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Trial And Error : Life Of Depression
Overcoming depression can look different for many. For Robert Lawson, it looked like being fatherless, suicide ideation, drugs and alcohol and more. Every time Robert thought he was on the right path something came to knock him right back down. He always asked God to help him get through the many storms he was facing. There is however an opportunity that comes with depression. Robert was more than willing to take the necessary steps to overcome it. Inspired by his grandmother, he knew that he was destined for more. He knew that he was destined to inspire others. He knew that the life that he experienced was because he could be a voice and help others along in their journey. Robert wrote this book in hopes that he can show the world that filling voids only leads to temporary relief. In order to find true satisfaction and peace in life one must do the work. Robert is sharing with the world in his first debut book, Trial and Error a raw and open story about how he was able to overcome his struggles in life and truly step into his purpose.
97 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2023
1 person is currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Robert Lawson
120 books80 followersBorn in New York City, Lawson spent his early life in Montclair, New Jersey. Following high school, he studied art for three years under illustrator Howard Giles (an advocate of dynamic symmetry as conceived by Jay Hambidge) at the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (now Parsons School of Design), marrying fellow artist and illustrator Marie Abrams in 1922. His career as an illustrator began in 1914, when his illustration for a poem about the invasion of Belgium was published in Harper's Weekly. He went on to publish in other magazines, including the Ladies Home Journal, Everybody's Magazine, Century Magazine, Vogue, and Designer.
During World War I, Lawson was a member of the first U.S. Army camouflage unit (called the American Camouflage Corps), in connection with which he served in France with other artists, such as Barry Faulkner, Sherry Edmundson Fry, William Twigg-Smith and Kerr Eby. In his autobiography, Faulkner recalls that Lawson had a remarkable "sense of fantasy and humor", which made him especially valuable when the camoufleurs put on musical shows for the children of the French women who worked with them on camouflage
After the war, Lawson resumed his work as an artist, and in 1922, illustrated his first children's book, The Wonderful Adventures of Little Prince Toofat. Subsequently he illustrated dozens of children's books by other authors, including such well-known titles as The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (which later became an animated film by the Walt Disney Studios) and Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. In total, he illustrated as many as forty books by other authors, and another seventeen books that he himself was author of, including Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin By His Good Mouse Amos and Rabbit Hill. His work was widely admired, and he became the first, and so far only, person to be given both the Caldecott Medal (They Were Strong and Good, 1941) and the Newbery Medal (Rabbit Hill, 1945). Ben and Me earned a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1961.
Lawson was a witty and inventive author, and his children's fiction is no less engaging for grown-ups. One of his inventive themes was the idea of a person's life as seen through the eyes of a companion animal, an approach that he first realized in Ben and Me. Some of his later books employed the same device (which was compatible with his style of illustration) to other figures, such as Christopher Columbus (I Discover Columbus) and Paul Revere (Mr. Revere and I). Captain Kidd's Cat, which he both wrote and illustrated, is narrated by the feline in the title, named McDermot, who tells the story of the famous pirate's ill-starred voyage, in the process of which he is shown to have been a brave, upright, honest, hen-pecked man betrayed by his friends and calumniated by posterity. His artistic witticism and creativity can be seen in The Story of Ferdinand the Bull, where he illustrates a cork tree as a tree that bears corks as fruits, ready to be picked and placed into bottles.
In the early 1930s, Lawson became interested in etching. One of the resulting prints was awarded the John Taylor Arms Prize by the Society of American Etchers.
Lawson died in 1957 at his home in Westport, Connecticut, in a house that he referred to as Rabbit Hill, since it had been the setting for his book of the same name. He was 64. He is buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. An annual conference is held in his honor in Westport.
The Robert Lawson Papers are in the University of Minnesota Children's Literature Research Collections.
During World War I, Lawson was a member of the first U.S. Army camouflage unit (called the American Camouflage Corps), in connection with which he served in France with other artists, such as Barry Faulkner, Sherry Edmundson Fry, William Twigg-Smith and Kerr Eby. In his autobiography, Faulkner recalls that Lawson had a remarkable "sense of fantasy and humor", which made him especially valuable when the camoufleurs put on musical shows for the children of the French women who worked with them on camouflage
After the war, Lawson resumed his work as an artist, and in 1922, illustrated his first children's book, The Wonderful Adventures of Little Prince Toofat. Subsequently he illustrated dozens of children's books by other authors, including such well-known titles as The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (which later became an animated film by the Walt Disney Studios) and Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. In total, he illustrated as many as forty books by other authors, and another seventeen books that he himself was author of, including Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin By His Good Mouse Amos and Rabbit Hill. His work was widely admired, and he became the first, and so far only, person to be given both the Caldecott Medal (They Were Strong and Good, 1941) and the Newbery Medal (Rabbit Hill, 1945). Ben and Me earned a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1961.
Lawson was a witty and inventive author, and his children's fiction is no less engaging for grown-ups. One of his inventive themes was the idea of a person's life as seen through the eyes of a companion animal, an approach that he first realized in Ben and Me. Some of his later books employed the same device (which was compatible with his style of illustration) to other figures, such as Christopher Columbus (I Discover Columbus) and Paul Revere (Mr. Revere and I). Captain Kidd's Cat, which he both wrote and illustrated, is narrated by the feline in the title, named McDermot, who tells the story of the famous pirate's ill-starred voyage, in the process of which he is shown to have been a brave, upright, honest, hen-pecked man betrayed by his friends and calumniated by posterity. His artistic witticism and creativity can be seen in The Story of Ferdinand the Bull, where he illustrates a cork tree as a tree that bears corks as fruits, ready to be picked and placed into bottles.
In the early 1930s, Lawson became interested in etching. One of the resulting prints was awarded the John Taylor Arms Prize by the Society of American Etchers.
Lawson died in 1957 at his home in Westport, Connecticut, in a house that he referred to as Rabbit Hill, since it had been the setting for his book of the same name. He was 64. He is buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. An annual conference is held in his honor in Westport.
The Robert Lawson Papers are in the University of Minnesota Children's Literature Research Collections.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 22, 2024
Great read for boy moms & young men
Great read for any mom wanting to get a sons perspective of love, loss, and living. As a mother of a 20something son and retired teacher, this would be a great mother-son read with a middle-high school student or group. Shoot! It's great for young men of any age to find a friend and mentor out of the struggle.
The emotional growth and insights are relatable and relevant as a great coming of age biography. I'd like a professional editor or Grammarly to increase consistency and flow. Although, it's definitely still worth it's weight in gold without it.
To Those fighting silent battles keep going, find what you are destined to do, find something that keep you happy, and most importantly seek God. (Ch 8, p. 51)
"We tend to build our homes in others." (Ch 11, p. 71)
Great read for any mom wanting to get a sons perspective of love, loss, and living. As a mother of a 20something son and retired teacher, this would be a great mother-son read with a middle-high school student or group. Shoot! It's great for young men of any age to find a friend and mentor out of the struggle.
The emotional growth and insights are relatable and relevant as a great coming of age biography. I'd like a professional editor or Grammarly to increase consistency and flow. Although, it's definitely still worth it's weight in gold without it.
To Those fighting silent battles keep going, find what you are destined to do, find something that keep you happy, and most importantly seek God. (Ch 8, p. 51)
"We tend to build our homes in others." (Ch 11, p. 71)
November 19, 2023
This book is so inspirational. Any young men whose fathers are not around or are barely there really need to read this. It’s an easy read and really gets deep into the pain of not having a man to teach you what it’s like to be a man. It’s very personal and powerful to read how Robert overcame such a hard thing to deal with. I hope he writes more.
November 19, 2023
This book is very inspirational. Young men without fathers or fathers who are barely in their lives need to read this. It’s an easy read and really goes deep into what it feels like to have no man to teach you how to be a man. I hope he comes out with more books. I think he is a very good writer.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews