Cartoon of an elf and Santa Claus. The elf says, “What do you mean there’ll be no Christmas bonus?”

Kudos to Dan Roam’s new book, “Blah, Blah, Blah: What to do when words won’t work.” I read his earlier book, “The Back of the Napkin,” because I wanted to use my pictures while teaching kids. Roam’s new book takes the idea of incorporating pictures and words even further. I bought this book on Friday. it was so good, I devoured it in the last forty-eight hours!

I especially loved in the beginning where he tells how Dr. Seuss made such an impression on him as a child as well as others. Lately, I’ve heard doomsayers announce the death of picture books. This book shows that we need pictures to go with our words more than ever because we need both to really learn something. I highly recommend it for anyone who gives presentations, teaches, or just wants to get an idea across in the most effective way.

You can on the image above to order a copy.

You can also check out his web site at danroam.com.

Chip gives Rodney a cheery greeting. Rodney sees it as a veiled threat.

This was the first in a series of comic strips I drew for a NAEN Ministries about ten years ago. The ministry has since left the Internet, so it was time to bring them back.

Chip is a nice guy working in a technology company. Rodney is the bitter, older curmudgeon who sees Chip’s cheery disposition and a threat to all humanity. Yet, they seem to get along.

I’ll see about posting the strip each Monday.

Cartoon of a man in a fetal position. He says to another, "I'm okay. This is just how I get creative."

In high school, I had a graphic design teacher that loved to spout adages. One of his favorites was, “limitation is the basis for all creativity.”

I’d love to know whether he made that up or if he got that quote from someone. I googled the phrase and nothing came up. There were a few lines that began with “limitation is the basis of…” but then it went into something altogether different.

At the time, I thought he was talking about the limits of design technology. Back then, a personal computer was a novelty. Anything you created had to be for the limits of the printing presses or silkscreen printing. High tech was anything that could be done in a dark room with film or Photostat paper.

Thirty years later, the phrase still rings true to me. When you are limited with your resources, you learn to use your creativity. If all you have is a paper bag, you can learn to make the most use of it.

Sometimes, I get stuck on what tools I have at my disposal. I think I can’t be creative unless I have the latest hardware or software upgrades. I must remind myself that if I face a limit, it’s a golden opportunity to use my creativity.

Have you ever faced a limitation that ended up giving you a creative boost? Feel free to post it in the comments.

Cartoon of two business people. The business man says, “I like to celebrate the small victories. Today, I didn’t spill breakfast on me.”