Years ago, I teamed up with a buddy to create some comics loosely based on our lives and our friends. It was more of a traditional three-panel comic than “Eyewash” and had a group of recurring characters. When I decided to start my own comic, however, I changed the format to match my preference for single-panel comics (like my all-time favorite, “The Far Side”).

I soon realized it was a much bigger challenge to come up with a brand-new premise each day. There were no catchphrases or continuing narratives I could tap into … each panel had to stand on its own. On one hand, that makes it more difficult to come up with new gags. On the other hand, it gives me a lot more freedom to draw whatever I want. “Eyewash” is a boundless universe that includes the bizarre, the mundane, and everything in between.

I realize that the absurd nature of some of these comics isn’t for everyone, but I’m always humbled by those who let me know something I’ve created has brightened their day a little. Sure, I could probably make more traditional stuff with wider appeal, and maybe that would attract more followers on social media. But this started out as a fun hobby — and if it ever becomes a chore or something that I’m only doing to gain likes and comments online, then I think I’d be better off just calling it quits.

Of course, I’d love to reach a bigger audience and turn this side project into my main job (what artist wouldn’t?), but until then I just have to fit cartooning into my spare time. That’s where it can get tricky since my comics cover such a broad range of topics. I’ve had to learn how to draw a wide variety of people, places, and things over the course of more than 200 comics so far, and some of them are much more challenging than others. I can come up with a silly version of a mouse or a chicken without much trouble, but when I need to draw something that looks realistic I often have to spend a lot more time on the artwork. This has been the case with a few comics, including one in which I drew a map of the United States and another that included the entire solar system. These had to be instantly recognizable in order for the punchlines to land, so there wasn’t any room for error … and believe me, my drawings are known to have plenty of errors!

But in the end, I don’t fret too much over a stray line or a punchline that I should have phrased differently. I have redrawn some of my earliest comics just to make them a bit more legible, but they’re all a reflection of my own warped sense of humor — for better or worse. Some come from weird jokes I tell my son, others are sparked by a random pun that pops into my head while I’m driving around town. Wherever they come from, if there seems to be the seed of a joke in there somewhere you can bet that it’ll become an “Eyewash” panel sooner or later.