Tom Garrett was born near a nuclear defense plant in the 1950’s in Amarillo, Texas. Along with loving to travel, he can’t get enough Thai food. He lives in Minneappolis with cats named Ike and Tina.
U.S. News & World Report is a longtime client of Garrett’s, who regularly does freelance work for major publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Smart Money, Business Week and The Washington Post. This year, the magazine wanted him to show all facets of student life. So in addition to the usual illustrations about applying, they wanted him to show a student drunk. His first attempt was too tame–the editors wanted to show a seriously inebriated student. He also was asked to depict “helicopter parents“–the term used to describe the phenomenon of parents who metaphorically hover over their children once they head to campus.