The story of shitshark:

I made this sketch of the shitshark awhile ago and have taken my sweet time to get around to printing and putting it up for sale in my shop and I wanted to share a little anecdote about the origins of this print because I finally am comfortable enough with the situation to make something of it.

Last month, I lost my retail job at a baby goods store. I was actually fired. I've never been fired before. Admittedly, It was not a good fit for me and I was happy to go, but, the experience stings nonetheless. So, I walked home and when the panicky feeling of an uncertain financial future began sinking in, I set out to make a list. The list was going to include all the places I could look for a job, ways to cut down on spending and just a big brainstorm of solutions to help me feel like I was going to be ok.

I started at the top of the page where I usually put my list title and I wrote (in my finest script):
"shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"
Followed by:
"I don't know what to do."

I stared at this page for a moment feeling lost before noticing that the cursive i's looked like waves. Then I drew a shark jumping out of the i-waves at a startled seagull. The sketch amused me and summed up how I was feeling at the moment. I never got around to making the rest of the list. I spent the day drawing and realized that this job loss was an opportunity to try to make Argyle Whale my career.

I wish I had the chance to prepare for the transition and save up a bit more money but as scary as the endeavor is, things are going well. I feel very optimistic about 2009!