Doodling in the Margins
Last spring, I started drawing comics in the bullet journal that I keep for work. Each morning I’d doodle something small: a cloud on a cloudy day, a sun on a sunny day, maybe an iced coffee or two.
The sketches gradually got more complicated. I drew a few of my wife Colleen and me on morning walks.
It wasn’t all sunny walks and iced coffees, of course. Some mornings, I felt like things were terrible and would always be terrible.
Sketching, writing, and talking with loved ones helped me get through a difficult year. Looking back, I’m surprised to see a number of joyful moments in there as well. One of my favorites is the day that we adopted our dog Finn.
A couple of days after we got Finn, I sketched a little sign that said, “It has been 0 days since a pee accident.” Finn has come a long way since then! He’s housebroken, and he walks around our neighborhood with confidence and curiosity.
A year after I drew these comics, I pulled out my notebooks to look back on that spring and summer. A few things stood out:
I really enjoyed drawing in a small, cheap paper notebook. I felt like it was okay to make mistakes.
I’m not an amazing artist, but I’m glad I drew this stuff anyway. Creative work can be worthwhile without going viral or displaying exceptional talent.
There were definitely mornings when I felt like crap. The sketches for those days are clouds and frowny faces. There were also mornings when I saw something beautiful or ate something tasty or shared a laugh with Colleen. It gets better.
If you’re interested in reading more slice-of-life comics, check out Chris Furniss’s Journal Comix. They’re alternately sweet, sad, and hilarious.
If you’re interested in drawing comics or keeping a journal - well, my advice is to not worry about creating something profound or beautiful. Draw a cloud, or write about why you’re in a crappy mood today, or describe a moment that brought you joy. That entry or sketch may not be perfect, but it will be yours.