Author Archives: Jeroen

About Jeroen

I'm a cartoonist. Yeah, a real one, I swear. It's just because man cannot live on bread alone that I just happen to work in a bank, also.

New Year’s resolutions

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I know. Many of us make them, but few manage to successfully live up to them. So I thought that maybe it would strengthen my commitment if I shared my good intentions with a few hundreds of people. Then who knows, a few of them might hold me accountable, get back to me in about half a year and ask: “So, how’s the commitment to your goals?”. By ending Happysad, I’ve already made a clear decision to work on changing myself, but now it’s up to me to deliver the goods. That’s why I need to set specific goals for 2013. Let me share them with you.

 
Regain enthusiasm. First and foremost, I want to become enthusiastic again. About anything. Anything that can motivate me again. You may not tell from the cartoons(?), but in reality I’m turning into a cynical, grumpy old man. Nothing really stimulates me, there’s hardly any passion in the things I do. Even drawing cartoons often started to feel more like a chore than a fun hobby. I need to rekindle the fire before it dies out completely.

 
Get energized. Get inspired. In order to reverse the downward spiral of apathy and laziness, I need two things: energy and ideas. Last year, I’ve started to eat more healthily and get more exercise. I picked up running in June and it went very well, until the shitty autumn weather made me stop in October. Stupid, I know. I’ll pick it up again soon, and go for a run at least twice a week. This, I hope, will not only invigorate my body, but also my mind. Because in order to achieve my main goal, I need to get fresh ideas, about what to do and where to go. I know the inspiration is somewhere inside me, I just need to unlock it.

 
Leave my comfort zone. Probably the biggest challenge of all. Merely coming up with fresh ideas, whether they’re related to cartoons or to something completely different, is not enough. I will need to follow through on them, even if (or especially when) they compel me to leave my comfort zone. Too many times I have missed out on opportunities because of this eternally paralyzing “but what if…?”-thinking. I will find the courage to try out new things and to take risks I’ve been avoiding for too long. This includes making an extra effort to try and meet new people, both in my direct surroundings and in other parts of the world I haven’t seen yet.

 
Those are my resolutions. So what are your plans for this year?

Best wishes

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Hi everyone.

I wanted to drop by to say how much I appreciate all the lovely reactions I’ve received from you. It is really heartwarming to get such a positive and encouraging response, despite the sad announcement I’ve made. This makes it so much easier for me as well.

In case you were wondering, no I haven’t come up with a new comic yet :-) 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.

There was one last thing I wanted to mention: I forgot to say thanks specifically to the “hard core” fans who returned daily to my site and commented very frequently on my cartoons. I’m not going to list them, in case I would forget someone, but you know who you are. I will however make one exception. Boodie, you have indeed been one of my most loyal fans for a very very long time, and I just wanted to tell you: I’m sorry I made you cry. I hope you’re feeling better now.

Now this is for all of you:

Have a great year!

Jeroen

Goodbye

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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