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Tom Toro, a cartoonist for The New Yorker, didn’t achieve success overnight. It took him 609 attempts before his first cartoon was published in 2010. Reflecting on his experience, Toro humorously noted that after his initial sale, he counted all his previous rejections—either out of self-punishment or as a way of recognizing the failed attempts that ultimately led to his success. "To say thank you, losers."
Many cartoonists would agree that the constant struggle might actually fuel creativity. Toro once said that in cartooning, rejection is the norm, and success is rare. He joked that being a cartoonist is like pitching a product that only works 1% of the time, yet you still keep going. "I think the rejection and suffering is a perversely attractive part of the job. If anything, it forges a community of survivors."
Tom Toro believes that in the world of cartooning, less is often more. He quickly realized that forcing a message can ruin the magic of a joke. For him, it all comes down to one simple truth: "Trying to say something is the worst way of saying something."
"Creating comics every week that get viewed by tens of thousands of readers is deeply, deeply rewarding. Knowing that my drawings are a joyful part of people's daily lives, is genuinely a dream come true."
