Confessions of a Too-Bitstripper

It began so innocently. I happened to read a Facebook friend’s status update wherein she made the comment, “What’s with all of this Bitstrips stuff? It isn’t even funny.” Since I’m one of those ‘I’ll be the judge of that’ sorts of people, I was intrigued.

I found myself thinking, "Exactly what is a Bitstrip and why isn’t it funny? Is it some sort of food? Is it what you use when you have something small and needed to repair it? Was my life complete without knowing what I was missing?" There should have been a warning sign saying “Turn Back Now!”

I sort of pondered my friend’s put-down, because I generally tend to agree with her comments and assessments. However, the word "funny" just kept percolating. I managed to get busy with work and life in general, so Bitstrips was definitely not at the top of my to-do list. And then, my sister Lisa Bitstipped me. Yes, you heard me right. My very own beloved sister.

Now, I was hooked. I’ll confess, I’ve always wished my life was as carefree and simple as a cartoon – and voila – here was my chance. In the blink of an eye, I was on my iPad, creating my own fantasy world. Sure, Lisa had captured the essence of “me,” but I wanted to do some fine-tuning. I also wanted the opportunity to see if Bitstrips could actually be funny. While I wasn’t rolling on the floor watching Jeanetta and myself dressed as lumberjacks, I did see the potential for humor. And, the cartoon brought back some pretty silly memories from when Jenny and I lived together in LA many years ago, and managed to get lost on our commute to work more times than either of us would care to admit.

What I discovered is a place where you are somewhat limited because the creative folks at Bitstrips only put up a handful of cartoon possibilities each day, but in their defense, there is quite an archive. Since they provide the ability to capture your Facebook friends, you can include their image in your masterpiece. Even using that word in jest makes me glad that DaVinci, Rembrandt, Picasso, etc., did not have computer access back in the day, because I’m convinced our museums would be lacking some real masterpieces!

But back to, it’s all about me. In no time flat I was a Bitstrips impresario. I went into the program and changed my eye color, my lips, even my glasses so they felt a bit more authentic (I’m going to have to talk to my sister about why she doesn’t know what color my eyes are – but I’ll save that for a later date). I think one of the greatest parts about being able to create your cartoon self is being able to make that self so much more attractive (and ageless) than your real self. My Bitstrips self looks perkier than my real self has been in years. And my Bitstrips self is constantly on some adventure (okay, my real self is pretty much constantly on some adventure too, just not necessarily an adventure of my choosing)!

As with most things in my life, I found it impossible to practice moderation. Before long, I was Bitstripping every Tom, Dick and Mary I’ve ever known. Some of them already had Bitstrips characters they had created, but many did not, which made it fun to fashion a cartoon based on the features I find most compelling.

I had them doing any number of funny things and saying whatever I thought made the scene even more hilarious. Since I can’t draw anything but stick figures, this was also a great way for me to feel what it must be like to be talented when it comes to drawing or painting. Bitstrips allows me to change facial expressions and add quips, so even if a cartoon has a theme, I’m able to play with it a bit.

I’ve turned family members into babies. Created scenes where co-workers are zombies, and even expressed real feelings about someone or something in a way that brought just a bit of levity and joy to the situation.

Yes, I may be paying way too much attention to this novel app. Granted, nothing I’ve created has been too funny. But, I’m willing to bet that if your curiosity leads you to this app, there will be a cartoon you in no time too!