Each Sesame Street character represents a different trait, and it’s my job to bring those out. Elmo is pure enthusiasm. Ernie represents playful mischievousness. Bert connects with kids who like subtler things. Grover, no matter how many mistakes he makes, never gets down on himself.

Some years ago, I visited a school where I presented some Sesame Street Muppets. I met an 8-year-old boy there who was on the autism spectrum and had never spoken. He was amazed by Ernie. On the car ride home, he started saying Ernie’s name. At the dinner table, he repeatedly said, “Ernie’s my friend.” A nonverbal child was inspired to start speaking—that’s the power that these characters have to connect.

The characters are my friends too. When I draw them, I’m doing their portraits. When I’m posing them, it’s a playdate. I tap into the sense of wonder I felt when, as a 6-year-old, I first saw Jim Henson on The Ed Sullivan Show with Kermit the Frog on his arm. I thought, Maybe I could do that, and my life exploded with possibility.

In my mind and heart, I’ve never stopped being 6 years old. I believe that none of us loses the sense of wonder we felt as kids. For a lot of us, though, it gets covered up. But we all can find that child in us. And we’re all artists, whether we know it or not. Creativity is anything new that you’re reaching for. Your life is your work of art.

The only failure is quitting. If you try and something doesn’t quite work out, well, you’re just practicing. Until your very last day, you’re a work in progress. —As told to Gregg Segal