I've 'tweaked' the cartoons a bit by 1) Drawing fewer 'inside jokes' that only Native people would understand, and making them more universal. You’ve been drawing “Without Reservations” since 2006. I didn't know of any other Native cartoonists at that time, no. Were there other Native American cartoonists in other newspapers then? I explained that I was standing before them with my drawings and asked why did I have to go all the way to Florida? They were like, 'Look, I told you - you have to go to Florida.' This went on, back and forth, for ten minutes until finally she said 'Ok, let me see them.' She read the nine I had with me and laughed and within minutes several people were in there laughing and she said, 'We HAVE to have this in the paper.” The rest is history. They explained that I had to go through a syndicate in Florida, which sent the plate that the cartoon page was on. They said no and as an afterthought I asked if they would check out my cartoons because I had my drawing pad with me. I originally walked into the Santa Fe New Mexican newsroom to ask if they needed any freelance writers because I loved to write. Was it hard to convince the Santa Fe New Mexican to give you a column? It was simply one of my friends, who played basketball, standing at the free throw line and everyone is yelling at him to shoot the ball as he cries out, 'Don't yell at me!' Pretty lame, right? But I was 12 and that was funny to me.

The first cartoon I ever drew wound up in our school's newsletter back in 7th grade. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so yes, cartoons definitely make it easier to get my point across for my readers. I found cartooning to be the best way to get my point across because I, along with many other kids back then, struggled with English as our second language.ĭo cartoons offer a means of expression that other outlets don’t? Why were you attracted to cartoons as a way to get your message across?

Without reservations cartoon