As a woodcarver, I carved over 200 different cartoon-like characters in wood.  I chose to do this, because I have always liked to make people laugh...and I got many laughs during that time.  I also carved religious pieces, such as a 14 piece Manger Set, and a few wildlife piece, but my heart was set on the cartoon-like pieces.  I carved a variety of animals and human pieces, and most of the pieces were small...about 6-8 inches tall. 

As I said in the intro...I took chances with my pieces, and I never sold enough to make a living, but I sold enough to pay for expenses.  Part of the challenge for me, was to take risks...carve things that other people don't think of and see what happens. 

Ants In Their Pants:  These were little incect figures which resembled ants, and I used weaving string for the legs, etc.  I painted little cover-alls on them in a variety of colors, and they sat at the front of the display, to make sure people saw them.  I sold them for only a dollar, but at one show, I sold over 100 of them.  These little pieces were made from the scraps of the wood, I used for the other larger pieces.  They were quite popular and they helped to pay the bills. 

I carved whatever came to mind, and see what it would do. 

Flu Bug Sick In Bed With the Flu:  I carved a little bug similar to the ants, and put it a little bed, complete with sheets and a pillow.  It was painted green.  The little caption that went with the piece read, 'Flu Bug sice in bed with the flu.'  I sold several of them. 

Little Black Bear Cub in a Red and White Highchair: This piece was my best seller.  As soon I put this piece on the display...it was gone.  I used to take about a dozen of these pieces with me, and I would sell them all. 

Every time I sold one of these crazy pieces, I would ask the person who bought it, why they bought the piece, and the answer was always the same..."Because I like it." 

Lion In a Bathtub; This piece was my second best selling piece.  It was a little lion sitting in a bathtub.  A woman asked me one time at a show, "Why is that lion sitting in a bathtub?"  I didn't know how to answer her, so I said, "Why not?" 

I carved animal figures of all kinds...dogs; cats; elephants; racoons; owls; you name it.  The most difficult to carve?  Probably the giraffe and the octopus.  The octopus was on display at Octopus Car Wash for awhile.  I don't have any photos of these pieces, because in 2005, I was hospitalized for over three months...and during that time I lost all my possessions...and all the photos, negatives, slides, etc., went out the window.  I was in the hospital during Katrina, and now I knew how it feels to lose all your possessions! 

Too many to list here, I carved a VW with two front ends; parents running away from home; a worm in an apple (teacher); kangaroo/with baby in pouch; a caterpillar wearing a brown derby climbing a brance; a cluncky cow and the list goes on and on. 

I don't have any photos of my work to show here, because of what happened to me, but the reader can see a little of what I accomplished as a woodcarver at the following link;

WOOD you believe...I was a woodcarver?

Putting captions on wood figures;    It all started in 1976, when I participated in a three day  arts and crafts show in Old Town in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The first two days went well, as far as sales were concerned.  On the third day (Sunday), I felt like messing around, and I had some white card stock with me, and I cut the card stock in small pieces (2" X 4") and write a caption on it with a black felt pen.  I placed the caption next to the wooden figure doing the talking.  (this was taking chances before hundreds of people at an arts and crafts show)

I know this sounds weird to the reader, but this is how I took a chance out in public, and how captioning my work came about, etc.  During the day, I placed several captions on my wooden figures, to see what would happen with the public stopping by to see my work.  For example; The wooden skunk, which measured about 5" tall, the caption read; "Help Stop Pollution."  The caption for the little lion in the bathtub read; "Hi there...I'm a Leo."...and so forth. 

People would stop by the display, and read the captions next to the wooden figures, and so, at the time, I didn't know want to think.  They seemed to like them, and they would stay for awhile and read the short captions.  As it turned out, whenever someone would buy a wooden figure, they would ask me if the little caption came with the piece, and I would say yes! 

In a small way, this is how my interest in writing began...by writing captions for the wooden figures.  Later, it prooved so successful, that I wrote captions for nearly all my wooden pieces, which eventually reached over 200 different figures.  Later, I wroted how the idea for the piece came about, and described the piece. 

Many years later, and in the year 2001, when I built my website...the transformation to placing captions on graphics...rather than on wooden figures was easy...as I had been doing it for so long.  But, I took chances on placing the captions on the graphics on my website...now I dealing with a world-wide audience, instead of a smaller local audience. 

The reader can see how all these captions on graphics on my website on the following link;

Website name; humordoctormd
Over 100 colorful pages;
Humor and creativity just seem to go together.

House Call;  When I first came online several years ago, I had to develop a way to market my website, and stay away from spamming others.  I did it with my 'getting acquainted' expedition, in which I would visit websites and leave my message...but making sure I would personalize the short piece, to stay away from spam.  Over the years, I've done this hundreds of times, and I've never had a complaint of spam.  I describe how I did this in this article...and I continus to do this in the year 2011. 

I started writing seriously at the end of 2006, and so I call myself an aspiring writer.  This is where it all started...by posting my articles at an article directory. 

EzineArticles.com (article directory)

This is a great place for a beginner in writing or a young person to start, because there are 'live' editors, and every article has to be accepted before being published.  There are lots of rules to go by, and I think this is good for the writer.  After posting about 100 articles (two years later), I left the directory, because I wanted to take more chances with my articles, so I came to Authors Den where there are few rules.  I started taking chances right away, and many of my articles at Authors Den, would not be accepted at the directory for many different reasons. 

After five years in writing, over 100 (different) of my articles have been published on more than 500 websites on the Internet.  The list can be seen at the following link;

Articles Published Page;

I think many of my articles have been published, because took chances with my ideas, etc.  Here at Authors Den, I didn't have to worry about a 'live' editor or a publisher...putting pressure on me or rejection slips, which would affect my writing style...and worse yet...my confidence in writing, etc. 

Regardless of the profession, occupation or sport, I think everyone has to take a chance (risk) with common sense (whatever that is) from time to time. See ya...

SITE MAP For Hopelessly Lost Souls;
Copyright; 2011; Jerry Aragon; The Humor Doctor; 
Website name; humordoctormd