Dear friends,
We need to talk.
In recent days I had a lot of time to think, once again, about where to go with my Happysad cartoon. After a lot of deep soul searching, I’ve come to the conclusion that I should end the series. I always knew Happysad couldn’t go on forever. It had to end some day, and that day has now come.
I realise this must come as a shock to many, and I apologize to everyone who feels sad and disappointed because of my decision. It is an awfully painful and difficult decision for me as well, but I feel I must take it.
I’m in desparate need for change in my life, and I’ve realised I can no longer wait for change to just happen, to appear out of thin air. I have to work for it myself. And change cannot come as long as I keep doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.
I know many of you will sorely miss the little dude, and believe me when I say I will miss him terribly too. It feels like losing a limb. My cartoons have given me a unique opportunity for creative and even therapeutic self-expression, and a wonderful way of reaching out to so many other people in the world. I could never have imagined this would happen when I made the very first one.
I’ve been drawing Happysad for almost 7 years now, and published more than 1500 cartoons. It has become harder and harder to come up with new ideas. But the real issue is that I believe the cartoon has ultimately kept me from moving on with my life, and this is what I want to do now.
I’m sorry I can’t offer a more happy ending. Life, unfortunately, is not a Hollywood movie. But I take comfort in the fact that the cartoons have brightened the days of so many people, and I want to thank everyone of you for all the support, the many kind comments and mails, and the warmth you have returned to me in the past years.
I especially want to thank my muses, from the bottom of my heart, for all the inspiration they have given me. They are and always will be unimaginably important to me.
I have no idea what I will do next. I expect I will keep posting some stuff on my website, I just don’t know what yet. Maybe I’ll come up with something new, maybe I’ll write more things instead of drawing. Who knows, maybe one day Happysad might return if and when a new muse shows up. You never know. But for now, I’m done.
It’s been one hell of a ride. Thank you once again. Don’t forget me.
Jeroen
I’m just giving my mind some rest right now. These things can’t be forced anyway. Funny thing is that in the past few days there have been a few situations where I thought: Hmm, this might make for a good Happysad cartoon! The old reflexes are still there. Maybe they will fade away in time, or maybe not, I don’t know.
