So Who is Tooting the Horn?

This is Week forty of a fifty week calligraphy challenge, so I will call this one a twofer…one entry for the year long challenge, and one entry for Inktober. Our prompt this week was to create something new inspired by something someone else in the group created earlier in the year. I knew I wanted to do the Billy Joel Song Big Shot for Inktober, so I needed something dramatic. My inspiration was the piece below by Susan Jump Greenseth. She is a graphic artist who lives on the West Coast.

Know any big shots? Or people who think they are big shots? I guess it all depends on how you define big shot. I know a lot of people who are legends in their own minds and to everyone else they are mostly annoying. I once heard someone say that if you are the only one tooting your horn then stop tooting. The most well rounded big shots I know are the ones who do not have to tell you their achievements, their achievements speak for themselves. These people are secure and accomplished and hard working, and they know that they are only as good as the last thing they did.

I must admit that there is a time when you do have to toot your own horn because no one else sees what you see. The key is to knowing when to stop tooting it and let your work stand for excellence. If we can’t talk about our own gifts, abilities and projects then who will? Balancing that with humility and common sense is a game we all must play at different stages of life. The big shots in Billy Joel’s lyrics have not learned that lesson yet. So here’s to inspirational artists like Susan Jump Greenseth and Billy Joel who embody excellence and have given their gifts to the world. And I am proud to toot on their behalf!