone and maybe hurt. They were convinced he was chirping at them for help. They looked but found no nests or other birds nearby so they kept him in their room that night, in a shoe box filled with grass and bits of newspaper. They stayed up in shifts to watch over him. They named him Puffball, because he was so round and fluffy. At one point, they both fell asleep. In the morning, the bird was dead. Last week, Samantha heard chirping coming from an air vent in the ceiling in her hallway. She hauled a ladder from the pantry and climbed up to take a look. It looked like just like Puffball, but a bit bigger and healthier. She got him out of the vent and released him onto her patio, sitting with him until he flew away a few minutes later. She is watchful for his return.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
66/100 Abby * * Abby works the reference desk at the public library. In her fifteen years as a reference librarian, she has never been busier than she is now. She has had loads of inquires about the electoral college, the ACLU, the history of pantsuits, how to hold a protest, how to fight racism, demagoguery, and one teenager wanted information about how to divorce your parents. These quests for knowledge have filled her with hope and relief. But she’s going to need a minute. #100daysofcartoonheadshots #madeupbiographies #pamtoons #the100dayproject #thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing * (Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
65/100
Libby
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*
Libby is a street busker. For the last three years, she has made a good living as Lady Liberty. Her whole set up fits in a milk crate spray painted bronze, which once empty, becomes her pedestal. She loves watching people wonder how she can stay so still. And just when they are really locked into the stillness, she begins to bellow The New Colossus. They always startle and laugh. Often there are tears in people’s eyes when she gets to the ‘give me your tired, your poor’ part. Lately, her job feels more serious. The crowds are bigger. The tears are often sobs. Her donation box overflows. There are hugs. People seem comforted by her presence.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
64/100
Bobbi
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*
Bobbi is having a hard day. That is all she wants to say right now.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
63/100
Roxi & Lana
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*
Roxi is in fifth grade. Lana is her mom. Nine months ago, Lana and Roxi’s dad got divorced. Her dad moved 500 miles away. She doesn’t hear from him much. Roxi took it hard. To cope, she started keeping a video diary on her mom’s old phone. Her mom liked that idea and started doing the same. Sometimes they let each other watch them. Then they started having conversations with each other that way. Each night, Roxi would text her mom a video. By morning, Lana would have sent one back. Roxi suggested they start a podcast together about kids and divorce. Lana did a little research on the technical requirements and got them up and running on her laptop. Roxi and Lana talk honestly together and are a model for parents and kids talking about tough stuff. Lana’s dad called unexpectedly while they were taping episode four. He announced he was getting remarried. It went viral and now they are number six on iTunes top kids and family podcasts this week.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)
62/100
Don
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*
Don is a music historian. He has had many areas of focus and interest during his career. His favorite project, which took him six years to complete, culminated in a ten-hour film experience about Indigenous music of North America. Right now he is doing research for a book with the working title, B-O-L-O-G-N-A: The Music That Makes Us Buy. His day job is teaching music appreciation at Central State University, mostly to freshman. Getting them to want to listen to classical music is an uphill battle, but every semester there are a few students who seem moved, often to tears, by something he makes them listen to. In those moments, for those kids, he knows he has won the war.
#100daysofcartoonheadshots
#madeupbiographies
#pamtoons
#the100dayproject
#thankyoulyndabarry #cartoon #writing
*
(Inspired by Lynda Barry and her (totally freaking amazing) Writing the Unthinkable workshop at the Omega Institute.)