The Artful Cop

How to reinvent your dreams

Little boys often want to be like their fathers.

Such was the case with my Dad. He longed for a military career like his father, Colonel John J. R. Weiss. Dad loved reading about history, especially the battles and wars that shaped our world.

Dad was a consummate bookworm.

Whenever he misbehaved, his parents punished him by taking away his books and forcing him to go outside and play. Undeterred, he’d convince other kids in the neighborhood to engage in some make-believe battle for a kingdom or country.

Dad was completing his degree in Business Administration at New York University during World War II. He signed up with the United States Marines, anxious to begin his military career. But there was a problem.

He had a heart murmur.

A childhood bout with rheumatic fever damaged his heart, causing a minor heart murmur. It didn’t affect his physical fitness, but the Marine Corps was strict about medical requirements. Determined to embark on a military career, Dad took a drastic step.

He bribed his doctor.

I wanted to be a cartoonist when I grew up

I wanted to be like my father growing up, too.

But it wasn’t his professional career that I chose to emulate, it was his artistry. Dad was an accomplished draftsman and weekend oil painter.

I used to watch him as he sketched amazing pictures and painted beautiful canvases. He’d often explain what he was doing and offer pointers. Thus, I began drawing and fell in love with artwork.

As a boy, I tried my hand with oil paints but felt they were messy. Also, I disliked brushes, which lacked the kind of precise control I enjoyed when sketching in pencil or pen.

So I mostly stuck with drawing.

Teachers in grade school recognized my creative talent, and I consistently received top grades in art classes. Then, during my middle school years, I discovered editorial cartoons in newspapers. I barely understood the politics, but I loved the elaborate, finely drawn cartoons.

Political cartoonists like Pat Oliphant and Jeff MacNelly became my heroes, and I closely studied their style. Before long, I discovered other cartoonists I admired, like George Herriman (Krazy Kat comic strip), and Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes comic strip).

I began drawing cartoons about my family and friends, and in high school, I became the editorial cartoonist for the campus newspaper. I often got in trouble with my teachers because I was doodling instead of paying attention in class. Cartooning became my world.

I told my parents that I wanted to be a cartoonist when I grew up.

What do you do when your dream is denied?

They say if you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans.

Life often throws curveballs, and what we think we want isn’t always what we get. Yet somehow, most of the time, it all works out.

Dad successfully bribed his doctor and was given a clean bill of health. He completed Marine Corps boot camp, and went on to become a drill sergeant. Then he was selected for Officer Candidate School, but there was a hitch.

He had to undergo another medical exam.

This time they caught the heart murmur, and Dad’s military career was sidelined with an honorable (medical) discharge. Dad was, to pardon the pun, heartbroken.

What do you do when your dream is denied?

How do you reinvent yourself? A good place to start is by examining the details of your original dream. The things about it that excited you. And once you’ve identified those qualities or specifics, consider other ways you can experience those things.

My father spent several years finding success in the business world, but he longed for a greater sense of order and responsibility. The very things that attracted him to a military career.

So he applied for law school.

It wasn’t easy. He still worked during the day and took night classes. On the day of his state bar exam, he was ill with a fever and hives. And yet, he passed his exam.

Eventually, Dad became an Administrative Law Judge, deciding multi-million dollar cases. He once told me that he regretted not being able to have a military career, but he found great satisfaction and purpose in his legal career.

Sometimes we find our calling, and sometimes our calling finds us.

Who you chose to be

The day I told my parents I wanted to be a cartoonist when I grew up, they smiled back at me.

“That’s nice, honey,” my mother said.

Dad invited me into his office and asked me to sit down. Not a good sign, I thought. And then he spoke.

“Johnny, you’re a fine cartoonist, and your mother and I are proud of the artwork that you create. But I think you’d be wise to continue your education, go to University, and find a solid career that you can rely on to make a living. Because it’s very difficult to make a living as a cartoonist, even when you’re talented.” Dad let me chew on his words.

“So you don’t think I should be a cartoonist?” I asked.

“No, by all means, continue drawing cartoons,” Dad said, adding, “But have something to fall back on. I’d hate to see you put all your eggs in cartooning, and then if it didn’t work out, what would you do?”

He had a point.

I read about a lot of cartoonists, and the common theme for most of them was the lack of editorial cartoonist positions, and the poor salary. Most had other jobs to help pay the bills.

Growing up, I used to enjoy the action and adventure of police shows on television. Programs like Hill Street Blues, Starsky & Hutch, Adam 12, and The Streets of San Francisco. I knew some of the shows were less realistic than others, but I became fascinated with the law enforcement profession.

A Sheriff Deputy spoke to my high school government class and further piqued my interest in police work. I decided to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice Administration.

My Dad was pleased because he wanted me to have a good life. Maybe he hoped to steer me into the legal profession and become an attorney, but it was not to be.

I went on to both university and graduate school, earning a master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration. As I embarked on my law enforcement career, I found endless ways to incorporate my creativity and artwork. I even moonlighted with local newspapers as a cartoonist.

During my uniformed patrol days, the local media did a story about my cartooning.

Later on, when I was promoted to Lieutenant, the county newspaper again did a story about me, dubbing me “The Renaissance Man.”

I discovered that I enjoyed my law enforcement career. It allowed me to help people in our community and provided opportunities to infuse a bit of creativity and artistry into my job.

I became the “artful cop.”

“It is not as much about who you used to be, as it is about who you choose to be.”—Sanhita Baruah

I moonlighted as an editorial cartoonist for a few more years, but by then newspapers were starting to dwindle. The age of the Internet, social media, and other online diversions hurt the profession of editorial cartooning. More and more cartoonists were laid off. Some found work online, but most had to pivot to other jobs.

I was glad I listened to my father.

I spent the last ten years of my career serving as police chief, but even in that high-pressure position, I found opportunities to draw cartoons in letters, notes, and around the police department. Best of all, I was able to retire in my fifties and dive into my writing and creative interests full-time.

You get to choose who you want to be.

It may not be your first choice, and you may have to do some reinvention. The key is to find the underlying qualities or features that appeal to you, and then identify other professions or pursuits that may be similar.

My Dad didn’t get to have a military career, but being a jurist gave him a similar sense of responsibility, structure, and order that he found attractive in the military.

I didn’t become a career cartoonist, but I was able to use my cartooning and creativity to great effect in my law enforcement career. My cartoons of fellow officers brought much-needed levity in an often serious and dangerous profession.

And it showed community members that cops can have a sense of humor.

The hope that we can find another way

I’ve been reflecting on this notion of reinvention.

I know a military man who had a tough time transitioning to civilian life. He was put off by the lack of structure and unprofessionalism in the initial civilian jobs he undertook. Eventually, he found a position that took advantage of his past military skills.

He was able to reinvent himself.

I have a federal agent buddy who retired but wasn’t ready to play golf the rest of his days. So he put himself through polygraph school and now runs his own business. He reinvented himself and found a way to continue serving indirectly in the law enforcement profession.

“Reinvention requires both a kind of death and a desire to keep living. And so at its core, reinvention is inextricably linked to hope: the hope that we can find another way, take another shape.”—Vivek Shraya, People Change

Wherever we find ourselves in life, it’s never too late to pivot. Never too late to explore the underlying qualities or things that excite you, and apply them in some new position or pursuit.

My law enforcement career required a great deal of writing. It began with police and staff reports, but as my responsibilities and rank grew, I found myself writing speeches and articles for the local press.

I discovered that I loved writing.

I began a blog in my off time and started publishing my stories, essays, and articles in various online platforms. After a few years, as my writing abilities improved, I started to build an audience. I began publishing books. I decided to retire a few years early and reinvent myself as a writer.

How about you?

If one or more of your dreams didn’t work out, don’t give up. Find the things within those dreams that excited you. The qualities, skills, and features. Then explore other careers, jobs, pursuits, or creative passions that may share some of those qualities in your original dreams.

This is how you reinvent your dreams.

My Dad did it by moving from a denied military career to a fulfilling career as a jurist. I did it by incorporating cartooning (and later, writing) into my law enforcement career. My federal agent buddy did it by using his past professional skills as an interviewer in his new passion for polygraphy.

You can do it, too.

It’s never too late to reinvent your dreams.

(First published here)

Before you go

I’m John P. Weiss. I write elegant stories and essays about life. If you enjoyed this piece, check out my free weekend newsletter, The Saturday Letters.