A series of three four-panel comics, rendered in pink and blue. The first comic: The first panel shows Emily curled up in a bed, blearly opening her eyes. The narration beings "Woke up hungover." Emily quips, "really, after TWO beers?" In the second panel, Emily is sitting up, her glasses in her hand, leaning her head to the side with her eyes closed tight. A giant nail is poised right above her temple. The narration continues, "in a week's time, I'll pick last night apart, dissect it like a scientist until the only thing left is self-critique." In the third panel, a hand holds a glass under a faucet, filling it up with water. "It's an old habit, hard to break," the narration goes on, "I'm trying to be kind to myself when I slip up." In the fourth panel, Emily sits on the couch, glasses on but still in her pajamas, greedily drinking from the glass of water. "At least in this moment, my body is too tired to start that spiral," the narration concludes. The second comic: In the first panel, a hand sticks out from turbulent waters with a splash, reaching for help. The narration begins, “my anxiety lately has felt like being stuck in a riptide.” In the second panel, a leg is seen kicking around underwater, the current strong, seaweed wrapping around it. “I know better than to swim out here,” the narration continues. In the third panel, a figure—Emily, a woman with short hair in a T-shirt and shorts—lies spread out on a beach, her glasses tossed to her side. “But I also know that eventually I’ll wash ashore,” the narration adds. In the fourth panel, Emily remains laying on the beach, the waves slowly rolling out. She crosses her arms behind her head and lets out a sigh. A small crab has appeared as well, curiously poking her glasses. “And I’ll be more prepared for the next wave,” the narration concludes. The third comic: In the first panel, an iPad with a charging Apple Pencil rests on a crossed leg. "I don't know why making comics has felt like such a slog lately," the narration begins. In the second panel, Emily sits on the right of the panel, looking down at the iPad on her lap, now offscreen. "Something in my brain right now just doesn't seem to want to click," she continues. In the third panel, her hand holds the Apple Pencil, reaching out. "When I make these comics, it's often because there's something I want to document, some moment or thought I want to process and preserve," the narration reads. In the fourth panel, Emily sits, eyes closed, and takes a deep breath, a sigh escaping from her. "I'm not sure if it's just taking longer, if the larger stresses are demanding more energy, but I want to learn to sit in these down moments rather than rush through them," the narration concludes.

Thanks as always for reading. Steamed Veggies will be taking a break for the rest of September in order to focus on rest. In the meantime, you can find my other illustration work on my Instagram, Twitter, or Patreon. Steamed[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…