Advice For The Homeless Or Those Fearing Becoming So

By Someone Who Did It Himself; Didn't Research It, Experienced It.

The year was 1997. I had left my home of Hattiesburg, Ms in 1988 simply for "not fitting in". I

remember at age seventeen feeling lost after my parents divorced and when it was time to go to college

a year later, I enrolled, but for no specific reason. I was raised in an upper middle class family involved

in real estate, something I hated, and I was not particularly fond of my hometown as well (and vice

versa).

I did try a four-year stint in my father's real estate company which was dismal at best.

I was a good writer, but I was a self-trained writer and I really didn't know what to do with it.

In 1988, I left Mississippi and vowed never to return. I took odd jobs in various sections of the

media such as radio announcer, newspaper ad sales, tv production etc.

By 1994, I had lived and worked in Miami, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. I

still was lost. I was one of those proverbial souls "Where you go, there you are."

What was odd was I just wanted to learn. I guess I also had exploration in my soul. So around

1993, while in Los Angeles, I took screen writing workshops and actually completed two full-length

films. Neither went into development.

It was about that time my mother called with cancer and within a week the Northridge Earthquake

hit and I knew it was time to go home. I spent the next three years caring for my mother until her

death.

During that time, I had "writer's block", not that I had written anything of great importance, but I did

take pride in my ability to write "funny". I could write cartoon concepts, blueprint how they would look

and write captions. I did this to keep my mind busy and sane (or as sane as it could be). When mom

died, I was too depressed to work (I had been selling ads at a CBS TV affiliate) and just sat around the

apartment. Then my little bit of money ran out. I had no idea I would become one of the statistics

of homelessness. But it was about to happen.

I went to a kindly social worker friend who offered me a beat up metal warehouse to rest my

head. I had some beat up clothes, a sleeping bag, a dog, and a book titled "Internet For Dummies" (I

had figured one day I would become an e-commerce mogul) but I knew it was getting late in life.

I was already in my early forties and most of the e-millionaires were in their 20's, some younger.

So I bought a used computer for $100, a phone line and dial up Internet service, read the

dummies book, got a free website, and got to work.

Before I discovered websites with artist's portfolios, I was contacted by an artist friend who

thought he'd like to give it a try, that is, I write the cartoon concepts and captions, and he would render

them. By then, I was writing about a hundred or more a week.

By the time we created about a hundred black and white cartoons Richard (Larson) was forced

to quit to take care of family responsibilities. We were not making much money either, though we

did make one relatively large sale from a tee shirt company in San Diego.

My (few) friends that I had were pressuring me to quit, buy a suit and go back into the 9-5

world. I tried again and I just couldn't do it. The creative bug had become a demon and it was

not about to go away. Whereas I used to read self-help books, I was now reading autobiographies

of great creators. I was also suffering from major depression, which had been an ongoing theme

since childhood. Suddenly I picked up the autobiography of Charles Schultz, creator of Peanuts.

He spoke freely about his depression and how his making people happy and to make them laugh

was therapy for him. I knew that is what I needed also. So I continued.

Along the way, I learned to work the Internet, place ads for illustrators, sign contracts, create

cartoons and post them on our free website (which had more pop-up ads than cartoons); those kinds

of sites are sponsored by advertising which is why they are free (and aggravating to the visitor).

A few years went by, I was losing illustrators left and right, but occasionally making some

sales. Then more sales. More cartoons were being created. I was writing more. One time I had

a team of up to twelve illustrators working with me at one time and I was cranking out several

hundred cartoons a week.

My family lived in my hometown where I was creating my “cartoon empire” and were

embarrassed of me. Word got back to me often that “I caused them shame”. I did not care.

I knew my gift, if I had any gift at all was “to create things to make people laugh.” I prayed

a lot and continue to do so to this day for direction. I never was very religious but brought

up Jewish and have a strong belief in G-d. That has gotten me through all this, I am certain.

I feel safe that He looks after me with all my foibles.

In 2001, I took out a map, and put my finger on a city. It was Hot Springs, Ar. I knew nothing

about Hot Springs, Ar except I had a maternal great aunt here who ran a candy factory back in the

days when Al Capone was here starting his gambling empire. She loved it. So I picked up

and moved. A few months later I suffered a major heart attack and was not certain I would make

it. I did (obviously).

I was by then on disability and suffered from both depression and heart disease. I would

later learn I had TRD (Treatment Resistant Depression). I had tried the myriad of medicines, talk

and group therapy, and nothing worked. In September of 2005 the vagus nerve stimulator was

approved for TRD. I was the first (or one of the first) in Arkansas to receive it. Depression has

been gone (or at a minimal most days since the procedure). It has been a blessing.

I now have one of the most visited cartoon websites on the Internet and it has been in

Alexa and Netcraft's top ratings since 2005. Some critics have compared it favorably to The

Far Side. I would never put myself in that league but it is quite a compliment since Gary Larson

certainly was my main inspiration.

In September I opened an online superstore which features over 65,000 licensed cartoon

gifts and collectibles.

In October, I launched my own line of gourmet coffees which are actually cartoon

gourmet gift baskets “Ruth London's Exquisite Coffees” which I named after my

maternal grandmother Ruth London whom I loved dearly.

A few days ago I launched a cartoon ecard subscription-based website.

I am a third year business student at Western Governors University.

All this sounds like “bragging rights”. It is not. My main problem, from the

consequence of living with major depression was not the depression itself, but society's

reaction to it. It frightened them. And I understand why. If I see someone with depression,

though I am not as frightened, because I understand it more, it still can instill fear. Not

everyone with depression is motivated to relieve that depression, or even know that they

can do so. Many think it is their fate and live with it. Some have TRD which is very

misdiagnosed by even the best of medical professionals and could get relief from vns

therapy as I did.

Many do not know that the Internet can now bring education to them. They need not

attend a physical campus except to take proctored exams.

Many are not aware they can build businesses on the Internet when the “old boy network”

which used to be powerful (the Internet kind of crashed their party), and work their way

out of homelessness or poverty.

I am not here to say it is easy. All this has happened to me since 1997 and it was a

process. One cannot be self-destructive and expect results. One must learn discipline.

I am still learning it. I have a long way to go.

But one can succeed. I live in America. I am an American. America is forgiving and

gives second chances and opportunities are in front of us all the time. Sometimes we are

too tired or depressed to see them.

The main thing is not to give up. No, you may not have my same talents or skills but you

do have something. Whatever that is, the Internet has more information on it and places

that will help you find even more information. Libraries are now on the Internet.

No the Internet is not a cure for depression any more than psychiatry is. Psychiatry will

give us the tools to cope with what is bothering us, and the Internet will offer information to

use the tools given to us by the medical community to work, research and be a productive

member of society.

Working at home is fine (even if its a metal warehouse). A very large percentage of

people who used to work in corporate America now work at home, mostly on the Internet.

Many living in poverty have told me they don't have $300 or can afford the Internet. All it

takes is a library card (free) and the librarian will usually help you get started. You can

spend as many days in there as you wish (usually 2 hours at a time) but many libraries overlook

that rule. When I couldn't afford a computer, I made good friends with the librarians and at times

they let me spend most the day there working on my projects.

Keep trying. You will make mistakes. You will run into sharks with misinformation who

are trying to make money off of you to teach you to make money (there are lots of ebooks

out there for sale on how to make money on the Internet). Are there good ones? I don't know.

I've bought many and they all have the same information that is available free on the Internet.

Are all psychiatrists good? What do you think? They are like any other profession. Some

great, some dismal. Ask questions. Let them know your issues. Hold nothing back. Ask

them their solutions for your issues. If you are not satisfied, keep looking. It is a free

country. Nobody can hold you hostage to their professional advice.

In the end, it is up to you, and me. Let's do it. For more info: rick@londonstimes.us

Rick London is a return to school adult student majoring in business at Western Governor's University. He has worked in media and public relations for two decades and health reasons forced him into early retirement. But he says “My brain keeps working....or that's a matter of opinion I guess,”. London now owns three websites:

Londons Times Cartoons: www.londonstimes.us (One of the largest inventories of single-panel offbeat cartoons on the Internet)

Londons Times Superstore: www.londonstimessuperstore.com (High quality affordable cartoon licensed brand merchandise such as wall clocks, tee shirts, caps, key chains, wall clocks, etc.

Londons Times Ecards: “SmartEcards For The Intellectual” http://www.londonstimes.us/ecards/ecards.html

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