The artist behind the “That’s OK” meme can’t escape it 10 years later — and a good one at that

Just like the dog in his famous comic strip, KC Green has learned to calmly accept the fact that he has no control over how people use and interpret his art.

It’s been 10 years since the Massachusetts artist first published the six-panel comic strip, On Fire.And as part of it gun show webcomic series.

Since then, the first two boards have taken on a life of their own as one of the most popular internet memes in the world. A yellow cartoon dog sits at a table quietly drinking coffee while flames are burning around him. “That’s fine,” says nobody in particular.

The infinitely relatable dog has been used to comment on everything from the stress of exams to the ravages of climate change.

“It helped me understand one’s perception of one’s art. Like, maybe it was just a comic that I had to drop because I had a self-designed schedule for my comedy at the time. But, you know, people take what they want outside of your art.” — without your permission half the time,” said Green as it happens Hosted by Neil Koxall.

“Art is open to interpretation, and that’s something I have to live with — and I’m fine.”

While the comedy’s message is universal, its original meaning is deeply personal.

He said, “I started taking antidepressants, which I hadn’t done before. And I was kind of afraid to do it as an artist.”

He said he worried the medication would somehow change him — and he’d never be the same again.

He said, “It’s not the case at all. It just makes you go out of your way when you get to know these things.” “But for me, it was still new and still a little scary.”

He was in his twenties, living alone far from his family in Oklahoma, and trying to deal with these big questions about his mental health and personality.

But he had to learn to live with the chaos. Because what else can you do?

“There was just too much going on,” he said. “I felt like I was just ignoring the bigger picture, which ultimately is the way you live life.” “This is normal for everyone to some extent.”

That was in 2013. About a year later, Souvenir went into business.

At first, he was seeing it pop up on Instagram. Shared by college students as final exams approached, it’s a perfect encapsulation of the way they were coping – or not coping – with the overwhelming pressure.

Then it started popping up everywhere. With Every new social and political crisis the world had to deal withthe meme is becoming more widespread.

“I try not to push it too much because I know that can be kind of annoying, but the fact that people are still using it here and there…shows that, yeah, it struck a chord, right?” he said.

Sometimes, he says, it’s used in ways that don’t align with his values, like when it’s the United States A GOP account tweeted it out in 2016 Referring to the nomination of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential candidate.

But like the dog in the meme, Green let him roll off his back.

He said, “I was like, Well, it’s a meme. Everyone uses memes, including these losers.” “Sorry for editing.”

Despite his complex relationship with On fire, Green has revived him more than once.

In 2016, he teamed up with Adult Swim to create an animated version of it. Later that year, he published a sequel, This Is Not Fine, in which a dog – whose name is Question Hound – puts out a fire before the flames destroy him.

The Hound Question also appears in Green’s latest comic website, Funny animals online.

Green also has a whole host of unrelated works that he wishes more people would associate with his name. He just completed Comic quote by Carlo Collodi Pinocchio He is particularly proud of it.

But nothing achieves the level of exposure quite like that dog drinking coffee.

How I remember, again, is not out of my hands, Green said. “So if this or any number of other memes that happen to be generated from my work happen to be, that is exactly what I believe.”