About

It's about Levity.

The purpose of Creative Follies is Levity, but it was born of something else altogether.

Something ... darker.

This is a story of madness.

(I think stories of madness are more interesting than bios anyway – don’t you?)

Creative Follies was born on Leap Day 2020 by a guy who really, really needed something to distract him. (Hi, by the way – I’m John, the artist behind Creative Follies. Most of my friends and lovers call me Johnny.) In those trying early days of the pandemic, most of us were tempted by at least one form of escapism: alcohol, Netflix binging, conspiracy wormholes, drugs, or (worst of all in some ways) social media binging.

I turned to a much darker obsession: drawing T. rexes riding on unicycles. Mua-ha-ha-ha!

MUAHAHAHAHA!

It was sick.

“Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage “Every one of us has the flame of madness burning inside, and it is fed by agape.” Paul Coelho, The Pilgrimage

A Journey through Madness

The child of inspiration and neuroticism, Creative Follies began with a clear-eyed realization that art always has been, and always will be, a cornerstone of my sanity. They say art is impractical. But when the alternative is insanity, perhaps it is folly to pursue what is sensible and sensible to pursue folly.

I am best known for dinosaur-themed drawings. But I may one day be better known for persistence: On New Year’s Day 2023 I set out to do a drawing a day for the entire year, and to my surprise, I succeeded! (There is an invaluable lesson in this below.)

I eventually allowed my streak to lapse, but still routinely draw at least three days a week. Many of my 365+ drawings from 2023 have made their way into my portfolio as well as coffee mugs, tee shirts, stickers and greeting cards.

So What is a Creative Folly?

A Creative Folly is a choice to dedicate time and energy to things that are impractical, just to see if you can bring some levity into the world. And this may be the most important thing you will ever learn about creativity:

Just as you will love well if you treat love as a verb (something you do) rather than only a noun (an emotion you may experience differently day to day), your creativity will flourish when you think of it more as a habit than a gift.

If I can inspire you to celebrate creativity in whatever ways are right for you, I am a successful artist.

If I can bring levity into a world where drabness is so often seen as “good taste,” I have a successful brand.

… Actually I really just need you to buy a f%&$ing tee shirt.

Toodles,

John Garvey

Chief Creative Whatchamacallit