I wish, I dread.

It’s been a year since I started writing this blog. Honestly, I still don’t know what I am doing, except that I get very excited to draw every time I get a new comic idea. This is not my first blog. There were many that I had started, but never shared. Some were shared, some even well-received, but discontinued too soon. I have lost track of most of them.

Writers (if I may take the liberty of calling myself one) are typical over-analyzers. It helps with the writing. But it’s also crippling at times. Typically, I hate everything I write and everything I draw about a month after. If there is one thing that I have done consistently in the past year is to fight that urge to be overly self-critical. At times, I am acutely aware of the shortcomings of my work. But, I have trudged along. Cook the idea as best as I can and then move forward to the next. The next one will hopefully be better. One can only hope and try.

Then there is always the question – Is it too personal to share? Are you sharing too much of yourself? Oscar Wilde writes, “Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.” But then, how do you bring your authentic voice without being honest. I am still learning the art of hiding myself under the layer of words. Somedays, I feel naked. Putting your thoughts out in the world makes you vulnerable. I find refuge in the thought that the world is too busy to notice what I am doing.

There are uplifting moments too. I have made a few connections in the past year purely by mutual sharing of write-ups and artwork. Only yesterday, I found a poet on the internet and was immediately enamored by her work. She messaged me that she could relate to my comics. It brought a smile to my face.

Recently, my comics got featured on IntrovertDear.com and many people reached out to me. I am thankful to everyone who took the time to read my work. It feels good to know that a thought that emerged from your mind has traveled to another continent and reached the mind-space of a complete stranger. For a brief moment, we could be sitting in the same room and sharing a joke.

Isn’t it beautiful that a fleeting thought can be turned into something more concrete with a life of its own? Isn’t it empowering that ideas can turn into poems, and poems can turn into revolutions, and revolutions can change lives? Okay – That’s romantic, but a bit too imposing. I will stick to “nobody cares about what I write”. It’s easier to live with that.

Before I wrap up, I wanted to pick my favorite posts from the past year. I hope you will love them too.

When no labels fit you

Book review: Cosmos by Carl Sagan

A poem: I went to the woods one day

My children’s picture book can be found on Amazon. More details here.

Thank you for reading! I would be very happy to hear your thoughts and comments.

Cheers!