Compassion: Cartoon
Quotes from Inspirational Folks
Human beings naturally compare themselves to one another. Millennials use this to their advantage by
measuring success in different ways. Instead of measuring themselves against
one another and letting others choose what is valuable, millennials decide for
themselves. By doing this, they are able to create entirely new industries and
transform lives.
Founded by individuals just starting their careers, Twitter,
Instagram, and Facebook have become powerful media launching pads for young
people to realize their dreams. With nearly 200,000 likes on Facebook, Zen Pencils is a website designed by
Gavin Aung Than who left his job in the corporate graphic design industry to
live out his passion for illustration and cartooning. His website showcases
inspirational quotes from famous people in comics and cartoons.
Than has literally drawn attention to many controversial
news stories from around the world. Over 400 of his comic strips and
illustrations have been featured in leading publications including The Washington Post, The Huffington Post,
Slate, Buzzfeed, Gawker, Upworthy, Herald Sun and Daily Telegraph. He has
also published several books composed of best comics. Most of his drawings
feature sentimental illustrations in support of human rights and social justice,
particularly in support of artistry and self- expression.
There is no time for writer’s block. Comic creation takes
diligent constant attention. Than takes a quote and devises an entire panel of
art from it. His favorite quotes come from American cartoonist Bill Waterson.
“A person happy doing his own work is usually considered an eccentric, if not a
subversive. Ambition is only understood if it’s to rise to the top of some
imaginary ladder of success, as if a job title and salary are the sole measure
of human worth. To invent your own life’s meaning is not easy but it’s still
allowed and I think you will be happier for the trouble.”
Making the World a Happier Place
Beginning her career with Teach for America, Natasha
Vaynblat used her experiences in the classroom to transform her fears and
self-deprecation into artless performance. After four years teaching inner city
kids of New York, she gained the courage to pursue her dream of comedy. She now
writes and performs for the Upright Citizen Brigade Theater and co-writes the
YouTube clip show, Girls Writer’s Room.
Vaynblat notes that it takes a great deal of creativity to
handle the classroom. She used to take a frying pan into work to bang against
the wall if her student’s got too loud. No one in the administration told her
to stop. Her ingenuity didn’t end here.
During one particular lesson when one of her more
challenging students dozed off, she wrote on the projector that the class was
to complete a surprise quiz. All they had to do was write “we do not sleep in
class”. She told the class that for the rest of the lesson she would speak only
in Russian. When the perplexed student awoke, Vaynblat was speaking in Russian
and the rest of the class looked like everything was perfectly normal. The next
day, the student fell asleep, again.
Novel Rule Breakers
Millennials are not afraid of holding back, expressing themselves,
or being rejected. Being vulnerable can actually breed the most courage. It
takes inner strength to take active steps to outrun old conditioning when
others choose complacency.
At the age of 25, Laci
Green was frustrated by the treatment of sex education in her community.
The way America treats sex is fear driven. At planned parenthood, Laci used trust,
communication, safety and knowledge are the primary motivating factors behind her
sex-ed series. In order to reach more people, she decided to use YouTube as a
platform to talk about everything sex related inlcluding body image,
masturbation, losing one’s virginity, being in long term relationships, sexting
and sexuality. She uses a down-to-earth conversational style to promote open,
honest dialogue around sex. After accruing over a million followers, she is now
a highly vocal feminist with her own MTV show called braless.
With every new development in technology, it is inevitable
that people will use it to connect with each other in more intimate ways. It
allows people to feel closer for long distance couples and can bring excitement
to exploratory and open-minded singles. There are fewer barriers and more
accessibility to share sex messages. Green has tips to explore sex responsibly
through technology. Some advice: send faceless pictures, explore your comfort
level in terms of who you share intimate content, be in control of your actions
instead of appealing to someone else, make sure your partners have as much
respect for you as you do for them.
Remember Matilda? Actress Mara Mara Wilson, now a prolific writer
and tweeter, accompanied Green on her sex series to talk about the importance
of making sex a positive part of life. At the age of 26, Wilson recounts
growing up with casual sexism that prompted her to become a feminist. She
emphasizes that being a feminist means not judging women for their gender or
appearance but by their actions. A lot of people think the fast track to
adulthood is by being sexy. In reality one’s appearance is not for the masses
and people are more than what they look like.
Some of the most impressive and authentic people of this
generation have been discovered on social media. Grace Helbig, Hannah Hart and
Mamrie Hart are YouTube’s “holy
trinity.” These three close comedic
friends that also made their public debut on YouTube and now have several
movies, podcasts and books where they mentor their growing audience navigate
adulthood. Helbig has garnered a massive audience from her Daily Grace YouTube show and is now transitioning to an E! late night talk show. She plans to
interview, sing songs, and act out skits with major stars with the aplomb and
honesty of an awkward older sister.
This is not a derogatory, ill-fitting persona. The awkward
older sister is becoming a powerful presence in the media and particularly on
YouTube. Twentysomethings have taken the reins of social media posting
unfettered advice, music videos and how-to instructional recordings assuring
teens that it is perfectly normal and even encouraged to get messy and make
mistakes.
Hannah and Mamrie have also scored millions of views for
their equally friendly and funny videos. Hannah accumulated over 100,000 hits on
YouTube after posting a video chatting with a friend while making a grilled
cheese sandwich without any cheese. After viewers asked for more episodes, she
compiled a series of recordings into the hit show My Drunk Kitchen, where she has celebrity guests make food while
mildly intoxicated. Her channel has won
the Streamy Award for Best Female Performance in a Comedy as well as Best
Comedy and in 2014, Hannah co-hosted the 4th Streamy Awards with
Grace Helbig. Hannah now has over 2 million subscribers, over 170 million views
and has already completed a world tour.
With over 900,000 subscribers, over 42 million views, Mamrie
Hart has also won a Streamy Award for Best Actress in a Comedy for her YouTube
show You Deserve a Drink, and
published a book of the same title. Mamrie frequently collaborates with Grace
and Hannah. In 2012, they created a live variety show called #NoFilter with
comedy sketches, improve, giveaways, and songs. They star in a film Hannah
co-wrote called Camp Takota which
released in 2014. Behind the comedy is a simple message: go after what is most
important to you and find the humor behind every adventure.
When we give and open ourselves to vulnerability, something
magical happens; we become more of who we are. Clearly, this is a gift
millennials refuse to waste.
