“I’m not homeless yet.”

It’s a fairly low-key way to express the kind of professional success illustrator Grant Gould is experiencing.

Recently hired by Lucasfilm Ltd., Gould is part of a team that’s working on The Clone Wars online web comics. Released in tandem with the television show, the comics will supplement the plots and characters found in the weekly episodes.

Star Wars fans are no stranger to Gould’s work. His art can be found all over the official site as well as illustrations and “How to Draw” tutorials, as well as on the Topps Revenge of the Sith Artist Sketch card series.

Gould thanks fellow artist >Tom Hodges, who is also working on the online Clone Wars comic, for his start in professional illustration in 2004. Hodges, who was working on an online strip for Hyperspace, a section of StarWars.com, told Gould about the opportunity to draw for the Topps series. As a fan of the Star Wars saga, Gould jumped at the chance to work on such a well known story.

“I enjoy drawing characters that people are familiar with, but giving them my own spin,” he said in a recent interview with Blast.

With his first professional illustrating job under his belt, Gould continued to work on other projects such as trading card sets for many popular comics and television series along with personal commissions.

“So I knew I had to make a decision — start cutting back on the illustration jobs, or quit my day job and try my hand at fulltime freelance illustration,” Gould said. “I guess I figured I’m still young enough where if I completely screw up, no harm, no foul — at least I can say I tried it out.”

“I took my chances and quit my day job, and dove headfirst into the scary world of fulltime freelance.”

Scary for many reasons, not the smallest of which was the fact that Gould had little formal training and education in illustration.

“In college (Brown College in Minnesota) I had a few classes on ‘life drawing’ and such, but I would say for the most part I’m self-taught … Illustration is like any skill in that the more you do it, the more you learn and the better you get.”

Gould has had many informal chances to learn, as well. “In high school, I was the guy who would draw silly cartoons and doodle Ninja Turtles in my notebooks.”

Gould was a graphic designer for about seven years and drawing in his free time before turning his attentions to illustrating full time. “I think anatomy books and tutorial books helped a lot, too, in my younger years,” he said.

Finally, Gould recognizing that the skill of observation as helped his artwork a lot. “Watching how people move, studying body shapes and faces (both in real life and in cartoons and movies), and really noticing how things fit together — I think all of it contributes to how I draw.”

And how he draws has gotten him where he is today.

“Now that I’m working on the Clone Wars online comic, it feels like I’ve graduated and am getting to play with the big boys,” Gould said. He’s currently also working on a comic of his own. “I wrote and drew my own creator-owned graphic novel, and it’s coming out this November.” Wolves of Odin, as the name implies, focuses on Norse mythology with a bit of the supernatural thrown in.

“It’s genuinely exciting to wake up and work on something that you love…I think Young Grant would be very happy to see where I’m at today in my career.”

After all, he’s still not homeless.

Sea Bags are an excellent example of the ways consumerism is changing. These accessories, which range from wine carriers to large over-the shoulder bags, are all made out of the material from actual previously used sails!

The sails are procured locally from boaters in the Portland, Maine area through purchase, donation or even trade. Sea Bags also offers the choice to donate material in exchange for a donation to the Sail Maine Scholarship Fund for children that are learning or wish to learn to sail.

Each bag created from these sails has distinctive markings from the expected wear and scratches such material collects from the nature of its previous function on the sea. Customers can also choose a type of design for their bag, including additions like stripes, large identification numbers or logos which can be found on each individual sail. This guarantees that each bag is absolutely one of a kind.

Also unique are the company’s beliefs. “We make bags out of recycled sails and each bag represents everything we are as a company,” said company owners Hannah Kubiak and Beth Shissler. The company stands on chathe philosophy that every person, just like their sails, deserves a second chance — a perfect stance for a company that revolves around recycling.

To put this idea into action the company has a close working relationship with the Maine Correctional Institute for Women. Sea Bags also developed a line of bags devoted to aiding the fight against Breast cancer which sported the well-recognized pink ribbon. Half of all the proceeds gained from the sail of these bags — $15,000 — went directly to the Maine Cancer Foundation.

This multi-faceted involvement with the community helps the company stick with one of its final goals, to stay local while growing into a global company. “We are proud to have a global business in Portland, Maine where all of our products are made and we are passionate about keeping it that way,” said the owners.

The possibilities for recycled fashion are endless. In fact, right now I am using a beautiful piece of a used billboard for a wallet and part of a retired circus tent for a purse.

Creativity can help save our earth, one accessory at a time.

I’m guilty of it just the same.

“Mainstream (e)-cards tend to be sappy and maudlin. In a word, they suck,” said Nancy Gomez, who decided to try to change all that by starting Rattlebox.com. It’s a new e-card website that prides itself on a new kind of card. “They have attitude,” says Gomez.

Rattlebox e-cards try to keep from “sucking” by using footage from over 40,000 hours of popular television show. The site is also open to visitor-submitted videos, and users can make money by submitting popular videos for others to use.

What I found most appealing about Rattlebox is the amount of power a user has over the card they send. A unique feature of the video content is the fact that the clips are totally customizable.

In the majority of E-cards on the internet, the greeting and/or closing is the only thing that a sender gets to customize. However, this restriction does not affect the Rattlebox cards. Every message is presented with a default script, but every line in the card can be changed, giving senders the opportunity to customize the card specifically for any recipient.

It’s almost as if you’re the producer of each card you choose to send. “We’re very excited about this unique feature, since it gives people the opportunity to really interact with the media, personalize it in a whole new way, and communicate and connect,” Gomez said.

This amount of editing power users have, plus the opportunity to submit their own material for cards, is what founders hope will attract visitors to the site. “People are drawn to social networking sites (like MySpace and Facebook) because they want to express themselves on their own terms. Rattlebox lets them do that,” Gomez points out.

Rattlebox continues with this approach with the option for users to send their cards through Instant Message or post them in blogs and networking sites for their own visitors to see.

Like other e-card sites, Rattlebox offers cards for a wide selection of occasions, such as birthdays and holidays. Although, unlike the majority of competitive sites, Rattlebox offers cards that they sort into categories like “Insults” and “Provocative”. Quite a few of these cards are preempted with a cautionary message, warning that the following videos are “probably (most likely) offensive. If you are easily offended, you should go. We understand.” Try finding a message like that on a Hallmark e-card.

So the next time you want to send someone an e-card that’s not going to get deleted- say a nice “Happy New Year” card- check out Rattlebox.com. You may actually get a thank you card in return this time.

A recent study shows that Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers, Chicken Broccoli Pasta Alfredo Bowls and Chocolate Molten Lava Cake aren’t the reasons for customers returning to national chains week after week. It’s the “emotional connections” that waiters and waitresses form with the clients that result in more business and higher profits.

PeopleMetrics, a consumer research firm, observed that the amount and quality of server and client interactions in about a dozen major food chains, including Chili’s, Applebee’s and Red Lobster.

Findings indicated that the more engaged a customer is (“How is everything going over here?”, “Can I get you a refill on that?”) the more likely it is that those customers will not only visit again, but will act as free positive advertising for the restaurant.

These satisfied customers have been shown to tell friends about how they enjoyed the experience, go out of their way to return, and, in general, remain loyal to the restaurant and the brand.

“I mean if you compare menus they all serve the same stuff,” said Mary Kirshmann, a student at Western New England College, who agrees that the food is not always the penultimate factor when choosing a dinner destination. “They just have to be courteous.”

Sounds simple enough, but what are chain restaurants doing to take advantage of this information?

Brinker International Incorporated, parent of Chili’s, On the Border and Macaroni Grill, has already put some of this philosophy into their business plan.

“We know we must give our team members the appropriate autonomy to provide the highest level of hospitality, making our guests feel special whenever they dine with us.,” said a statement in their 2007 annual report.

The proof is in the Portobello Mushroom Fajitas. Brinker has enjoyed a 70 million dollar increase in revenue since 2005, bringing them to $4.4 billion net gain this year.

However, Darden Restaurants, owners of Red Lobster, Olive Garden and The Capitol Grille, reported only $201 million in net earnings this year.

A possible difference: While Brinker focuses on customer service in their annual review, Darden steadfastly relies on the quality of their food.

“Our relentless pursuit of quality and, above all, freshness,” is Red Lobster’s public advertising strategy. The word “fresh” appears at least ten times in the “Our Story” section of the Red Lobster website.

In comparison, Chili’s web page advertises their support for charities, allergen information and customer surveys, implying that their interest and concern for their patrons’ morals, health, and opinions.

“(Restaurants) need to hire and retain employees who make the dining experience fun,” said Kate Feather, PeopleMetrics’ Vice President and director of the study. “Restaurants who can quickly and effectively resolve customer concerns are the clear winners.”

By reducing employee turnover rates, these corporations will gain more experienced and familiar staff – therefore increasing customer satisfaction. It is also much easier for experienced and relaxed waiters and waitresses to solve any issues that may arise for a customer.

What does this mean for your next dinner outing? You may find a few extra napkins at your table. Your server may be uncommonly peppy and interested in how your day is going. But remember, it isn’t your current visit that the brand is worried about; it’s your next visit, and the one after that, and the one after that…