A year is a long time. Any love that makes it through a year should earn a stripe, like a tree. Any love that makes it through a year should be given a cake and a candle, like a birthday. There should be a song, “Happy Anniversary to You!” and at the end of the song, instead of blowing all of the candles out, we should light one more.

The first time I showed any of my Hearts and All drawings to the public was through a Kickstarter project, which kicked off on August 31, 2012. So it’s been a year now that the little stick figures have been wandering out and about in public.

It’s been a great year. I remember the very first backer on Kickstarter was a US soldier named Matt, who was deployed in Afghanistan. He got two framed prints (Star Light Heart and Homeward Heart) for his girlfriend, Heather, and she cried when they arrived in the mail.

So before I had told a soul that it had launched on Kickstarter, a stranger found it and backed it. Then his girlfriend cried. I think that’s why I’m still doing this.

For almost every other job I’ve ever had, they could have found someone else to do it. But with my Hearts and All project, if I don’t draw my next drawing, no one else will. So it seems like a good use of my time. I feel that I am giving something that I am meant to give. Also, if someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Okay, you’re a bazillionaire now, you can stop drawing”, I wouldn’t stop, because there are still more drawings that I want to draw. So that seems like a good sign. And if I ever am a bazillionaire, I’ll probably be just like all the other bazillionaires and continue to work. Maybe because there are still drawings to be drawn.

Thank you for being part of this and keeping me going. I am not a bazillionaire. I am barely a thousandaire through Hearts and All. But Sharpies are cheap, and I am persistent. And the mission is not to make bazillions. The mission of Hearts and All is to spread heart.

Here’s the caption for this card:

There’s a fire inside you that flickers in the wind. There’s a fire inside you that can be seen for miles. There’s a fire inside you that was almost blown out. There’s a fire inside you that will never be blown out. There’s a fire inside you that’s a little bit wild. And it could spread. So keep it burning.

You dreamed, you hoped, you waited. You worked and worked and worked. You took a break. And then you worked again. You didn’t give up. And then, one day, without the world noticing, you got there. And then the world noticed. And smiled. You made it. You made it! Enjoy the view. Our hats are off to you.

Some roads are long. Some are all uphill. Some are slippery. You need friends, luck, and a sandwich. I hope you get all three. In the meantime, let’s start with one. Good luck.

This is for umbrella holders, door openers, and all other sunshine makers.

Because the sun isn’t the only warmth we need.

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to try to make a living selling stick figure art, well, it feels sort of like this: daunting and difficult. So I needed to give myself a pep talk, and here it is, in stick figure form.

Here’s what’s going on in the one-man huddle:

“Anyone can grab the low-hanging fruit. And anyone can buy a ladder to get the fruit that’s slightly higher than that. But not just anyone carries around a cape in their back pocket just waiting for an occasion like this to show up. Well, here you are. Go get it.”

You’re probably on a journey. Maybe it’s from Monday to Friday, maybe it’s from 11:30am to lunchtime, maybe it’s from sea to shining sea. Sometimes you’re tired. Sometimes you’re holding more than you can carry. Sometimes you’re carrying more than you can bear. Sometimes your dog runs away, your friends leave town, and it starts to rain. Sometimes it’s slippery. Sometimes you fall. Sometimes the path is uphill. Sometimes you turn a corner and see another hill. Sometimes it’s lonely. What can I say? Love and carry on.

Some things are inevitable. Good things are bound to happen to good people. Sure, there will be bad things too. But love will come your way. If it looks like a frog, kiss it. What have you got to lose? Love. Don’t run and hide. Put down your sword. Open your arms. Squeeze.

This thank you note features a big version of those chalky hearts that kids give each other for Valentine’s Day in 3rd grade. Remember how small those hearts were? What if they were this big? What if they were gigantic? What if people got big thanks for every little thing that they did?

What if when you took out the trash or vacuumed or picked up a hair that wasn’t yours, you automagically received a gigantically big chalky heart? That would be kind of awesome. But you’d run out of room for them pretty quickly. So getting this thank you note would probably be better. It’s just as sweet.

I drew this one for shy people, bold people, and fans of all fairy tales. Sleeping Beauty never met the Frog Prince and it’s probably a good thing she didn’t, because nothing would have happened. So here’s to something happening. Something big. Something magical. Some happily ever after. Some once upon a time.

To every love that defies the odds.