Carl Wiens - staying up in a down cycle

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staying up in a down cycle

posted:December 2, 2008

Bears? Bottomless pits? What kind of image can capture the times we live in?
With all of the institutions teetering on the brink and the bounces in the stock market it's a bit hard to get a handle on things. How about a bi-polar bear? (Sorry - I just had to slip that in) Even better - a bi-polar bear at the helm of a locomotive hurtling into the abyss?
With all of the fear and panic it's a bit of a balancing act coming up with a metaphor that won't induce apoplexy or at least a minor case of the vapors and make it to print.
I don't want to appear insensitive to all the real pain and anguish out there - I know we are in for a very bumpy ride. It's not my job to despair, I guess I'm wrestling with the right way to respond.

It took numerous iterations to get the image up above. Sometimes it takes a fair amount of trial and error to strike the right balance. Here are a couple of the sketches along the way.

It's been a crazy ride so far. I am staying hopeful that the new team Obama is putting together will pull us through. I am also grateful that things haven't slowed down too much yet.
So where am I going with this? Here is one more image. The spot of the empty vault at the top of this post was not published. I received a call from the art director at the last minute to add cash. Lots of cash. There. Doesn't that feel better?