Joe Murray's Journal

Happy New Year !

My daughters said I was too serious on my video blogs, so they taped me dancing on Christmas day in my barn. Hope you enjoy!

” The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”

-Michelangelo

” I am looking for those who have an infinite capacity to not know what can’t be done.” - Henry Ford

I love both of these quotes, but I especially relate to the second one in finding others to share the journey. I’m finding this right now as I put together a network to make KaboingTV happen. Many say, “Why don’t you just  pitch to a network again and do another show the traditional way? It would be much easier.”

Well… I don’t find doing things the same way they were done before easy. I find them boring and of no real purpose to furthering creative growth. I know this animation site with all original content was tried before with Icebox, but I see what may have gone wrong with that model ( also, the technology was not there yet.) But too many people say, “Its been tried before. Give up on it.”

I won’t. Nor am I giving up on my movie “FishHead” . Yes, I have a lot on my plate, but over time these projects will bear fruit.

What really keeps me going about KaboingTV, is creating a model that others can follow, so that talented cartoon creators and animators can side step the gate keepers and find their audience.

It can be done.

Happy Birthday to my Niece Nichole!

Here is my Christmas Video Blog “Joe draws a Dyspeptic Santa”! Hope you enjoy it. And Merry Christmas all!

Sad to hear about Roy Disney’s passing. He was a great champion for animation, and for keeping the Disney company from abandoning it altogether. ( Several times.)  At least they were able to pass the baton to Lasseter before Roy died. I feel Lasseter will keep the flame going. ( Disney Inc. is too much of a Conglom-O for my tastes, but they have done a lot for animation.)

Speaking of animation, I’m in the process of going through the first proof pass on my book. I think we may go behind schedule a bit. But it’s best that the book come out right than quickly.

Thanks for every one’s positive response to my first attempts at video blogging. There will be more. It’s just a little more time consuming than typing.

Off to another KaboingTV meeting.

My first installment of “How to draw…” videos. This one, of course, Rocko.

Hope you enjoy.  Don’t laugh at me singing the Rocko theme song while drawing.

Hey! My first video blog. More stuff to get out of my head, except with my head on camera.

“There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams. Go into the third category because there’s virtually no competition.”

– Steven J Ross

At times I reflect on my life as a series of steps that lead to crazy places. From the moment I started producing creative projects, there has always been a pattern of thought:  First the thought is:

-Wow, wouldn’t it be great to do……

followed by;

Is it possible? Can it be done? Yes, but it’s gonna be a pain in the ass to get that part done, and this part done…..

followed by;

Oh crap, I think I’m gonna have to go for this. Why do I do this to myself?

Followed by:

If it’s meant to work out, it will. If not, I will have learned a lot.

Ending with:

“Well, that was interesting. It worked but not the way I totally planned.” Or “Well that failed miserably.Now I have to clean up the explosion and start on my next crazy project.”

I’m in the stage right now where I’m kinda kicking myself about having to venture out of my comfort zones. But as Winston Churchill says:

“If you are going through hell, keep going”.

For anyone who was curious what Santa’s bathroom looks like. A production background key from the Camp Lazlo Christmas episode.

“There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.” — Josiah Gilbert Holland

Thanks to Chris D. for sending along this quote. For anyone who works on animation, we all know that patience is the key to maintaining any sort of sanity. I watched the animated “Old Man and the Sea” by Aleksandr Petrov again last night. What a beautiful film. To have two years of someones life’s work go by in a half hour is one way to look at it, but to see a lasting masterpiece that will last generations, thats the perception to hold onto.

I’m totally going nuts with trying to get this video blogging thing going. Found out I was a little behind the curve with video editing because my Power Macs are not equipped with an Intel Processor. ( When did Intel and all of the video camera makers have such a mass orgy? I missed it.)

Anyway, one Final Cut Pro 7 upgrade, and new Macbook Pro later, I think I’m close. We will see. Not that I’m excited about having my mug on camera, ( I’m freaked out about that really.) I’d like to share a trip I made where I saw the old building where we did the Rocko pilot up in Saratoga.

I’m also tripping on the amount of work I’ve been doing getting this new site up and running, while still working on Fish Head.

Then there’s Christmas around the corner. Holy Crap. I need to stay calm.

Keep those gingerbread latte’s away from me please.

Copenhagen Climate Conference

Lets send positive energy to the Copenhagen Climate Conference that is happening right now in Denmark.  Governmental representatives from over 170 countries will be attending ( including US President Obama) to attack this problem globally. I heard on NPR this morning that the  EPA for the United States has finally declared Carbon emissions hazardous to the health of the American people. Something advocates have been trying to do through the whole Bush administration. Obviously carbon emissions from the US is hazardous to people all over the world, but this paves the way for stricter standards.

On this subject, Annie Leonard ( Story of Stuff) has a new film out called “The Story of Cap and Trade”. It talks about some failed solution suggestions to deal with this crisis in a way we can all understand. Check it out!