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I’m A Cartoonist Who Decided To Post My Rejected New Yorker Cartoon Submissions
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The legendary Bob Mankoff, who recently stepped down as cartoon editor at the New Yorker (1997 to 2017), said it took approximately 2,000 submissions to the magazine before ever getting an acceptance letter.
I don't know why this information inspired me, when it should have left me in a fetal position, whimpering for my mother.
Obviously, I have no illusions that winning at this sort of endeavor comes easy— especially now, with so much talent sending their cartoons to the same address every week.
To paint an accurate picture, the number of cartoons reviewed weekly at the New Yorker is roughly 1,000. The number of cartoons in each issue is about 12 to 20? I've always been a bit of a hack when it comes to math, but even I can see the New-Yorker odds and myself are waving at each other across an almost immeasurable expanse.
Then there's the humor.
It's distinctly New Yorker-ish. Can I pull that kind of dry, subtle, epiphany-esque kind of funny out of my tail pipe?
It remains to be seen, but I'll continue to try. Still, the lottery is the lottery— you can't win if you don't play.
And, I'd still be making cartoons regardless of the outcome, because it seems I don't know any better. This has created an interesting situation; forcing me to examine (and reexamine) my reasons for trying out for the "show".
1. Turns out; I love cartooning more than I thought. So, scribbling and searching out the absurd is, in my humble opinion, an excellent way to spend a few hours each day.
2. Having this near-impossible goal has forced me to focus on the task at hand. I submit to you— it is easier to drown a fish, than get the average artist to focus for long periods... on anything. In the process, I've become a much better (and disciplined) cartoonist and illustrator.
3. As cliché as it sounds, the journey is the reward. I'm an illustrator by trade, doing mostly science and technological demonstratives, infographics, etc. Cartooning is vastly different and being silly is just plain cathartic. Was it Confucius who said, "Choose a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life?" I can't remember, maybe it was Bono— smug bastard.
Anywhoodle, I see so much brilliance on Bored Panda. I'm always inspired by the talented contributors, and hope there aren't artists out there hiding their brilliance because of intimidation or fear of criticism.
In the mean time, I forge ahead with zero expectations and the certainty of either getting published in the New Yorker one day, or having enough cartoons for my own coffee table book.
Either one works for me.
Thanks for reading.
More info: johnart.org
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Those are interesting. But, to be honest, I have hard time understanding some of them. Not because I don't have a sense of humour, but because my vocabulary is a bit limited, since I'm a foreigner.
I feel you. But it's not the language for me, but the cultural differences.
I mean, some of the phrases are really bugging me. I'd check the meaning of the words, though and I'd probably get them then.
Like which ones?
I'd love to see more from this artist.
the ones that made it must've been incredible then...
They are. I've watched a tv segment on these once and the guidelines are pretty strict. There's no real set criteria for getting accepted but usually the reasons for rejection are that they are "...too lowbrow, too politically incorrect, too dark, too weird, too political, too difficult to get, too dumb, too bad, or too dirty. " to quote Matthew Diffee who was one of the cartoonists who has managed to be successfully published more than 200 times in the New Yorker.
I didnt know you could be TOO lowbrow. LOL
Those are interesting. But, to be honest, I have hard time understanding some of them. Not because I don't have a sense of humour, but because my vocabulary is a bit limited, since I'm a foreigner.
I feel you. But it's not the language for me, but the cultural differences.
I mean, some of the phrases are really bugging me. I'd check the meaning of the words, though and I'd probably get them then.
Like which ones?
I'd love to see more from this artist.
the ones that made it must've been incredible then...
They are. I've watched a tv segment on these once and the guidelines are pretty strict. There's no real set criteria for getting accepted but usually the reasons for rejection are that they are "...too lowbrow, too politically incorrect, too dark, too weird, too political, too difficult to get, too dumb, too bad, or too dirty. " to quote Matthew Diffee who was one of the cartoonists who has managed to be successfully published more than 200 times in the New Yorker.
I didnt know you could be TOO lowbrow. LOL