Aesop's Fable: The Two Sweethearts
PLUS: Come see me at the Carina Gardner Craft & Design Event!
Well HELLO! How’ve you been? Are you holding onto every last drop of spring before the heat of the summer comes, like me? How is it already mid-April?! Etc! This month I have a fable, freebies, and some events to announce - let’s dig in :)
The Man with Two Sweethearts
Translated by George Fyler Townsend, via Project Gutenberg.
A MIDDLE-AGED MAN, whose hair had begun to turn gray, courted two women at the same time. One of them was young, and the other well advanced in years. The elder woman, ashamed to be courted by a man younger than herself, made a point, whenever her admirer visited her, to pull out some portion of his black hairs. The younger, on the contrary, not wishing to become the wife of an old man, was equally zealous in removing every gray hair she could find. Thus it came to pass that between them both he very soon found that he had not a hair left on his head.
Those who seek to please everybody please nobody.
According to Scholarly Journal Wikipedia (ahem…), the original Greek translates this story to “The Man with Two Courtesans” or “Lovers”, but later translations have called them concubines, mistresses, fiancées, wives and—in the case of George Fyler Townsend— “sweethearts.” It’s interesting to see how the terminology changes over time, becoming more or less risqué depending on what a translator intends to say. But… more on that in the Epilogue!
Upcoming Events
I’m presenting at the Carina Gardner Craft and Design Event!
This Thursday—April 18 from 10:45-11:10 am MT—you can catch me presenting at the Carina Gardner Craft & Design Event. This is a free, two-day online workshop where a bunch of makers & shakers share insights on their crafts, and I’ve prepared a talk about sketching with some tips on planning, composition, and refinement. I’m hoping it kind of demystifies the process for beginners, especially when it comes to developing a unique composition.
To lower the barrier of entry with this talk, I’ll be demonstrating with some pretty standard supplies: a pencil, computer paper and an eraser. I hope you enjoy it!
Catch me at Slice of Pflugerville on Sat. April 27th!
For my fellow Austinites out there, I’ll be vending at the Slice of Pflugerville festival on Saturday, April 27th! If you’ve never been before, this event is all about celebrating cultural diversity and features a bunch of performers: dancers, musicians, and even poets! Plus there will be plenty of food, kid-friendly activities and lots of craftspeople vending. It’s gonna be a great time! The event is from 11am - 6pm and free to attend, check out details via the button below.
Also, here’s a pic of me with my market set-up from last year. This year I’ll also have free coloring pages and—fingers crossed—hardcover notebooks.
Freebie Zone!
This is a coloring page I drew a few years ago, but just let it sit on my iPad—never to enjoy a life of color. But, given that I’ve been working on a coloring book and drawing A LOT of animals recently, it seems like the right time to bring it out and let it live some life. Visit the button below to download and enjoy!
Also, I’m including links to some other freebies that most of you got in a welcome email when you signed up — just in case you need them again!
Epilogue
Umm, THAT FABLE?? What a way of illustrating the notion that you can’t please everyone! Evidently this fable dates back to at least the first century AD, and I’m quite fond of Townsend’s interpretation that this is about the impossibility of pleasing everyone. Earlier readings are far more sexist, drawing the conclusion that “women are only interested in what they can get from a man.” Like what - his hair?? Seems like a leap in logic to meee!
ANYWAY, thank you so much for being here and I hope you enjoy the rest of your week :) As always, reply to this email if you want to say hi, otherwise see you next time!