This is a true story: I was sitting in a busy cafe drawing a cow and enjoying a cup of coffee. A man came in, told me he too was an artist, and eventually tried to get the woman sitting next to me to smear some of her avocado on my work so he could demonstrate how he paints with food. He kept insisting she do it, while I, getting angry but not wanting to cause a scene, kept insisting she not. Looking down, I caught a glimpse of my sneakers, which happened to be the same style (Onitsuka Tigers) Uma Thurman wore so fiercely in the movie, Kill Bill. Channeling my inner Uma, I managed to stomp my feline clad foot firmly down and avoid taking someone’s lunch home in my sketchbook, but the experience left me a little off for a few hours. Why? Because although I found power in acting the tiger, there are many qualities I love, and prefer, about the cow:

Cows
Considered sacred by many, symbolize fertility, motherhood and nourishment.

Preferring sweet to bitter, their specialized manner of digestion never-the-less enables them to eat through tough things many others can not.

They have the ability to swallow large amounts in short periods of time, then bring the same material up again, and again, to absorb what is important. Chew, swallow, bring up, chew, swallow, bring up. This allows them to stay safe while ingesting what would be too much for most.

They are overly sensitive to sour in food as well as treatment, and will vary their bite depending on what they are consuming.

Social beings, they are able to smell stress in others.

Isolation causes them great anxiety. Mirrors, however, can be used to ease this effect.

Others exploit them...cattle, chattel, capital...movable personal property.

Tigers
Known for their strength, ferocity and courage, their very presence commands respect.

Born blind, naked and immoble they begin life experiencing complete vulnerability, but by 18 months of age, all of their permanent teeth are in place.

Largely solitary, fiercely territorial, they have the patience to lie in wait in order to pounce at the most beneficial time, especially when defending themselves, or their young.

With powerful night vision, and excellent swimming capability, they can navigate both murky situations and dangerous waters, enabling them to take down even those much larger in size.

Their unpredictability is an asset.

We can be a cow. 

We can be a tiger. 

We can be both, when necessary.