Some time after our 19-year-old cat Oscar died, we started discussing  having getting more cats, and I asked my kid, who was like 3 at the time, what she’d name a cat.

Just for fun.

But she turns around, and without having to even think about it, says, “Spacesheep” and I was like, okay, that’s… really cool.

One day, we’ll hopefully have a critter to call Spacesheep (in the meantime, I’ve been using Starsheep as a stage name).

I have this idea in the back of my head that it’s going to be a black, long-haired chihuahua, but time will tell.

Consider this our Meet Cute.

I’m a writer.

But, more importantly, I’m your friendly roadside quest  giver, at least whenever you set foot inside this virtual “imagination palace” where I’m documenting my storyteller’s journey as a part of my own practice.

I’ve been a commercial writer since I was about 17 years old (when I  dropped out of school and had to make some hard choices) and I’ve won big, fat imaginary awards for my writing.

Or at least, my work has had some small impact in this enormous world and, more importantly, it has been meaningful to me.

Because I love using my creativity as a job.

My chosen mediums are words and visual art.

Now, I’m not great at lengthy introductions, so suffice it to say I’m crap at small talk, I’m brutally honest by default, and I like to bring a profound optimism to the table.

Let me just say; I’m glad you’re here.

Now, what the hell is a Meet Cute?

The term “Meet Cute” originated in Hollywood screenwriting during the early days of the movie industry.

It refers to a scene in a film, television show, or play in which two characters, typically the eventual romantic leads, meet for the first time in a way that is charming, amusing, or otherwise memorable.

Today, the term “Meet Cute” is used more broadly to describe any memorable first encounter between characters, not just those that are romantic in nature.

It has become a popular trope in various forms of  media, including film, television, and literature, and continues to be a favourite among audiences for its ability to draw them into a story and create a sense of excitement and anticipation for what is to come.

It usually goes something like…

Emily was walking her pet turtle, Speedy, in the park when she accidentally bumped into Jack, who was walking his pet snail, Slo-Mo.

The two pets, both slow-moving creatures, immediately hit it off, crawling toward each other at a speed that only they could appreciate.

As Emily and Jack watched their pets inch closer and closer, they struck up a conversation about their shared love for unusual pets. T

hey laughed and joked about the similarities between their slow-moving companions, and before they knew it, they had spent the entire afternoon chatting and getting to know each other.

As the sun began to set, Emily and Jack exchanged phone numbers, with promises to set up a play-date for their pets.

And as they parted ways, Emily couldn’t help but think that Speedy had just led her to the beginning of a beautiful new friendship.

Voila! It’s that simple.

I love a good Meet Cute. So much so, that if I weren’t a writer, I’d run a company that orchestrates Meet Cutes for pets.

Ah, perhaps in another life. For now, I’ll have to make my living writing and drawing, instead.

It’s worth mentioning that the Meet Cute stretches beyond fiction.

We experience Meet Cutes every day as we fall in love with the many minds that inhabit the internet.

Learning to express your creativity in whatever way you feel called to, allows you to create hundreds of tiny Meet Cutes between yourself and the others who don’t yet know who you are.

This series, that you’re reading right now, is our Meet Cute:

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