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Dustin Seelinger
Interdiciplinary Book and Paper Arts MFA
Graduate Ambassador

I’m furiously trying to get my thesis project wrapped up and I have BIG news. My main project is focused on storytelling. I’m collecting stories from punk parents about parenthood. I have been reaching out to some of my heroes and well, it’s paying off. One of the Ramones is participating. The RAMONES.

I reached out to bass player to the Ramones, CJ Ramone, through his facebook page asking if he would be interested in contributing a story. He responded almost immediately. For the last month I have been corresponding back and forth with him. My fanboy self had been quietly freaking out. A couple of days ago I got an email that CJ had sent me a video. I’m suddenly feeling more comfortable that I might actually get this project finished.

In the video he touches on his time with the Ramones, his decision to start a family when the band called it quits in 1996, the struggles of having an autistic child, and what that meant in terms of a decision to stop touring. It was amazing. I pretty much held my breath the whole time I watched it.

So yeah, freaking out. I told my daughter about it when she got home from school and she started jumping up and down too. Clearly I am raising these kids right.

In conjunction with getting these video stories collected, I have been placing a bunch of orders for my other materials. A new run of buttons from Busy Beaver in Chicago, 8 lbs of stickers from Sticker Guy that are on their way to me as we speak, and a case of 4-color crayon boxes that are branded with Post-Punk Parenthood. Next up on the docket is finalizing the coloring books and getting those sent off to the printers at the end of next week. I’m a little behind in getting the books down, but feel confident that I will get them done.

I have had a lot of struggle while I have been in graduate school. Family health issues, the struggle that comes along with having small children, finding the right time to work, and fine-tuning a project that I have been in love with from its inception. But it’s all worth it and it’s really paying off. Had I been told ten years ago that I would be speaking with one of the the Ramones about helping me with a project about parenthood, I would have called you a liar. And yet here I am. So yeah, reach out to your heroes. The worst thing that can happen is that they tell you no. But there is a good chance that they won’t.

Install is in just over a month. I’ve got this. Critique week is next week for the first and second years. If you are around Chicago, come check them out and see what students in the Interdisciplinary Arts, MFA programs are up to. See you there!