Why Did I Do That?

Some thoughts on "Sorry Thank You"

The shorthand my wife came up with when describing my newsprint comic zine to friends was calling it my “stay sane during the pandemic” project. And that pretty much sums it up.

I’ve spent a big chunk of my career making this thing the cool kids call “content." And while the earlier days of the internet were fun and weird and creative, it has very clearly changed. I’m specifically talking about social media: we know it’s bad for us, we know it’s often weaponized against us and has very harmful real-world consequences, but we still use it because we’re hooked. I haven’t cut myself off completely, but at the very least I can stop feeding the beast. (As of this writing I’ve deactivated Twitter and Facebook, and took Instagram off my phone, using it mostly to promote my comic zines and professional work.)

So I decided when it comes to my personal work, I’d no longer make anything purely for the sake of posting it online. Instead, I wanted to reclaim that time and use it for a larger project. I also wanted to keep it low-pressure, so I wouldn’t burn out. That means it took me two-thirds of a year to make just ten pages of comics. That sounds intense, but it felt great! I loved having a project I could dip into whenever I felt inspired.

The best response I’ve gotten has been “now I want to make something like this.” Please do! The world could use more “stay sane” projects. Chances are if you’re reading this, I’d love to get your zine in the mail. Do it. I dare you.

This newsletter is yet another “stay sane” tactic for me - I’ll use it to share my progress on the next edition of “Sorry Thank You,” as well as other random doodles and cartoons, instead of posting them elsewhere for likes. This platform doesn’t have a “like” button, does it? Well, fuck.