Remember this post?
It’s memorable to me because a) I publicly declared that I had applied to go back to school after a very long time, and b) it was one of the first posts that was mostly done in comics.
Yesterday, I received the fabulous (somewhat terrifying) news that I’VE BEEN ACCEPTED!!! So, it seemed like a good time to take stock and do a bit of an overview/update of what I’m up to nearly halfway into the first year of this Substack project.
On Jan. 1 of this year, I had a few goals.
Learn to draw
On the left, one of the earliest drawings I posted. On the right, a rattlesnake I sketched after spotting this little fellow snuggled up at the base of a cliff on our climbing trip to Skaha, BC last week. I still have a very long way to go before I would say I had learned to draw, but by doing at least one drawing every day things are improving. What has perhaps changed the most is I’m no longer queasy when I click ‘post.’ Somehow the fear of making a total fool of myself has shrunk into something manageable.
Tell the story of growing up with an artist father (and photographer mother - though, she’s such a big character she deserves her own book).
My father passed away last year and left a gaping hole in my world and turning his life into a graphic novel memoir seemed like a possible way to help cope with the loss. It also seemed like it might be an interesting/appropriate way to tell his/our story.From Rodin to Deer and Back
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Yesterday, my head was full - of questions, thoughts, worries, wonder, delight… In no particular order: Worry about my husband and his back - what’s causing the pain? How did he wind up in the ER? Is he dying? (probably not) Are we getting old? (yes… most certainly)
Experiment with technique while recording a sort of visual journal
While Dad keeps making regular appearances in the newsletter, I’ve discovered that adding visual elements to the storytelling has been way more interesting/satisfying/cool (and, yes, frustrating at times) than I had expected. I’ve played with collage, watercolour, digital tools, and good old pen and paper. I am finding this so compelling (the whole text enhancing image enhancing text process) that I’ve gone back to some old blog posts and added illustrations. Crude though the drawings continue to be, I prefer the new incarnations.
Here is one of those:That Time I Climbed Right Out of My Body and Up the Face of Half Dome
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Yesterday evening, members of our weekly critique group popped into our regularly-scheduled Zoom room and I was horrified to see one of our group members was sporting a wicked cut over one eye (5 stitches) and had an arm in a sling. Even though D. was heading into surgery first thing this morning, this did not deter her from making an appearance at our …
Unexpected delights
What I had not anticipated was how quickly I have made new friends on this platform. I’ve discovered some wonderful cartoonists, writers, artists, and readers who have contributed so much to my experience. The conversations, encouragement, inspiration, and entertainment (oh, I LOVE a good read that makes me laugh, reflect, think, and consider my worldview) have been terrific.
Questions galore!
Working on this project (and getting into grad school) has brought up a LOT of questions.
Can you really teach an old(er) dog new tricks?
How does scratching out such a rough draft so publicly change the creative process?
How do you define ‘good art?’
Will I be able to keep up with the reading? Do I still have enough functioning brain cells to understand the reading?
I wonder if I’ll be allowed to do my final project/thesis in comics? Will I still want to after a couple or three years of studying?
Will I be able to stay focused on my father’s story long enough to finish a whole manuscript? Does it matter? Or is the bigger point of creative exploration to just keep experimenting?
Stay tuned… I’ll post updates here and am delighted that you’ve chosen to spend some time following along as I muddle my way through this chapter of my life.
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Congrats. I went back to school late in life and after a BA and and MA--and consider that decision one of the best I ever made!
I quit school two weeks before my A Level finals (Gr 12 equiv) to 'run away' to Paris for six months, and never made it back to school. Don't really regret the paths I took, but envy this new opportunity opening up for you and admire your willingness to take on new challenges.