ZEN PENCILS
75. L.P. JACKS: Work and play
L.P. JACKS (1860-1955) was an English Unitarian minister and philosopher. I only used one sentence, but the full version of this quote is beautiful:
“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play, his labour and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself he always seems to be doing both. Enough for him that he does it well.”
Such great words, and I’m trying my best to apply it to my own life. This is a companion comic to my early Find a job you love piece. I really liked that comic and I wanted to recapture that same sense of joy and fun. So this comic is pretty much exactly the same but with a different vocation. I know it’s a little bit lazy to rehash old ideas but I loved the quote so much I think it warranted another comic. And it’s my website and I can do whatever I want – so there! 
- I’m a bit of a foodie (although not so much with the sweet stuff). I’ve watched every No Reservations episode, love Top Chef, Iron Chef and MasterChef and will watch pretty much any food show on TV.
- I also just watched the fantastic documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, which is very relevant to this comic and quote. It’s not just about sushi-making. It’s about the total pursuit of excellence in one’s chosen field. Highly recommended.
HOSTED BY:
Gavin – Esactic you have done a cupcake quote!! I think this one will be going in Sweet Petite’s kitchen for complete inspiration!! Thank you!
Nice one! the woman reminded me of the waitress in; A man must know his destiny you did earlier.
Look at the children in panel 5.
My mind is blown.
I love this quote!! I also love the little bald guy in your picture, with the big eyebrow clenching his hands together. Is he going to eat them all, or knock the plate out of her hands? I guess I’ll never know.
I love your work, and a lot of the quotes go into my quotebook. Awesome work!!
Gavin! I love all the links you share with us in the section below the comic itself. Greatly appreciate it!
Lovely, indeed. If only there were a true way of determining such things.
For you, though, it is already determined.
Thanks Gavin,
Love that quote and your drawings.
Cheers
Frans
That one really got to me Gavin. Thank you.
It’s funny that you mentioned the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi, because my husband and I have that in our Netflix instant queue right now. I’m excited to see how it works out in our minds and how we feel about it.
I really love this quote most of all because it really speaks out to me. Thank you for another great piece of art.
Lazy? Perhaps, but I gotta say I like the wording of this quote way more than the Confucious one (then again, that one’s translated from a way different language, so there’s always the question of being translated by a very boring Chinese-to-English translator…).
Yet another work on the inspiration box! Thanks!
Life would have been so much lovely if every employer thinks
that work should be fun.enjoyed the cartoon.
How sad. Some of those children are already balding!
Nice one, are you sure it’s Jack’s quote? I read it like a taoist one, in some book.
Yep, this often get’s misattributed as a taoist of buddhist saying but here’s the history behind it:
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/08/27/master/#more-998
Have you mastered the art of living?
You certainly seem to enjoy your work as you would play;
You teach as you draw, Gavin.
And you add power and grace to words with each work.
They become Real. (Velveteen Rabbit…)
What finer work?
What finer play?
I just draw, I try not to be too preachy
Those who speak volumes of truth and good
Do so silently…
Thank you dude.. that was really inspirational
I also suggest Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Knightmares (the uk episodes, the usa ones don’t have the same vibe and colours)
Yep, seen those too – agreed, UK version is way better
Hi Gavin, that one cartoon makes up for my last 18 years seems worthwhile. I build sandcastles for a living. very few people understand, much less thinks anything about it. your one cartoon simply re-affirms everything. Beyond thank you. I will propagate your great works and contribute actively whenever i can. Keep up the great works. it means a lot to one little person out there in the universe, on the beach, in that little bottle of time.
Thanks Alvin, best of luck with your unique passion
What’s not to understand? That’s an awesome job dude, and I can see how you could make money of it…
yeah. what an awesome job! ~ not just sandcastles in the air.
I’m actually planning on enrolling in culinary school for baking and patisserie in the spring. I’m definitely going to buy a print of this when I can.
nice! kudos Gavin! definitely hit, right..in the middle..
haha! have yet to find out my passion in life,
thanks!
I looooooooove your work!!! Your work, your iniciative and the ideas and concepts that you spread.
I visit your page since two or three months ago. I will try to coment more regularly.
Salutes from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Thanks Luis, always appreciate more comments
hey, been following your work for sometime. Some truly inspiring.
is possible to make them in formats compatible as desktop wallpaper where we can download,etc?
Gav, u are funny! lol.. yes you can do whatever you want. I kept on thinking of Jess looking at those cupcakes.. don’t know why. LOL. So, when are you going on a holiday?
Hey Emi! We’re doing a 3 week SE Asian adventure in November
My friend’s a filmmaker and over the weekend she completed the shooting of her first independent short film. She has been working on this film for almost a year now, writing & rewriting the script over and over again and finally this month she took it to production. I went to watch her shoot and she was having such a BLAST! This piece reminded me of that. Thanks for this Gav, you’re a master in the making, perhaps already one, if I may say so.
Great story, thanks Suveer
Hey Gavin,
Wonderful stuff, how did you do the zip-a-tone? I’m always looking for this stuff and the one I have isn’t uber great…
Good quote. I’ma steal it for “Learn to play, noob” (l2pnoob.org), my web site about why people should play more.
this one hits home for me
my dream is to be a professional baker, but for now, i will sell cakes from my home until i have my very own bakery 
I’m reading through the site, a little at a time so I don’t spoil myself all in a weekend. I’m not sure which I like more: the long pieces with poetic rhythm and tempo, or the simple layout of vignettes with a simple quote tying them all together. Either way, most of these are fantastic beyond comparison and I find myself sharing a few as I’m catching up. Thank you for sharing your playtime with the world.
By the way, a female pastry chef is a pâtissière, but I’m not sure if many restaurants make the gender distinction. Either way, this comic is brilliant!
I thought it was going to a sad quote about treasuring your family, plus 1 for the happy ending/
Great work and play.
Thanks
Great comic once again. I totally agree that Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a wonderful documentary about dedication; it made me re-evaluate what I really want to do with the rest of my life.