The thrill of victory

Fun for me is creating new things, solving problems well -- overcoming challenges with images, design, and even writing -- is my experience of fun.

At my job, I often do all these things at once.

The most fun you can have with your clothes on is creating something that satisfies your own aesthetic and ideas, that is new, that is "yours"and then discovering that others enjoy it as well. This happened this year for me when my illustration, "year of the dog" won first place at the regional Society of Professional Journalists annual awards ceremony.

My blue dog springs from my love of using certain computer tools to draw, studies and research of Chinese astrology images, and then many drawings honed to this spectacular little fellow.

When I submitted it to my colleagues, they just shrugged. Some thought it was nice, good enough to stick on the newspaper where I work but nothing special. Others criticized and laughed at me to the point of cruelty. Still, I loved it.

When they called my name at the awards dinner it was sweet revenge. Walking home that night I was singing to the stars, which seemed somehow to be shining brighter.