Treading Softly Into Another Year

Happy new year and safe passage. Let us step lightly through. 

Thank you for following along the journey

Taking It A Day At A Time, Part 3

The barred owl of Riverside Park. I've recently taken up casual birdwatching. 

Safe passage into the new year. 

Thanks for reading along

Taking It A Day At A Time, Part 2

Sunset and full moon, Hudson River. Taking it a day at a time and taking the time I need.

May we be granted safe passage.

Thanks for reading along

Taking It A Day At A Time, Part 1

Snow, rain, and frozen-over puddles. Taking it a day at a time and taking the time I need. 

May we be granted safe passage. 

Thank you for reading

More Heart Therapy

Me and my weird heart are currently working out our problems in therapy :)

New comic about working through difficult emotions in therapy, blaming behaviors, and learning the social skills to be "dateable."

Thanks for following the journey, lol.

Pandemic Social Skills

I think my therapist is heckling me ;)

New cartoon about self-improvement in a pandemic.

Thanks for reading and supporting

Naked Therapy

Therapy is going well -- I can't complain. 

Learning to express emotions, etc.

;)

Life Would Be Easier If...

New cartoon about learning to deal with difficult emotions in therapy, which I recently started. Life would be less messy without 'em, but also less interesting. 

Thanks for everyone's patience as I attempt to grow as a person. 

Connie on Ko-fi

Me And My Weird Heart

Quick update: This fall, I finally decided to get help and am now working with a therapist.

I’ve been struggling with depression for years, trying all manner of coping and cartooning through it. It was getting too difficult and starting to affect my creativity.

For those who have been following my comics, I want to share that I’m prioritizing my mental health. I’ll continue to post updates, in case you can relate.

It has been such a challenging year for so many of us. If you’re also dealing with something hard, you’re not alone. Wishing you solace and strength this season.

Thanks so much for reading and supporting.

Loneliness Affirmations

In clear hindsight, this was not one of my more successful mantras.

Connie on Ko-fi

Sketchbook: What A Time To Be Alive

 Just catching up on the news this week...

Stay safe and stay well, everyone.

Maybe-I'm-Worth-It Accessory

I can't believe it took me so long to get a drawing glove.

A cartoon about minor life adjustments that make a big difference. 

(Note: If you've never used a touchscreen tablet, the cut-out glove simply prevents your bare hand from touching the screen and making accidental marks on the drawing.)

View on Instagram

Diversity Plus Trust Equals Unity

What a time of high emotions. With the results of the 2020 US elections declared over the weekend, a big shoe dropped and we all felt the impact.

There's have a lot of work ahead, but I still believe in the wisdom of diverse voices and the possibility that we can make things better.

(Respecting) Diversity + (Rebuilding) Trust = (Path to) Unity

Knowing this doesn't mean we'll do it, but this is what I hope for.

Ko-fi page

Waiting Game

Anxiously awaiting the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. 

Caption: "I wish I ate less this week and did more to get out the vote this year." 

Grateful for heroes like Stacey Abrams of Georgia for her vision of a better democracy and all those working tirelessly to uphold the sanctity of our voices and our votes, locally.

Current Level of Coping

My current level of coping is at super-charge. ⁣

Will freaking out help the situation? No, but it would feel good, damnit. ⁣

Sketchbook: The Year of Standing in Line

One enduring impression of 2020 is how much time we all stood in socially distant lines for everything. 

Thanks to everyone who waited in crazy-long lines to vote this year. NYC had early voting for the first time in history and many waited 4 to 5 hours just to cast their ballots this year. 

It's an unprecedented Election Day in the U.S. today. I saw musicians performing in front of polling sites to keep spirits up. 

In uncertain times: may there be equal parts hope.

Sketchbook: Style of Panic

Everybody panics differently.

My style of panic is somewhere in between paralysis and the impulse to save the world. Voting is better than paralysis, hope is better than despair, and whatever you can do to keep yourself healthy and sane during this crazy pandemic-election year is worth it. 

Stay strong, friends.

Sketchbook: Self-Esteem, Rain Boots

Quick sketchbook drawing about the daily negotiation of self-esteem, rainy day edition. Just for fun. 

Connie on Ko-fi

The Emperor Wears No Mask

I believe strong leaders should be better examples to their followers and those who trust them. 

We can disagree politically, but airborne disease is straightforward. It doesn't care about our politics.

Thank You, USPS and Good Neighbors

 I cast by vote by mail this week and was touched by the kindness of neighbors. 

When I walked into my local post office for stamps, I learned that people in the neighborhood have been buying postage for absentee ballots. 

For all the ways this has been an ugly election year, this was a reminder that we are a part of a larger community and something bigger than ourselves. Just wanted to share that. 

Thanks to the United States Postal Service for holding it down in 2020 and to my neighbors for reminding me that community is everything. 

Illustration: Pandemic Fatigue

The fall season is beautiful, but lonely. We all have things we are struggling with during this epic pandemic election year. This is one of mine. If you understand the feeling, I hope it provides some relief. 

Thanks for continuing to read along in these days of uncertainty and limbo. 

Illustration text: (1) pandemic fatigue; (2) pandemic lonely; (3) pandemic must-stay-strong.

Introvert Groceries

New sketchbook comic about self-checkout stations and the ghost of social anxiety past. 

Cartoon text: When I was younger, even basic social interactions would make me nervous. I've gotten better with practice, but I would've loved self-checkout stations back then, especially if it meant I could avoid any added social stress. 

I don't know if self-checkout is good for humanity or my social skills, but it is a tiny bit fun to "beep" my groceries.

Thanks for reading and supporting if you can.

Anxiety Aura

This is what my anxiety aura looks like today. Just getting through the week will be enough.

Early voting in NY starts next week, so I'll do that too.

Thanks for continuing to read along. I'm hard at work writing, so I'm posting less, but might share more process content in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

Sketchbook: Parable From Hell

The times, the times. We are living in a parable from hell. Quick, change the subject...

Ko-fi page

Single Girl, Emotional Check-in

Not as whiny, but no less feisty. 

I feel like I've been holding my breath this entire pandemic-election year. This cartoon scene sort of feels like it's in limbo too. 

I'm still drawing everyday, which keeps me going when so many things in life are uncertain.

Thanks for following along

Sketchbook: Waiting In Line

I admire anybody (in the U.S.) who got any work done today. 

Take care and wear masks.

Connie on Ko-fi

Mid-Autumn Mooncakes 2020

Mid-Autumn festival is a holiday associated with family reunions, seeing old friends, and pretending to like mooncake.

Since many of us are physically distant from loved ones this year, let us be extra kind to ourselves and our neighbors.

Yes, there’s a lot to be angry about and we need to vote, but also let’s be kind. I am also trying my best.⁣

Announcement: Leaving GoComics; What's Next

I'm ending my GoComics series, Connie to the Wonnie, after 8 years. 

Thanks so much to GoComics for letting me share my creative process and sketchbook cartoons with its readers. 

You can see what's next at cartoonconnie.com, which is newly relaunched. I'm trying something new, but don't worry, I'm not quitting cartooning. 

The Path of Most Resistance

Changing oneself is painful and, for me, the absolute last resort. I won't do it unless my feet are held up the fire and, even then, I'd rather let them char for a while.

Thanks for reading and sticking with me through the messy parts of the process.

Part I'd Like To Skip

Whenever I'm facing a difficult challenge, I think how great it would be if I could just skip over this part. 

Thanks for reading along

Cute Trauma Ghost

Lately, I've been learning about how trauma functions in our brains and what tends to happen when it is ignored and has nowhere else to go. 

I sort of imagine it as a "ghost" floating around in limbo. Of course, there's nothing cute about trauma in real life, but it would feel more manageable if we could see it for what it is.

Thanks so much for all your support

Scale of Emotional Pain

Experimenting with a new digital brush to get though some sadness. I've heard that suffering is less when you can "see" or name where you feel pain and that emotional hurts need as much tending to as physical wounds. 

Hope you are taking care of the parts of your spirit that need the most love this season. 

Thanks for reading and supporting

Too Blessed, So Stressed

I don't want to anger the gods of 2020.

Thanks for reading and supporting

Waste No Time, Elephant

I drew this over the weekend to help me process some emotions. Thought I'd share it. 

Let us waste no time on petty things, Elephant. We are here so briefly.

Thanks for supporting my cartooning

Elephant Projection

Just trying to get through the week :)

Thanks for your support

Update: Comic for PEN America's "We Will Emerge" Project

Proud to have contributed a comic to PEN America's "We Will Emerge" project, with thanks to Wajahat Ali & Dave Eggers for creating this space⁣⁣.⁣⁣  

View full project here https://pen.org/we-will-emerge/⁣⁣  ⁣⁣  

You can find my submission in the "gratitude" section⁣ or⁣ read as separate panels on Instagram.

For this project, writers, activists, and academics came together to imagine a blueprint for a post-COVID America. 

A Quiet Pity Party

Doesn't anybody want to come to my pity party?? Just kidding, I don't do parties ^_^

Second comic today, trying for some elephant levity.

Thanks for supporting

Malaise Mayonnaise

I dislike mayonnaise, among many other things, but this made me laugh in my head.

Thanks for reading and supporting

Feeling Hot Today

This was fun to draw. No exaggeration whatsoever ;)

Thanks for reading and supporting

Sketchbook: Drawing for a Rainy Day

I posted a couple of throwback comics for a rainy day on my Instagram. 

This sketch is from a year ago, when I first started drawing on an iPad with Procreate and was getting used to a digital workflow. ⁣The other two throwback comics were drawn on paper in my old style.

Brain Has Anxiety Fatigue

Ugh, brain won't work today. Pandemic anxiety fatigue. Weekend to revive.

Thanks for supporting

A Pandemic Vitamin Deficiency

Maybe it's the pandemic, maybe it's a vitamin deficiency :)

Who else needs a good flirt?

Thanks for supporting Connie on Ko-fi

Sketchbook Drawing: Valid Feelings

All of these are valid feelings right now.

Thanks for supporting Connie on Ko-fi

Elephant Reserves Judgment

I've been leaning pretty hard into my coping mechanisms lately, like stress-eating and pining for love for all the wrong reasons. I think it's crisis fatigue. Who else?

Thanks for supporting Connie on Ko-fi

Cat Nap Yoga

This is how I cat nap in a pandemic.

Thanks for supporting Connie on Ko-fi