Something New . . .
August 11, 2009 at 11:06 pm 29 comments
I’m absolutely burnt out on comics. As much as I love drawing and creating them, I’m having a really hard time getting excited about drawing anything right now. I’ve got commissions that are long overdue sitting on my desk begging for my attention, and a comic strip that I haven’t updated in approximately three weeks. The last year-and-a-half has been particularly rough, and I think it’s finally taking it’s toll on me.
“How rough has it been?,” you ask? Well, I don’t want this post (or this blog, for that matter) to be a big “whine” fest, but I was laid off from my job back in July of ’08, and I’ve had a couple different jobs since then. In fact, I’m getting ready to start a new one on Monday! The biggest change in my life over the past year has been my recent divorce. Things started going down hill during the spring of ’08, and a year later my wife and I signed the papers making our “dissolution” official.
[For the record I think the word "dissolution" is just a fancy way of saying "divorce" without actually having to say "divorce". Whatever.]
Divorces cause huge messes. I guess I’m “lucky” that my ex-wife and I didn’t have kids, but there’s still a lot of other crap we have to straighten out. The mortgage is all tangled up and we have some other financial issues that have to be ironed out before all is said and done. There’re the hurt feelings and resentment, and then there’s the loneliness and depression. Yuck. Divorce is icky. I remember at one point during the “divorce process” I was sitting in my office scouring the Bible trying to find any verses that said divorce was “OK”. Not surprisingly I couldn’t find one. In fact, the New Testament is very “anti-divorce”. God knows what he’s talking about when He encourages His people to stay married. It’s not just because marriage is a covenant with God, but it’s also because God knows about all the ickiness and yuckiness associated with the aftermath of divorce.
You know what I find awesome, though? Even though the past year or so has been pretty crappy, I still feel totally blessed! I’ve got an awesome family, awesome friends, and an awesome church. Even though I’m living paycheck to paycheck right now, and the only live-in companion I have is my dog, Phoebe (she’s an awesome companion – just not much of a talker) my life is still pretty darn awesome! I’m so thankful for that, and I’ve been letting God know that during my devotions in the morning.
So, that being said, I’m going to take a long break from comics. I’m still gonna draw, and I’ll finish up the commissions on my desk, but I’m going to rest my head from creating a comic every other day. I want to experience some new things, and I hope that this reprieve will help charge my creative juices. I think it will. I’m going to use this blog as a place to not only talk about the minutia of my life, but I’ll also post random artwork and discuss any projects that I want to accomplish. Oh, and I’m probably gonna talk about God a lot more, too. YAY!
- Wes
1.
Brock | August 11, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Wes, it sounds like you’ve made the decision that’s right for you at this time. Congrats on that. We’ve each got to know when to pull out of and when to press forward.
It sounds like recent events have really caused you to rely on God even more than you have in the past, which can only be a good thing. For that reason I have no doubt that this decision involved Him. I can’t imagine the year you’ve been through, but it sounds like you’ve got exactly the right attitude about it.
I look forward to reading your blog. This will be quite a change from your usual output, but I welcome it.
2.
Ally | August 11, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Sorry to hear about the suckyness over the last year but at least you’re staying positive! good luck with everything, was worried when the comic wasn’t updated with no word but it makes sense now
3.
Mike | August 11, 2009 at 11:20 pm
good to hear from you Wes, sorry to hear about all the crap going on in your life. Time to ride it out and figure out how to make the best of what you’ve got. I’m a big fan of things happening for a reason, sometimes it just takes longer to figure out why certain things happen.
4.
Angel Castaneda | August 11, 2009 at 11:27 pm
I’m very sorry to hear that, dude. At the same time, I’m glad to see that you still feel that you’re blessed, and that you’re focusing on the positive people around you.
5.
David Buist | August 11, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Good to hear that you have such a positive outlook after such a rough year. All the best in the future. I’ll miss the comics but I understand the need to recharge and back-off for a bit.
6.
Wes Molebash | August 11, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Mike – I like to think things happen for a reason, too. I may have to blog about that.
I try to stay as positive as possible. I’m a naturally optimistic guy, so it’s not too hard even when things are pretty gunky. I’m really looking forward to starting my new job on Monday, and I really hope I get a second (and final!) crack at marriage. That’s a fun “mystery” to daydream about.
7.
AirDave817 | August 12, 2009 at 12:48 am
Dude, I had no idea about wht you’ve been going through – other than the job thing. Glad to hear that you are keeping a positive attitude – and connected to your faith. I’ve been following You’ll Have That for some time, until it ended, and I’ve been wondering what’s been going on with Myron And Charlie. Hang in there!! (This may not be what you would want to hear – but I really, really, really, really like Litterbox Chronicles. I hope you do something with that one day.)
8.
Don | August 12, 2009 at 12:54 am
Hey Wes,
I’m sure the support of your family, friends and your faith will get you through. Best of luck.
Don O.
9.
Krishna Sadasivam | August 12, 2009 at 2:15 am
Through all the adversities you’ve been through, Wes – you’ve managed to stay positive and grateful. My hat’s off to you, sir. I will be sure to check in on your blog from time to time to see what you are up to. Sending positive thoughts your way…
10.
Lou Manglass | August 12, 2009 at 2:17 am
In a weird way, congratulations, Wes. To still feel blessed when set upon by life is a great thing, a testament to your spirit. I’m not going to say I envy your position or the lack of great comics, but I’ll be here listening and, when you’re ready, reading again. Take care.
11.
Tony | August 12, 2009 at 2:18 am
Bless you brother. I will be praying for everything you have been going through and praying that God’s will is made known to you through all of this. I have enjoyed your comics and such for a few years now (even buying a original on ebay!) and I do hope to see more from you in the future. However, more importantly, I want to see and hear you walking in obedience to God and submitting to His will, and enjoying everything He is going to bring your way. I will keep up on your blog and such and I hope I can be a source (long distance source) of encouragement. Blessings again.
Tony
12.
Wes Molebash | August 12, 2009 at 3:25 am
Speaking of blessings, I just got an e-mail from a small publisher interested in collecting all of the YHT strips. I’ll keep ya’ll posted!
13.
Sara(h) | August 12, 2009 at 3:37 am
Hey Wes,
Long time reader, first time commenter. Well, here, anyway. I’m glad to hear that, even in the face of adversity, you can rejoice in the love of God. People often learn the depth of their character and their true devotion to the Father during hard times like these–I speak from experience! I praise the Lord that you are still full of His joy. Did you ever hear that Relient K song, “Let It All Out”? Scoff if you like, but I love those guys, and that song always picks me up a bit when I’m feeling lowly. If that doesn’t help, may I recommend, “Ballroom Blitz” by The Sweet–you can’t help but shake your bootay. Keep on truckin’, and all the rest of that inspirational stuff.
14.
Angel Castaneda | August 12, 2009 at 3:38 am
Re: Publisher -I guess that’s what some people would call “a coincidence”.
Praying that more windows and doors will open for you, dude.
15.
Wes Molebash | August 12, 2009 at 3:40 am
Thanks, Angel. I’m praying for that stuff, too.
16.
Jeremy | August 12, 2009 at 5:05 am
Wes, I have to say that I greatly admire you. It is not very often that I find that I look up to someone I have not met. Hearing about what you’ve gone through and that you have been able to rely on God through it all, and even seem to have grown closer to Him, is so uplifting to me. I pray that God sends comfort to you through everything; I can only imagine that He has great things in store for you. Thank you for being such a blessing through your comics and your wonderful attitude and zest for life.
In Christ,
Jeremy
17.
Adam | August 12, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Wow. It’s rare to find someone who goes through all of what you’ve been through and who still has such a positive attitude.
Bless you, Wes. You have made many many people happy through your work and through other means. I have been a long time reader, first-time commenter; whatever you need to do, we’ll be here.
Stay positive; I know I try!
PS I will totally be buying a complete YHT collection if that comes out.
18.
Brock | August 12, 2009 at 3:38 pm
A YHT collection has got to happen! I think it’s a crying shame that the extended story you did in the last year of YHT never saw print, but there are so many more that deserve the full treatment as well.
I’m pullin’ for this, Wes. You know you have my full support and my $ should this happen.
19.
Bob | August 12, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Wes, I’ve been following you for years now, and I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. We’ve been postulating your probable fate on the comments section of M&C.
So that I don’t sound cliche in my words of encouragement, I’ll rely on the Word to help me:
Proverbs 25:4
Take away the dross from the silver,
and the smith has material for a vessel;
It’s my favorite verse. God uses our terrible circumstances in many ways to get us to where He wants us to be. I wouldn’t be in the wonderful place I am today if I hadn’t A) attempted suicide, multiple times, B) failed out of college, C) been fired from my job, D) gone through a few horrific breakups that included me straying down some paths that I can never take back.
Many people ask “where is God through the suffering?”, and “how can God love us when He lets bad things happen to good people?” I can tell you have that answer, Wes, just by the way you speak of being blessed. God is with us through it all, and He hurts with us, and He breathes new life into us when we feel we have none.
I’m looking forward to reading more about God in your blog, as well as all those minutiae you mentioned. Keep the faith, keep up the good work, no matter what that may be in your life!
20.
Wes Molebash | August 12, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Bob, thanks for sharing. I really appreciate it, man.
21.
Steve-O | August 12, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Hey there, bud. Just found your comic a few weeks ago and devoured it entirely. I was extremely happy to find that you’re also a Christian. I won’t waste the time and effort telling you things you already have heard or know in your heart. Just wanted you to know I’m praying for you. God bless.
22. Is God In Control? « Wes Molebash is a Tool! | August 12, 2009 at 7:56 pm
[...] I said in my previous post, the past year-and-a-half has been rather eventful to say the least. It’s interesting to [...]
23.
James | August 13, 2009 at 12:38 am
Yeah, God’s against divorce.
God is also against ripping one’s arms off and flogging one’s self with them.
Anyone who is ever been around divorce is pretty disinclined to suggest to kids, “Hey, you wanna grow up and get divorced.”
That is pretty categorically different from God hating people who get divorced.
I have gotten a great kick out of your work. I am sad that you’ve had such a time of it. I’m going to get up from here and pray for you and yours now.
Best wishes.
24.
Wes Molebash | August 13, 2009 at 12:43 am
Thanks, James!
25.
Danica | August 13, 2009 at 10:12 am
Wow, Wes. Had it not been for this blog, I’d have never guessed you were (or had been) going through such a tough time. I don’t know you personally, so I don’t feel it’s my place to comment on your divorce, but you’ve made it clear that you know what God and His Word says about it. I only hope and pray that you can get through all that ickiness and yuckiness with more ease than most. It will be hard, but remember that God is there to carry that burden with you.
26.
pgnbri | August 14, 2009 at 2:36 pm
James,
I just wanted to say that I really liked what you had to say there. Too often I’ve encountered people who can’t differentiate between something God doesn’t like and God hating that person. I’ve done some things in my life I’m not proud of and even more often I’ve been through things I wish I’d never been subjected to. But I’ve come out changed and stronger for it. Being told that I’m an evil person or that God hates me for those things is not healing or helpful. Being told that I’m loved and forgive *is*. So thanks for keeping with that message.
27.
Cecilia | August 15, 2009 at 10:34 am
I’m so very sorry for the storm you find yourself in, or at least the storm you were in, the aftermath can be pretty cruel too. However, whenever I’ve found myself (and my marriage) in the midst of crisis and yes rather painful too, I’ve found shelter, comfort and strenght to carry on for my 2-daughters (10 and 8) through the one language that my “G-d” and I have found to communicate better, songs, music, His word. So during those crisis there’s an specific song that my “G-d” has for me alone (all I have to do is listen) and through it and His living word I’m able to hang-on for dear life, and today I want to share 2 songs that have been my anthem for the last 6 months or so: 1) “Whatever you’re doing” -Sanctus Real and 2) “When you spoke my name” -Mercyme. Even in the midst of your lonliness and the sometimes annoing business of your everyday life G-d is still listening and whispering to your ear, (hello??) not to mention the priceless company that Phoebe offers you. Hang-on, and hold-on tight there’s more for you to encounter and more for you to share and encourage… “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace”
28.
Frank Zieglar | August 20, 2009 at 2:16 am
The scriptures say that ‘the two become one flesh’. Divorce rips that in half which is always painful. Staying faithful to God might not make it less painful, but can make it more bearable.
I always urge, if at all possible, seeking to win back your spouse. It’s rarely possible. Don’t move on until the door to reconciliation is shut, locked, welded, bricked, concreted, and pretty much impossible to re-open. I believe that’s Biblical, since remarriage is spoken against.
Stay strong in the Lord and don’t worry about comics until the skies clear up.
29.
BenSpark | August 25, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Hi Wes,
First off I’m sorry to hear about your divorce. I saw the facebook status change long ago but never heard much more about it and didn’t want to pry. I just noticed the link to this blog even though I go to the site for the comics every day and still missed it.
Keep up heart my friend.