Lately,
I’ve been replaying this exact Haley Heynderickx KEXP video just to listen to the last song “Ride A Pack Of Bees.” I want to make drawings that look like how this song sounds.
I’ve also been living it up. Like fully living a life that I love and look forward to every day. I’m not even living in an extreme van-life way with elaborate adventures and all that. I’m just…living. Fully. Intentionally. Slowly, even.
Sometimes that looks like sitting on the couch and staring at the ceiling. Other times, it’s noticing the roses blooming in my front yard, chatting with someone new at Zine Club about their zine, or making dinner with Flav. It’s drawing before the sun comes up. Eavesdropping at a cafe. Talking to my mom about a recipe I saw on Instagram. Going to a dance class for the first time in 15 years.
Getting here— and staying here— is a lot of work. And I slip up. I’m guilty of obsessing over projects so much I skip meals and neglect relationships to get it done. Like how do I balance this AND a creative practice? I’m still figuring that out and I might be forever.
There’s this narrative I’ve seen around the internet that if you’re a “serious” artist, you shouldn’t have hobbies. That taking time away from your craft is a distraction. A waste.
I’ve gotta say, I whole-heatedly disagree.
I get it, time is limited. And look, I’m still building my creative practice and business. I’m not a full-time artist paying the bills with my drawings but I take my craft serious enough to want to do right by it. I know this much—without my hobbies like gardening, cooking, running, dancing, or even walking to and from my full-time job… what would I have to draw about???? Without these opportunities to look and listen, what even is the point????
I started taking dance classes at a local dance studio.
BEST DECISION I’VE EVER MADE.
I fucking LOVE IT!! I danced a bit as a pre-teen, but I quit because I was discouraged by the unrealistic body standards and, honestly, because I had two left feet. I was constantly mixing up left and right, stumbling off beat, and being way too hard on myself. Looking back, I was clearly a dyslexic kid trying to follow fast-moving directions. To this very day I still can’t tell left from right to save my life. Dance class as a 26 year old is so healing to my 12 year old self. Now, I just roll with my mishaps and commit to going left when clearly everyone else is going right.
The BIGGEST advantage about dance class is I can’t help but think about ways to draw and make comics about dance class. Today in class, the instructor had us do a improv exercise where we had to make “gathering movements” across the room in pairs. While dancing across the room we had to copy a movement from our partner and respond to it, think of it like a conversation. Take what they said and respond back to it. I’ve done this exact exercise before except with drawing. I had students take turns making a collab comic—improvising the story, taking details, lines, phrases, and shapes from each other and adding their own flair— like a conversation. I never imagined how this exercise could translate to dance. It blew my mind!
Because I’m an artist and a teacher, I’ll always subconsciously look for things to add to my toolkit. From these brilliant instructors, I’m not just learning a combo, I’m learning from how they give instructions and feedback. I’m learning from their ability to remain confident in delivering instruction even if they started too soon or forgot a step. I’m learning from how they read the room and respond to the circumstances in that studio on any given day—God, this is the shit that makes me love teaching! And I am so grateful to be their student.
So I will carve out 2-3 hours a week to go to dance class instead of locking myself up in my home studio to draw. By dancing I’m connecting to something I know I’ll want to draw and write about soon. I’m learning ways to teach that I know will come in handy. Every time I go to dance class and move my pencil, I trust that I’m getting closer to a truth, my truth.
Two weeks ago, my mom visited Columbus for the first time. Mom reminded me that taking care of myself isn’t a waste of time—that cooking can be meditative, and a tidy home is a tidy mind. She made me slow down, and in that pause, I noticed that there’s a lavender bush growing in my backyard, the rose bush is budding, my pothos needs more sun, my cat needs more love, and I should call my mom more.
Slowing down doesn’t mean giving up. It just means shifting your priorities for as long as you need to. Your creative work, your ideas—they are yours! Try to stop them, really! Try! They’ll come find you.
I deeply respect the commitment it takes to be a working artist. But dedication and discipline doesn’t have to mean isolation. It doesn’t mean cutting yourself off from the very world that inspired you to pick up the pen to begin with.
So go outside and pick up a hobby! Get yourself into something you never saw yourself doing before.
I am going to shamelessly recommend making zines!
✿ SUMMER WORKSHOPS ✿
This summer, I’m teaching a few zine workshops at local libraries around Columbus. If you know my work at
, you know how much I love teaching people what zines are and how powerful it can be to make your own.Over the years, I’ve met so many folks who turn to zines as a way to reclaim creative control. To self-validate their own stories and ideas through DIY publishing. I’ve watched burnt-out cartoonists take a break from their big projects to make a mini-zine about chairs (so cool they drew each chair and gave a short review for each one). I’ve seen self-proclaimed “non-artists” make fanzines about their favorite local band using nothing but a Sharpie and some old flyers. I hope both of these anecdotes printed copies their zines and shared it somewhere. People show up to Zine Club Columbus meet-ups wanting to slow down, touch paper, and share something tangible with others.
If you see yourself in any of that and you’re in the Columbus area—come make a zine with me. It’s fun, low-pressure, and free!
Zines 101: May 31, 10:30am-12:30pm
Location: CML Main Library, 96 S Grant Ave, Columbus, OH
Let’s explore how zines are powerful tools for personal and community-based storytelling, together. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn a brief zine history and everything you’ll need to know to turn your ideas into your own mini-zine—no experience needed! Perfect for teens and adults who want to express ideas, share stories, or experiment with a fun, DIY format.
Make Your Manifesto: July 19 2:00-4:00pm
Location: Bexley Library, 2411 E Main St, Columbus, OH
Zines 101: August 8 2:00-4:00pm
Location: Upper Arlington Lane Library, 1945 Lane Rd, Upper Arlington, OH
Sketch Dump
