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From Homeless To Internet Ecommerce Empire. Can It Work For Anyone? I Think So.

In 1997 Rick London found himself nearly homeless. His assets were
$300, a sleeping bag, and a book titled "Internet For Dummies". Ten years later his life has dramatically changed. Here is his story

Author: Rick London

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The year was 1997. I had left my home of Hattiesburg, Ms in 1988 simply for "not fitting in". I remember at age seventeen feeling lost after my parents divorced and when it was time to go to college a year later, I enrolled, but for no specific reason. I was raised in an upper middle class family involved in real estate, something I hated, and I was not particularly fond of my hometown as well (and vice versa).

I did try a four-year stint in my father's real estate company which was dismal at best. I was a good writer, but I was a self-trained writer and I really didn't know what to do with it. In 1988, I left Mississippi and vowed never to return. I took odd jobs in various sections of the media such as radio announcer, newspaper ad sales, tv production etc. By 1994, I had lived and worked in Miami, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. I still was lost. I was one of those proverbial souls "Where you go, there you are."

What was odd was I just wanted to learn. I guess I also had exploration in my soul. So around 1993, while in Los Angeles, I took screen writing workshops and actually completed two full-length films. Neither went into development.

It was about that time my mother called with cancer and within a week the Northridge Earthquake hit and I knew it was time to go home. I spent the next three years caring for my mother until her death.

During that time, I had "writer's block", not that I had written anything of great importance, but I did take pride in my ability to write "funny". I could write cartoon concepts, blueprint how they would look and write captions. I did this to keep my mind busy and sane (or as sane as it could be). When mom died, I was too depressed to work (I had been selling ads at a CBS TV affiliate) and just sat around the apartment. Then my little bit of money ran out. I had no idea I would become one of the statistics of homelessness. But it was about to happen.

I went to a kindly social worker friend who offered me a beat up metal warehouse to rest my head. I had some beat up clothes, a sleeping bag, a dog, and a book titled "Internet For Dummies" (I had figured one day I would become an e-commerce mogul) but I knew it was getting late in life.

I was already in my early forties and most of the e-millionaires were in their 20's, some younger. So I bought a used computer for $100, a phone line and dial up Internet service, read the dummies book, got a free website, and got to work.

Before I discovered websites with artist's portfolios, I was contacted by an artist friend who thought he'd like to give it a try, that is, I write the cartoon concepts and captions, and he would render them. By then, I was writing about a hundred or more a week.

By the time we created about a hundred black and white cartoons Richard (Larson) was forced to quit to take care of family responsibilities. We were not making much money either, though we did make one relatively large sale from a tee shirt company in San Diego.

My (few) friends that I had were pressuring me to quit, buy a suit and go back into the 9-5 world. I tried again and I just couldn't do it. The creative bug had become a demon and it was not about to go away. Whereas I used to read self-help books, I was now reading autobiographies of great creators. I was also suffering from major depression, which had been an ongoing theme since childhood. Suddenly I picked up the autobiography of Charles Schultz, creator of Peanuts.

He spoke freely about his depression and how his making people happy and to make them laugh was therapy for him. I knew that is what I needed also. So I continued.

Along the way, I learned to work the Internet, place ads for illustrators, sign contracts, create cartoons and post them on our free website (which had more pop-up ads than cartoons); those kinds of sites are sponsored by advertising which is why they are free (and aggravating to the visitor).

A few years went by, I was losing illustrators left and right, but occasionally making some sales. Then more sales. More cartoons were being created. I was writing more. One time I had a team of up to twelve illustrators working with me at one time and I was cranking out several hundred cartoons a week.

My family lived in my hometown where I was creating my “cartoon empire” and were embarrassed of me. Word got back to me often that “I caused them shame”. I did not care. I knew my gift, if I had any gift at all was “to create things to make people laugh.” I prayed a lot and continue to do so to this day for direction. I never was very religious but brought up Jewish and have a strong belief in G-d. That has gotten me through all this, I am certain. I feel safe that He looks after me with all my foibles. In 2001, I took out a map, and put my finger on a city. It was Hot Springs, Ar. I knew nothing about Hot Springs, Ar except I had a maternal great aunt here who ran a candy factory back in the days when Al Capone was here starting his gambling empire. She loved it. So I picked up and moved. A few months later I suffered a major heart attack and was not certain I would make it. I did (obviously).

I was by then on disability and suffered from both depression and heart disease. I would later learn I had TRD (Treatment Resistant Depression). I had tried the myriad of medicines, talk and group therapy, and nothing worked. In September of 2005 the vagus nerve stimulator was
approved for TRD. I was the first (or one of the first) in Arkansas to receive it. Depression has been gone (or at a minimal most days since the procedure). It has been a blessing.

I now have one of the most visited cartoon websites on the Internet and it has been in Alexa and Netcraft's top ratings since 2005. Some critics have compared it favorably to The Far Side. I would never put myself in that league but it is quite a compliment since Gary Larson certainly was my main inspiration.

In September I opened an online superstore which features over 65,000 licensed cartoon gifts and collectibles.

In October, I launched my own line of gourmet coffees which are actually cartoongourmet gift baskets “Ruth London's Exquisite Coffees” which I named after my maternal grandmother Ruth London whom I loved dearly.

A few days ago I launched a cartoon ecard subscription-based website.

I am a third year business student at Western Governors University.

All this sounds like “bragging rights”. It is not. My main problem, from the consequence of living with major depression was not the depression itself, but society's reaction to it. It frightened them. And I understand why. If I see someone with depression, though I am not as frightened, because I understand it more, it still can instill fear. Not everyone with depression is motivated to relieve that depression, or even know that they
can do so. Many think it is their fate and live with it. Some have TRD which is very misdiagnosed by even the best of medical professionals and could get relief from vns therapy as I did.

Many do not know that the Internet can now bring education to them. They need not attend a physical campus except to take proctored exams.

Many are not aware they can build businesses on the Internet when the “old boy network” which used to be powerful (the Internet kind of crashed their party), and work their way out of homelessness or poverty.

I am not here to say it is easy. All this has happened to me since 1997 and it was a process. One cannot be self-destructive and expect results. One must learn discipline. I am still learning it. I have a long way to go.

But one can succeed. I live in America. I am an American. America is forgiving and gives second chances and opportunities are in front of us all the time. Sometimes we are too tired or depressed to see them.

The main thing is not to give up. No, you may not have my same talents or skills but you do have something. Whatever that is, the Internet has more information on it and places that will help you find even more information. Libraries are now on the Internet.

No the Internet is not a cure for depression any more than psychiatry is. Psychiatry will give us the tools to cope with what is bothering us, and the Internet will offer information to use the tools given to us by the medical community to work, research and be a productive member of society.

Working at home is fine (even if its a metal warehouse). A very large percentage of people who used to work in corporate America now work at home, mostly on the Internet.

Many living in poverty have told me they don't have $300 or can afford the Internet. All it takes is a library card (free) and the librarian will usually help you get started. You can spend as many days in there as you wish (usually 2 hours at a time) but many libraries overlook that rule. When I couldn't afford a computer, I made good friends with the librarians and at times they let me spend most the day there working on my projects.

Keep trying. You will make mistakes. You will run into sharks with misinformation who are trying to make money off of you to teach you to make money (there are lots of ebooks out there for sale on how to make money on the Internet). Are there good ones? I don't know. I've bought many and they all have the same information that is available free on the Internet.

Are all psychiatrists good? What do you think? They are like any other profession. Some great, some dismal. Ask questions. Let them know your issues. Hold nothing back. Ask them their solutions for your issues. If you are not satisfied, keep looking. It is a free country. Nobody can hold you hostage to their professional advice.

In the end, it is up to you, and me. Let's do it. For more info: support@londonstimes.us Rick London is a return to school adult student majoring in business at Western Governor's University. He has worked in media and public relations for two decades and health reasons forced him into early retirement. But he says “My brain keeps working....or that's a matter of opinion I guess,”. London now owns three websites:

Londons Times Cartoons: www.londonstimes.us (One of the largest inventories of single-panel offbeat cartoons on the Internet)

Londons Times Superstore: www.londonstimessuperstore.com (High quality affordable cartoon licensed brand merchandise such as wall clocks, tee shirts, caps, key chains, wall clocks, etc.

Londons Times Ecards: “Ecards For The Intellectual” http://www.londonstimes.us/ecards/ecards.html

About Author

Rick London is a 52 year old male living in the Ouchata Mountains Of Arkansas with his stray dog "Thor". He is a full-time business student at WGU and a writer and cartoonist. He loves to read, exercise, public speaking,
and a myriad of other things. He owns three highly-ranked websites on the Internet, one a retail ecommerce store:

Londons Times Cartoons: www.londonstimes.us (One of the largest inventories of single-panel
offbeat cartoons on the Internet)

Londons Times Superstore: www.londonstimessuperstore.com (High quality affordable cartoon
licensed brand merchandise such as wall clocks, tee shirts, caps, key chains, wall clocks, etc.

Londons Times Ecards: “Ecards For The Intellectual”
http://www.londonstimes.us/ecards/ecards.html

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