A Daily Check-in

I'm not very good at meditation yet. Some days, therapy would still come in handy! And yet, the show goes on. 

Hope you have a relaxing weekend. Thanks for reading. 

Connie on Ko-fi

[4-panel borderless comic of a cartoon girl with a braid holding her brain in her hands, the top of her head, open like a lid (but comically, not in a gruesome way). The cartoon is in grayscale monochrome, except for the brain, rendered in pink. Panel 1 text caption reads, "Therapy would've come in handy today." In panel 2, a beat, then the girl asks brain, "You good?" In panel 3, she says "okay then" and nonchalantly plops the brain back in her head. In panel 4, the girl walks off, head intact, with a flat expression. Caption reads, "And the show goes on." Cartoon illustration titled "A Daily Check-in" by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Light Versus Dark Mode

People, like smart phones, have light and dark modes ^_^

Thanks for reading

[3-panel vertical comic of a sullen-faced, tired-looking girl with a braid and an elephant in the background. Panel one is in color with a bright white background. Elephant asks, "What's with you today?" Panel 2 is pitch-black, with only the eyes and tusks of the characters visible. Girl responds, "I'm in dark mode." In panel 3, elephant says "Ooh scary" and girl deadpans, "It'll pass." This is meant to be a play on how our devices have a light and dark mode and so do people. Webcomic titled "Light versus dark mode" by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Valiant Attempt, Meditation

There's loud construction happening in my building ;)

Thanks for reading. Connie on Ko-fi

[Two-panel comic of a girl with a braid, sitting on a yoga mat, trying to meditate amidst the din of honking, drilling, clanking, crashing, buzzing, and beeping. In panel 1, she has a look of steely determination and is "blasting the sound of ocean waves from speakers plugged into an outlet, as the noise of society (read as a metaphor for news of the day) blares around her. In panel 2, the noise of honking, drilling, crashing, and beeping persists and she visibly grimaces. The comic is titled "A Valiant Attempt at Inner Peace." Cartoon by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Third Googly Eye

"Everything Everywhere All at Once" is a wild ride of a movie about the multiverse, worth seeing in theaters if you can! The acting, story, and effects are fun, poignant, raucous, and superb. 

Here's the trailer. I didn't know what to expect going in and it blew me away. 

[Cartoon of a girl with a braid, putting a googly eye on the center of her forehead, based on a film still of iconic actor Michelle Yeoh in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," a 2022 movie by the Daniels. Cartoon caption reads, "Trying to channel my third googly eye." Fan art by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Connie on Ko-fi

Unsung Heroes (Creative Notes #57)

In anything creative that ever gets done, there are unsung heroes. 

Full comic on Tinyview https://tinyview.com/connie/2022/04/21/episode-57-unsung-hero

Thanks for reading!

[Image 1 is a simple cartoon drawing of a stopwatch with tiny legs, preaching that "Deadlines are the great unsung heroes of everything that has ever been accomplished." Image 2 is a simple cartoon illustration of a girl with a tired look of exasperation, hunched over her work desk, glaring at the stopwatch without saying a word. Excerpt from "Creative Notes" #57, a biweekly webcomic series by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022, for Tinyview comics.]

Mental Distractions (Tinyview #56)

If you're interested in seeing more comics, I've been publishing a webcomic series for Tinyview. It's basically a biweekly illustrated status update on how my book project is going!

Thanks for checking it out! https://tinyview.com/connie

[Image 1 is a cartoon illustration of a girl, sitting against a tree, feeling a little sad, but cheered by spring tulips and a butterfly. Text reads, "Sometimes a little distraction is your friend." Image 2 is a cartoon illustration of with a sword and shield, fending off the distraction of a giant, maniacal, larger-than-life smart phone. The phone taunts, "Come on, I know you want to check me!" Text reads, "And other times, it's your mortal enemy." Excerpt from "Creative Notes #56," a biweekly webcomic series by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022, for Tinyview comics.]

Sketchbook: Remembering to Breathe

I'm trying to find ways to ground myself more in uncertain and sometimes stressful times. These are just some personal sketch notes of a breathing exercise that I tried for the first time yesterday. 

What do you do to calm down and center yourself when frazzled?

Thanks for reading. 

Connie on Ko-fi

[Sketch notes about feeling frazzled and remembering to breathe. First image is a girl with a braid, frantically running around and holding her own detached head in her hands, high above her body. Arrow text indicates, "My mental state lately." Caption reads, "I've been having trouble focusing and my thoughts are all over the place." Second image: girl kneels on a yoga mat, looking harried, but head is reattached. Thought bubble reads, "Maybe I should try breathing. That might calm me down." Third image shows the girl sitting cross-legged on the yoga mat, with a thought bubble that contains a cute cartoon drawing of a star. There's also a color diagram of a 5-point star, with arrows indicating instructions for breathing in and out. The girl is trying to meditate by visualizing a 5-point star. She is visibly calmer and, in parentheses, the text reads, "This is not awful." Autobio comic sketch notes, titled "Remembering to Breathe," by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Sketchbook: Dogs I Saw in Brooklyn Yesterday

I'm sharing a sketchbook page of cute dogs I saw yesterday, drawn from memory. 

Hope you are enjoying a light, sunny, breezy day. Happy holiday weekend, if you are celebrating anything. 

Connie on Ko-fi

[A page of simple-line, sketchbook illustrations of different breeds of dogs in bright colors, by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022. Caption reads, "Dogs I saw in Brooklyn yesterday, drawn from memory."]

Lunch and Cat Memes

Cat memes to get through the week!

Connie on Ko-fi

[3-panel comic of a girl slurping noodles. In panel 1, a cute cartoon cat slurps noodles from a red bowl. In panel 2, a girl with a bun also slurps a bowl of noodles without utensils, like the cat. She's also looking at her phone. Text reads: "Life is hard...but there's also lunch...and cat memes." In panel 3, an elephant appears behind her and observes, "You get weirder everyday." Webcomic by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Everybody In Therapy

I'm taking a break from therapy right now. Next time around, I'll have a better idea of what to look for in a therapist and what I need out of it. Still the best, hardest thing I've ever done for myself. It's a process, but I would recommend it as a resource to anyone who's open to it. 

Connie on Ko-fi

[Single-panel cartoon of a girl with a braid in a zoom therapy session, sitting in front of a laptop screen. The heading reads, "Why everybody needs to be in therapy." With a mildly bemused expression, the girl says to the screen, "Literally, nobody else seems to care about my problems...[a beat] It's weird." Comic illustration by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.] 

Sun Is Out (Haiku #2)

I drew a comic haiku about spring rain yesterday. Here is another weather update! 

Wishing you moments of peace and calm over the weekend...

Connie on Ko-fi

[Single-panel cartoon of a girl with a braid, napping barefoot on a grassy lawn, under blue skies on a sunny spring day. Yellow galoshes are off and umbrella is folded. Cartoon text is a haiku: "The sun is out now; / I am at peace with being / Alone forever." Haiku # 2 in a series. Comic illustration by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.] 

Rainy Days in Spring

I wrote a poem for the occasion :)

Connie on Ko-fi

[Two-panel comic of a figure standing in rain with a comically resigned expression. She's wearing a bear hoodie with yellow galoshes and is holding a folded umbrella. She's standing in a puddle; there are some background daffodils. In panel 2, she starts walking off-frame, umbrella open over her head. Caption reads: "Rainy days in spring / Make me wish I had someone / Hot to make out with." In parentheses, "a haiku." Webcomic by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Heart Is Okay

New comic about how it's going. Bit tender, but okay. Sometimes it's good to be cracked open. 

Connie on Ko-fi

[Two-panel comic of a girl with a braid, sitting pensively with a throw-pillow-sized heart. The heart has a small bandaged wound, just a small gash. Panel 1 text reads, "My heart is feeling a little cracked open today." In panel 2, the heart, evidently not suffering too much, says, "I'm fine. Just feed me chocolate." Webcomic titled "Heart is okay," by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]

Seasonal Motivation

Motivation to get work done is seasonal. In other words, there are excuses for every season. 

Connie on Ko-fi

[Two-panel comic strip about seasons and motivation to get work done. Panel 1, a short, huddled figure in a heavy coat, stomping through snow and wind. Text reads: "WINTER: It's too S.A.D. to work." Panel 2, a girl with a beach bag, barefoot in a bathing suit, wearing a floppy sun hat and sunglasses, does not look like she's going to get any work done. A beat. Text reads: "NOW: It's too spring to work." Webcomic by Connie Sun, cartoonconnie, 2022.]