Today I took myself to Kinko’s to design and print Christmas cards. I haven’t done anything like this in a long time, at least not in a professional-feeling way. It reminded me of the years I spent studying graphic design at Cal State Fullerton, wondering if all that time with composition, typography, and layout would ever amount to something. Walking in with my photos and artwork of Whiskey the Kitty, I felt like the old Dan was waking up—the designer, the artist, the guy who used to believe he could take on the world with an Apple Pencil and a good idea.
Once I started laying out the card—Whiskey’s big green eyes, some fun holiday typography, a splash of my personal style—I remembered something important: I’m still good at this. I rent Adobe Creative Cloud. I stay upgraded on the software. I even keep up with the new AI tools. I’m not some washed-up grad from 2008. I’m still in the fight. I may not have gotten a design job right out of school, but maybe I’m more ready for one now than I ever was back then.
When the project was done, the Kinko’s worker told me the price per card would be over fourteen dollars. Fourteen dollars. For one card. That’s the kind of number that makes you check the floor for the gold flakes you must have accidentally spilled into the printer. Fortunately, that wasn’t the final cost. I worked a deal for twenty cards for fifty bucks—about $2.50 each. The same price I’d pay if I bought them at a store, only these are mine, made with my art and Whiskey’s little face.
Mom and I grabbed enchiladas at Wahoo’s afterward. Normally, food is a trigger. Eat → smoke → return to work → smoke again. It used to be a reward system: “Finish this layout, treat yourself to a cigarette.” But today was different. I had some small cravings after eating, but when I was working on that design—seeing it come together, seeing Whiskey look like a real holiday superstar—I didn’t want to smoke. The art was the reward. The progress was the high.
No nicotine, just creativity.
No ashtray, just Adobe.
I got this.
by Dan and Bonkers
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