This is a lovely, thoughtful, heart-breaking little cartoon, created by the controversial Skyler Page. This short was made in 2011, and Page went on to work for Cartoon Network as a writer for “Adventure Time” and creator of “Clarence.” Page was later fired for alleged sexual harassment of a coworker. While not excusing what Page allegedly did, Page’s friends defended his actions as a manifestation of his mental illness. All of this kind of relates to this article I read online the other day, “A Short History of Mental Illness In Art.”
I have to confess. I have bipolar disorder, and I have a history of schizophrenia in my family. My illness, although not as pronounced as Page’s may be, is reflected in my work. All artists put themselves, consciously, and subconsciously, into their work. Put that in the perspective of Page’s actions and the little story told in his cartoon. I can not excuse his actions, but I can relate to what he must be going through. I see something more than a sexual assault at work here. The fact of the animated short juxtaposed with the facts of Page’s life, to me, brings home the very essence of the line from the article: “…all creativity is an irrational voyage.”
I don’t know what Mr. Page’s status is today. Hopefully he got his life back on track and we can soon see some good stuff from him.
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