Practical Advice “I drew a good picture today. You wanna see?” I asked. “I heard that if you cut off a chicken’s head, it’llkeep running. That true?” asked Uncle Morris, puffing on a cigarette. “Why are you asking me? And anyways, what does thathave to do with art?” “Know it or not?” “I don’t!” “It’s true.” “What’s the point of this?” “The point of this, Robin, is ‘cause I’m trying totell you that silly pictures don’t matter. Silly pictures won’t make you a living.” “Artists make money.” “Not with silly pictures. Not with silly childishpictures.” “I’m not a grownup yet! I’ll get better as I grow!Anyways, you haven’t even seen the picture!” “It of a chicken?” “NO!” “It of a cow?” “Stop playin’ around, Uncle Morris!” “I ain’t playin’, Robin.” “Then what are you doing?” “I’m here to take care of you, you know that, Robin.Your parents said that if something ever happened to them, I gotta take care of you. Somethinghappened. You’ve been on this farm for months, and you still don’t understand that you gottabe a farmer. Everything else, too dangerous. I want to keep an eye on you. I don’t wantyou to die like your parents did!” “I’m not going to.” “How do you know?” “I just do. Drawing isn’t dangerous. Loving doingwhat you love to do isn’t dangerous.” “Robin, let me tell you a story. About your parents.” “I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT!” “Have it your way.” “Uncle Morris, don’t you understand? Being a farmer…it might not be dangerous, but no one likes farmers. No one I know, anyways. The kids atschool call me Pork, because of how I hang out with the pigs, and draw them.” “Don’t listen to them kids. They don’t know anything.You, however, need to know that you are a farmer, through and through!” “But I’m not! I love animals, but I don’t like butcheringthem. Heck, I’m a vegetarian! I don’t want to work in fields all day. I want to draw nature,but not harvest it!” “Lazy girl.” “I’m not lazy! I just like drawing! Don’t you understand?” “I don’t. Not at all. But I’ll agree with you… fornow.”