thistle dew

What do you do for work? A LinkedIn page, a short bio for an event, jury duty documents, a friend-of-a-friend I will never see again, a stranger at a bar, a dating profile — in one way or another they all ask. I spin the imaginary rolodex in my brain as to what the right answer could be for this particular situation. How much do they want to know and how much am I willing to share? By claiming, artist, it doesn’t feel complete somehow.

(please read with care) Take a deep breath. Hi everyone ~! Now smile. Wow, this year really has been flying by! Tell them about how bussssssy you’ve been as an artist. Yes, don’t let them know you’re completely burnout. There’s been some really big and exciting projects I’ve been working on! I can’t wait to share them with you. Keep smiling. The truth is, I’ve really been struggling with my mental health. Ah yes, make it relatable. Some days, I don’t even know what I’m doing or why I’m here.

Walk with me. The other day I was walking to a new coffee shop. Not a new one in the neighborhood — it’s actually been there for years, just new to me. But not exactly new-new — I’ve seen it. I’ve just never gone in. It’s a little further outside my usual paths and I have another cafe that I’m really partial to. Okay, we’re still walking. A little further down the street I passed a corner store. Inside the shelves were bare and in a half-deconstructed state with boxes scattered around the floor.

I have a book about anxiety coming out in a few weeks, September 2nd to be exact. The wonderful Karina Evans wrote our book, Millie of the Manor published by Harper Alley, which is a sweet story that not only speaks to an anxious kid in us all but its pertinent lessons about friendship and managing anxiety are woven into the plot that our main character Amy is invited to a murder mystery party. Alright, our girl Amy, she loves a good detective book.

As mentioned in previous episodes of Thistle Dew, I’ve felt like I’ve had this chronic case of writer’s block when it comes to creating a story for work. Now while that can be a whole separate discussion of working creatively under capitalism or turning your passions into your career — I’m aiming to narrow the scope of this conversation.

Welcome weary travelers ~ thank you for coming along on the Thistle Dew journey. I’d like to report that a lot has happened since my last update in March — however I’ve mostly been head-down working on a few very exciting projects. So like most graphic novelists’ work, the fruits of my labor will be evident at a later point in time.

Today is the day! Today you can pick up this fresh-out-of-the-oven, graphic novel wherever you get your books. Crumble, written by the talented and wonderful Meredith McClaren and illustrated by yours truly, is a middle-grade comic published by Algonquin for Young Readers, and now by way of Little Brown, Young Readers. I could write a synopsis, but y’all know as readers of this newsletter I’m going to go a little off-script and maybe go a little personal.

Hello Dewers! Dewheads! (Let me know how you’d like to be referred to.) It’s that time of year again, that I’m opening up a handful of commission spots for Valentine’s Day (or beyond!) And because you all are going above and beyond subscribing to Thistle Dew, you all get to know first and you have priority in claiming a slot. In the past, these have been some of my favorite portraits to work on.

In July of 2019 Chicago was blessed with ‘Gator Watch.’ No, an alligator is not native to the prairie state, but somehow an adolescent little gator was released in the lagoon of Humboldt Park. I’m not going to fact check the next bits of this story and instead attempt to recall them from lived experience. Class, these are the motifs of today: enjoying the community spectacle, subjective experience, and the lore.

I really enjoy asking my friends how their work day was, especially as a lone cartoonist. And because my friends are nice, the question gets flipped back to me. I don’t know why I’m always surprised by this. I usually simplify my answer, or try to give the most exciting pieces to ~create a story.~ Here however, I think I’ll do the opposite.