130,000 people flocked to the UCLA campus this weekend for the 14^th annual LA Times Festival of Books. The booths and stages have been packed away and all of the litter swept up, but one author left a lasting impression on a select few who stopped by his booth, where he sat all weekend promoting his two books of animal cartoons. Each year, most of the buzz belongs to the high profile authors and speakers in attendance like this year’s featured author David Shannon and popular speaker Buzz Aldrin. But for me, the author who left a mark on the fair was not one who got a booth placed up in front of the illustrious Royce Hall, but one who sat in a folding chair with his wife at his side the entire weekend down in a booth in Wilson Plaza, a booth that most visitors passed by without hearing his remarkable story.

Chris Ayers, just 30 years old at the time, was diagnosed with leukemia back in 2005. A successful character designer in the Hollywood film industry, Ayers’ life was flipped 180 degrees that spring. He underwent multiple bouts of chemotherapy, total body radiation and even a stem cell transplant. I have seen many family members and friends fight different types of cancer, including leukemia, and those who also have know of the destruction and the emotional tolls it takes on one’s body and their family. It is terrifying. After 8 months of intense battle with the cancer, through the success of treatment and the love and support of family and friends, Ayers slowly began to recover.

On the one-year anniversary of his diagnosis, April 1^st, 2006, Ayers began an art project called The Daily Zoo. For one year, his goal was to draw an animal each day. It was an assignment to test his creativity as well as a way to celebrate the gift of his health and his talent as a cartoonist. It was a therapeutic escape during his continued recovery from the cancer, and despite time and energy constraints, he drew an animal every day for the next year. And the following year. And the year after that. He just finished his fourth straight year this April. His first two sketchbooks have been published.

In the words of Ayers, “the pages are chock full of 365 distinct critters, ranging from curious pandas to sinister hyenas, athletic aardvarks to zealous zebras, with the choice of artistic styles as diverse as the subject matter. Alongside the images, I have included commentary about my cancer experience, the sources of my artistic inspiration, and some of my creative methods. Regardless of your artistic experience, I hope this book will inspire you to get creative and feed your soul!”

His story is remarkable and inspiring. He has shown everyone that with optimism and by finding an outlet, we can get through all hardships, even the scariest ones. I passed his booth multiple times throughout the fair and every time I did he always had the largest, beaming smile on his face as he talked to people passing by. His enthusiasm for creativity is something that many of us have lost touch of; it is important that we feed our creative soul. He challenges us to go express ourselves, be it drawing, singing, dancing, cooking, or writing. As he says, “the more people allow themselves to entertain their creative sides, the more sane and better off this world of ours would be”.