Jason Kotecki, known as "The Champion of Childhood," is an engaging speaker, entertaining author, and creator of the internationally known comic strip, Kim & Jason. He is widely regarded as an expert in helping people to “escape adulthood” and “return to childhood.”
His book, Escape Adulthood: 8 Secrets from Childhood for the Stressed-Out Grown-Up, outlines simple ways for adults of all ages to reconnect with the qualities that come naturally to children in order to reduce stress and live more fun and fulfilling lives.
He met his wife Kim way back in 1995. It wasn’t long before the two realized they shared a kindred childlike spirit. One day, Jason sketched himself and his girlfriend as young cartoon characters, and they began appearing on all kinds of homemade (cheap) cards and gifts designed to win her heart.
Jason’s efforts were not in vain, as the couple was married in May 2000. Since then, the characters have taken on lives and personalities of their own and the “real” Kim and Jason have built a company (JBiRD iNK, Ltd.) to promote and distribute the Kim & Jason comic and share the spirit of childhood.
I believe in the truth that children possess and I think they have wisdom that for some reason, us grown-ups have lost somewhere along the way. Kim & Jason is about forgetting grown-up trivialities and remembering what it was like to be little with a big imagination. It's about "escaping adulthood" if only for a few much-needed moments a day. Hopefully you will smile and laugh as you recall the details of childhood, from overzealous lemonade stands and Kool-Aid® mustaches to sandboxes and superheroes.
My dream is to use the talents God has given me to entertain others, while inspiring and encouraging them to renew their childlike faith and to believe in their dreams. In a world crippled by the desire for job security at the expense of their dreams, I am inspired by the saying that you should do what you love, and the rest will come.
So among other things, I’m a cartoonist, author, and professional speaker. I’ve been doing the comic strip about childhood, Kim & Jason, in one form or another since 2000 (although the characters were created years before that in a sappy attempt to win over my wife.) The first book I ever wrote was on a few loose-leaf sheets of paper stapled together. Escape Adulthood: 8 Secrets from Childhood for the Stressed-Out Grown-Up came along much later. And now I travel around the country speaking to people about how to recognize and treat Adultitis (resulting in more fulfilling lives that are way more fun and way less stressful.)
Me? A Cartoonist?
I can't say that I've wanted to be a cartoonist my whole life. Well I could, but that would be a lie, and then where would my credibility be? I actually wanted to be George Lucas. I wanted to create new worlds and characters, write stories and screenplays, and make imaginative movies. In many ways, the comic strip is like a movie and the cartoonist is the director. Although in my estimation, the cartoonist is much more. He creates a world, writes the screenplay, designs the sets, develops the characters, casts the actors, lights the scene, sets the mood, edits the dialog, and directs the action and is always thinking about timing and execution and how to best engage the reader/viewer. There are few who have mastered this intricate ballet that is hidden within what seems to be one of the least respected forms of art. I don't claim to be one of them, but I have taken on the challenge to learn from them and try and push myself to be the best I can be.
Influences
Some of my heroes include Charles Schulz (Peanuts, duh), an absolute legend, and Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes. I would bet that they are at the top of most cartoonist's lists. I also have great admiration for Pat Brady (Rose Is Rose), Michael Fry and T Lewis (Over The Hedge), Michael Jantze (The Norm) and Gary Larson (Far Side). Comedians such as Bill Cosby and Jerry Seinfeld have been key influences on me, in terms of their ability to find humor in the everyday little things. Artistically, I've always been fond of a wide variety of artists, among them being Norman Rockwell, Drew Struzan, J.C. Leyendecker, Vermeer, Monet, and Alfonse Mucha.
Early Work
My earliest work is dated sometime in the late seventies. Most of it is in the hands of my Mom. I drew all the time while I was growing up, especially in math class. I ended up getting a degree in Illustration from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL (Check out some illustration work from my days as a student and young freelancer). For you trivia buffs out there, this is actually my second comic strip. I produced Obstructed View for two years in college which garnered a small cult following. Kim & Jason has a strong biographical genesis, with the two main characters loosely resembling my wife and I, but I must admit that they have taken on lives and personalities of their own.
At A Glance...
Grew Up: Peru, Illinois
Current Habitat: Madison, Wisconsin
Some Previous Jobs: Score keeping Little League games; Washing cars for a GM dealership; Assembling widgets at a nail factory; Teaching college art history; Newspaper ad layout designer.
Favorite Music: Most anything by Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, Toad The Wet Sprocket, and Andrew Peterson.
Favorite Movie(s): Empire Strikes Back, The Crow, Field of Dreams, Spiderman, and Batman (the ones with Michael Keaton, although Christian Bale did a nice job.)
Favorite Foods: Pizza, shrimp, cherry pie, cereal (the sugary kind), ice cream cakes from Dairy Queen, and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
Favorite TV Shows: Seinfeld, Ed, The Office, Scrubs, Arrested Development, Heroes, and CSI.
Favorite Childhood Toys: My vast collections of Star Wars stuff and baseball cards.
Other Interests: Using my Mac, going on long walks by the lake with my wife, listening to music, traveling to new places, losing track of time at Barnes & Noble, and sugar-laden cereal.
-->Read some frequently asked questions about the Kim & Jason comic strip.
