My children!! I am so excited to say that we are nearly one month away from the release of my guided journal What Did I Do Today? Pre-Order it now or scroll down for a chance to win a copy!
Sometime in 2019 I began to make lists about my days. This was a way for me to get all my ideas down without having to draw every tiny little thing, which can be very time consuming and anxiety inducing. (Hallie Bateman’s post the other day said it all)
As a cartoonist/writer/creator I have so much worry surrounding “having ideas” or rather… forgetting them. It’s this psychotic notion in me that says “record everything.” And apparently I’ve had it for a very long time because when I was home over Thanksgiving I discovered a roll of film I had taken when I was 10 and it was just… store fronts around my hometown!
I constantly fear I’ll somehow forget to record something utterly hilarious/interesting/strange and I’ll look back and think “wow, I could’ve been somebody, but instead I ordered another glass of wine.” So I try and try and try to draw all the time, but no matter what you do, you simply cannot catch it all. Obviously, you’re not supposed to! Some beautiful parts of life are meant to fade into our memories and only pop up when we least expect it. HOWEVER… when I started making these lists, which I simply called “Today” I discovered something completely new. I didn’t need to write an essay, I didn’t need to paint the whole picture, I could just give a bullet point list of the basic beats of the day. They were great on their own, but they also reminded me ideas for future cartoons and jokes. They functioned like a retro-active to-do list with an added spice of reality.
When I shared my “Today lists” on Instagram, y’all seemed to be very amused! (**pats herself on the back**). So I kept making my lists and I too was amused. What came out read like poetry to me. Absurd, hilarious, yet mundane, poetry.
So I kept making these lists as much as I could, and it became a part of a ritual for me at the end of each day. I was so thrilled when the tiniest little thing happened because I thought “Oh that’ll go in the list!” It could be anything! Maybe a dog winked at me? Or a barista had a great sweater on? It was simply, life! And I loved it!
Of course, as readers you know I put these lists in newsletters every once in awhile, but they also just genuinely make me happy. This practice made me feel more productive even when I felt like getting down on myself for “not doing enough” because when you look at the day and all the little things you saw and felt, it turns out… you did a lot! You saw things! You overheard conversations! You simply, had a thought about Cheez-Its!
And the really exciting thing about sharing these lists was that some of you started to make your own lists and shared them with me! And that really made me happy. People, out there, in the world, making lists? Because of me? I felt like the Queen of England! And so What Did I Do Today? was born.
You do not need to be a cartoonist to use this journal. You don’t need to be a writer. You don’t even need to think you’re creative. You simply need to be a living human person who witnesses things, thinks things, feels things!
My 6 month guided journal is a humorous anti-productivity book that invites you to be naturally creative by writing down the sometimes boring, sometimes silly things you do, see, and hear in your day-to-day. It’s filled with all the practices I have created in my career to help me discover new ideas and fight writers’ block. With prompts like "seen scenes" where you can doodle something interesting you saw that day (sound familiar!?); highlights and lowlights of the week; petty gripes, and much more (STICKERS!!!), my hope is that What Did I Do Today? invites you to find joy, curiosity, and your (maybe screaming?) inner voice.
WANT TO WIN A COPY?!
Enter to win a copy of What Did I Do Today? by sending me your own Today List! I’ll be picking my favorite pages on New Years Day! Send me your Today List via the Substack App Chat.
To join our chat, you’ll need to download the Substack app, now available for both iOS and Android. Chats are sent via the app, not email, so turn on push notifications so you don’t miss conversation as it happens.
EVEN MORE EXCITING NEWS OHMIGOD
With the release of this guided journal I will also have my very first gallery showing in New York!
I am so fucking excited, this is a huge accomplishment for me and I still can’t believe it’s happening. The show will run all of January, but you are cordially invited to the opening night of my show, Today, at ArtsClub on January 5th. You’ll be able to purchase copies of the book before anyone else at the party, plus I’ll be premiering a lot of art, as well as a look back on nearly 10 years of cartooning. RSVP to the release party here!
Thank you for reading! New posts every Friday!
Comedy Show: This Thursday night at Nitehawk in Prospect Park!
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Currently Watching: Every Christmas movie ever
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Absolutely love this idea! Can't wait to read!
Very excited for this!