Sketchbook Dump #20

WGA strike, Dirt Girl, and my dog's whiskers

Summer has finally arrived and it’s brought along so many good vibrations. For example, this woman on a walk with her dog, carrying a glass of red wine… in GLASS stemware, even! What a daring way to start the evening! May we all be so fully ourselves.

I recently met a few people around Brooklyn who were also busy being their truest selves.

1. This little girl searching for bugs at Transmitter Park

2. A woman at the Greenpointers Open Air Market who fan-girled me without realizing she actually already knows me from the dog park.

The little bug girl couldn’t really find any bugs at Transmitter (surely due to the horrible nuclear waste we all take in on a daily basis), but she did inspire me deeply—I felt like we were kindred spirits because I had recently decided that if I was a superhero, my name would be Dirt Girl! Especially it being summer, the time of year I wake up, put on a dress, and then accidentally wear it for 3-5 days because time ceases to exist.

With Tina Turner’s passing only two days ago, I feel both sad and more determined than ever to dance through life. I started sharing my 3 PM dance breaks as Mental Health Awareness Month inspo a couple weeks ago on instagram and it’s been great to find out that so many other people dance to help their moods. I know I say it all the time (and draw it) but I truly find dancing to be the best OTC med! (For those of you who don’t spend their life at the pharmacy… or didn’t grow up with a doctor/nurse parent duo OTC means over the counter)

It’s odd to start off such a lovely time of year with all my friends on strike fighting for really basic rights as a writer. Do you think ChatGPT is going to take over the world? At first I was like “oh pshhhh that’ll never happen! that’s so ridiculous! a robot doesn’t have experiences!” but as the studios continue to be complete monsters in negotiations, I deeply fear the direction the world is going in. Could ChatGPT bring us the likes of Nora Ephron’s rom-coms, I don’t think so! This whole moment feels very Jurassic Park, very “They didn’t stop to think if they should.”

I’m trying to keep faith that the robots won’t take over, one thing I know for sure is ain’t no robot gonna replace the hilarious shit my friends say to me on a daily basis.

I’ve made a new cartoon life plan, it’s to draw a little daily comic every day, just some little scene from the day, of anything that happens or is said. It’s similar to my Seen Scenes concept, but it’s more personal—like my friend and cartoonist Johnny DiNapoli on his 32nd birthday handing out fake money he made himself!

I’ll be sharing more of those comics as the days go on, behind the mystical paid wall here. What won’t go behind the paid wall is important questions like, these—where on earth do my dog’s whiskers go?

Another important question—are you as in luv with boygenius as me? I’m starting to feel unwell about it!! JK it’s definitely my daily salt intake. Someone once told me the reason I nap is because I take in too much sugar in the morning, so I’m crashing in the afternoons. I said, “well, ok!”

About 2 weeks ago my new monthly show Real Live Girls started in Bushwick and we had a packed house! Mark your calendars for our next night of free comedy, this June 14th at Cherry on Top. Here’s just a lil snippet of my set!!

I’ll leave you with a recent list that is from the day I attended Sam Gross’ funeral :( If you didn’t see Toonstack’s dedication to Sam (which I wrote) go check it out.

Thank you for reading! New posts every Friday!

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• ICYMI: I’m at Greenpointers Open Air Market tomorrow from 11-6!

• Recently watched: Missing: Dead or Alive

• Reading: Julia Wertz’s Impossible People

• Obsessed with: dancing my heart out!!!!!!

• On repeat: Hurt Me Bad by Patty Loveless

• Most of the cartoons in this newsletter are available on Etsy!

• Are you using your What Did I Do Today? journal? I would love to hear from you!