I’ve been a fan of Paul Madonna’s “All Over Coffee” ever since I moved to San Francisco. Rendered in pen and ink wash, Madonna manages to capture the poetry and quiet details we never see when we’re entrenched in the noise and energy of the city. As a newcomer I had all the time in the world, no friends, and plenty of silent treks meandering through these streets that I knew had yielded up so much creativity, laughter and revolution. Madonna extracts that in so few words and panels. My fiance just got the coffee table book for his birthday and to my surprise, it’s the afterword that’s my favorite part of the collection. As an artist, Madonna had put so much pressure on himself for his work to encompass all his creative desires, that it had become very difficult to complete. He writes,” It wasn’t a question of whether I should be spending my time pursuing art, but how to do it with less internal resistance.” Obviously, he’s found that balance. And I’ve found a lesson here. I think so many of us take our jobs and identities too seriously. I think it’s important to keep that spirit of quiet meandering and discovery alive. So much of being a productive human being is in wrapping our heads around life and the processes with which we choose to live it.

I’ve been a fan of Paul Madonna’s “All Over Coffee” ever since I moved to San Francisco. Rendered in pen and ink wash, Madonna manages to capture the poetry and quiet details we never see when we’re entrenched in the noise and energy of the city. As a newcomer I had all the time in the world, no friends, and plenty of silent treks meandering through these streets that I knew had yielded up so much creativity, laughter and revolution. Madonna extracts that in so few words and panels.

My fiance just got the coffee table book for his birthday and to my surprise, it’s the afterword that’s my favorite part of the collection. As an artist, Madonna had put so much pressure on himself for his work to encompass all his creative desires, that it had become very difficult to complete. He writes,” It wasn’t a question of whether I should be spending my time pursuing art, but how to do it with less internal resistance.” Obviously, he’s found that balance. And I’ve found a lesson here.

I think so many of us take our jobs and identities too seriously. I think it’s important to keep that spirit of quiet meandering and discovery alive. So much of being a productive human being is in wrapping our heads around life and the processes with which we choose to live it.