To say it has been difficult for me to focus would be an understatement, but I am so incredibly proud of the work I did in The Octopus’s Holiday. I can’t help but be struck by this paradox: I struggled so much to get through this, but the result is there. It came out really good. It speaks for itself. The struggle was worth it. In a time where it feels like we are all trapped in a struggle right now that is not paying off, making so many sacrifices in what feels like an endless journey, I forgot what reward feels like.
Read MoreProductivity is primarily an economic term; it is used to describe the amount of monetary value a person can produce with their labor; economists analyze productivity ... These masterful artists were producing art, but in their days of isolation they were not productive as far as the economy was concerned,
So why am I sitting here worrying about my productivity in this time? It’s a capitalist, consumerist lie that I must be producing all the time to be valuable. That I must prove my worth and earn the oxygen I breathe, by forcinng my brain into creative processes that come naturally to me but just won’t start right now.
Money is important. I need it. But I can’t be asked to extort money out of every minute of my time.
Read MoreDear Future American: don’t let history erase any of this.
Read MoreWhat if your amateur art (or that of your messy nightmare kids) could help feed the hungry? I’ve made some coloring sheets for kids AND adults that you can download - and if you pay for them, you’ll be helping feed hungry New Orleanians. If you can’t pay, use the code COLOR at checkout and they will be free. Since this crisis started, my friends at Toups’ Meatery (with the help of World Central Kitchen) have been feeding anyone who asks without question.
Read MoreSo fitting for this moment: 100,000 people have died because COVID has taken away their ability to breathe; so much of that is a result of institutional rot and state-sanctioned hatred - not only a failure to protect our people, but a willingness to leave them to die. The fact that black people are contracting and dying of COVID at such a high rate, and that the government is refusing meaningful action on it, is directly connected to the countless police killings. George Floyd is a victim of the same system; the murder weapon was just a knee, not a virus.
Racism is lethal. It’s not hurt feelings, or not being able to take a joke, or dwelling on the past. It’s killing people. The dismissal of racist jokes and telling people to stop getting their feelings hurt is just giving cover for another more violent racist system to succeed. All of it kills, directly or indirectly.
Read MoreThe bigger picture is this: I let go of something that controlled my self-perception, my schedule, and my self-confidence, and felt great releasing myself from it. Is there something similar in your life you are discovering right now? Are you experiencing a newfound freedom from being tethered to a routine or object?
Read MoreRight now, it seems that a lot of people going out in public don’t share the same sense of self-preservation and crippling anxiety that I do. For that reason, I made no changes to my habits this weekend. We are still stocked up on groceries. I still hung out at my house. I delivered some postcards and disinfected the packaging and stood far away and wore a mask and shouted to a friend from a safe distance to catch up.
Read MoreWell the postal service, on which I rely as a business, is going to die if no one bails it out and so I got me some forever stamps to help them stay afloat so hopefully I can stay afloat. It’ll probably be the end of the world before I use them all, so I’m going to pass them onto you with some elegant (and slightly weird) postcards you can mail to your socially distant loved ones.
Read MoreSometimes timing works out. Today is the day I am allowed to announce my next illustration project - The Rose Without A Name - which, coincidentally, is an inspiring story of survival. Today is a day I needed to think a bit about the future and survival.
Read MoreWe all miss our outlets for relaxation and recharging, but with this festival, it’s probably the first major void in routine I have felt. I imagine a few months from now, I'll really feel the effects of losing out on the festival this year.
Read MoreIt’s hard not to wallow, but I try not to, especially here. But it’s dishonest for me to pretend I’m full of inspiratioin and deep thoughts and imagination all the time. Sometimes I’m full of fury and despair.
Read MoreOne person’s quarantine is another one’s treasure. The particulars change but the overall idea is the same: whatever your circumstances, whatever you have, you have TOO MUCH of it.
Read MoreThe longer this goes on, the stronger your sense of anarchy and rebellion will get, and you will come to understand me. You will become feral, too. Another friend recently issued me a “formal apology” for making fun of me for always wearing sports bras instead of real bras. She gets it now.
Read MoreAll of our activities are tinged with trauma and they are exhausting us. So if your day feels like slow slog through mud, I’d guess it’s because you are having to re-learn how to live your entire life.
Read MoreSomeone asked me what the fountain schedule was in a nearby park. Fountain schedule? Is it on a schedule? Nevertheless, that person was just sitting there hoping the fountain would come on so something happened.
Read MoreThe value of soothing yourself with creative or creative-ish work cannot be overstated; now is a time we must treat ourselves with kid gloves. Our spirits are injured right now, and we need to treat the injury. We need to soak our spirit in epsom salt and warm water, to rest and elevate it. We need to be gentle so we can make it through, and heal properly afterward.
Read MoreNormally, stresses ebb and flow; when it rains it pours but it doesn’t usually flood. Right now, it’s flooding. And typically these stresses come, and we can retreat to our support systems - our families and our friends and our communities. We can’t right now.
Read MoreI have a lot of feelings right now, like a lot of us, and I needed a place to put them. I have time. You have time. Let’s be together, at a safe distance.
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