I have known for some time that Bill Watterson is a good man. Who doesn't know the greatness that was the Calvin and Hobbes strip of the previous two decades? Despite that, it has only been recent that I came to realize what a great role model he should be to any creative person. Some of the ways he demonstrates this greatness has been publically known for a while now, mainly in how he stubbornly refused to license the strip. He very bluntly calls it "selling out," and I agree entirely.

I'm sure a lot of people don't understand how admirable he has been in keeping his strip out of the licensing nightmare. Western society has almost always been about money over creative expression, and Mr. Watterson understands this well. In this disgusting day and age, selling out is considered a good thing due to the money it can give. It is inspirational and invigorating to see a man who managed to avoid the trap.

To best understand what I'm talking about, you should read his two speeches. I highly recommend that you give these a good thorough read.

1. Festival of Cartoon Art, Ohio State University, October 27, 1989

2. SOME THOUGHTS ON THE REAL WORLD BY ONE WHO GLIMPSED IT AND FLED

These speeches mainly center on Watterson's experiences and concerns as a cartoonist. I think they can be attributed to nearly every form of creativity that gets involved in the struggle of money versus expression. If only more people had the same attitude as him, then creativity in popular media wouldn't be in such a terrible drought these days.

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