Prattle Call

This week’s new Dustinland comic is about the nervous polite chit chat that most meetings begin with. This is not limited to remote meetings, although they seem to make it a bit worse. But even in the office you have it. There’s that silence when everyone is just filing in and the first attendees feel the need to fill the void with something, but we’re not all friends so we all just wind up talking about the most nothingness of nothings. It’s honestly not even talking, it’s more like a ritual of politeness, like bowing.

I think the most painful for me personally is people from warm sunny places like LA talking about the weather. Either that or “got any weekend plans?”

Back To Work

This week’s new Dustinland comic is about the current debate on whether we should all start going back to the office or not. And in this strip I literally debate myself, because I do see both sides of the issue.

All joking aside, if you ask me — which nobody will — I think what people want is freedom. They want to be treated with respect and given the ability to make their own decisions about how to be successful at work. For some people, that may mean 5 days a week in the office. For others, 1. Or zero. Of course, that is a very difficult thing for a large organization to achieve. Big groups thrive on order and routine, so it’s unlikely there will be a lot of “do whatever you want.”

But I think frame 7 of the strip really nails it — no matter what, you still won’t be happy.

Big Bidness

This week’s Dustinland comic is based on an event I’m speaking at later this week. See, while I do draw comics, they don’t pay the bills. I’m an ad guy – a creative director. Just like Don Draper, except without the money, women, clothes and alcoholism. And not too long ago, a friend and ex-coworker from my alma mater, Binghamton University, asked me to speak at an event for Binghamton University peeps in NYC Marketing. Just about my career path. So I said sure! And then they came out with a social media ad for the event titled AN EVENING WITH INDUSTRY TYCOONS. To make it even funnier, the other guy may in fact be a tycoon. I mean, I’m not sure what officially makes someone a tycoon, but the other speaker is an actual CEO. Well, I can promise you this: My presentation will definitely include more photos of people drinking 40s.

A Modern Interview

This week’s new Dustinland comic was inspired by some of the job interviews I went on last year, before landing my current gig. You know, not every interview is crazy and weird, but some are. Especially in the tech sector, which I am not really a part of, but I guess you could say peripherally, I am. But yes, I had some interviews that felt like a maze of trick questions as opposed to the “get to know each other” back and forth I’m used to. Times are changing, my friends! As the Googles and Amazons and Facebooks of the world get bigger and bigger, everyone else wants to emulate them, and weird interviews are part of their process.

Jump

Well, my hand is healing, but this new Dustinland comic is still a bit sloppy. Also I just got back from Disney World, so I’ve been busy. So yes, this strip is not perfect, but it does exist, which I think is a plus. Also it really did happen, which is super weird and trippy.

More on Disney soon, but I really do need time to come up with something epic and David Foster Wallace-ian for such an experience.