Making a comeback
Hourly comics day 2023 to the rescue
Making It is a project by me, Hayley, in an attempt to share and nurture creativity in a slower, more intentional (more annoying?) way.
✨Note: If you are reading this newsletter as an email, the illustrations make it too long so it will be clipped! For the best experience, read the piece on my substack:
⋒ She’s not here ⋒
I didn’t intend to take a 3 month hiatus from the internet. I didn’t tear myself away and say “It’s time for a detox lady!”
No, I just faded away.
I burned out *sigh,* again.
⋒ Alice and the slippery slope ⋒
Between finishing the semester, starting my third trimester of pregnancy, the holidays, and a sudden and unexpected surge of very intense client work, I began to fall apart a little. I succumbed to the grind and I came out a fine powder, susceptible to the slightest breeze.
First went my routine and structure — It’s ok, I’ll just get this work done and then I’ll get back to normal! I detach from the internet. A distraction!
Then went my health — Not my fault! It’s an exhausting time, my toddler and my students are exposing me to viruses, I’m anemic from pregnancy. It’ll pass. I stop answering emails. I’ll get to them. soon.
Then went my ability to cope with / manage my inner monologue — It’s a mean dialogue. A disappointed and cruel voice that pulls me down. When she gets louder, I shrink. I recede. I say sorry, a LOT. I try so hard, but seem to only accomplish the bare minimum. I detach from friends, I find it hard to leave the house.
⋒ Snakes and ladders ⋒
But, I know this hole. It’s very familiar. I’ve hung some nice art on the walls. I work on finding my way out from the bottom up. Better mental health, physical health, and healthy approaches to work. But I always need a ladder to get me back up to a place where I can feasibly climb out.
This week, I woke up and saw that people were posting hourly comics. February 1st is hourly comics day1 every year. I’ve done it a few times2, and enjoyed it. I tepidly opened my art account on instagram for the first time in months. I love making comics. I love sharing my life3. I felt a teeeeeny tiny ember in my heart and hand and thought, let this be the ladder!
You can find my hourly comics collected in my instagram here: instagram.com/hayleypowersstudio, and see the posts of others using this hashtag: #hourlycomicday
⋒ Staying grounded ⋒
I don’t know if I’m out of my hole yet but I am peeking above the surface. I can smell grass. I can see clouds on a swath of sky. I’m not ready to get the soil out from under my nails. Not yet.
I hope to write to you next month, caked in earth or not.
Soft touch,
Hayley
Recently:
New York Times Book Review : “Before You Knew My Name” by Jaqueline Bublitz Read the review here.
Making: Words and Pictures
I will be reviving this course next week! To all of you who have waited for the next installment, I’m grateful for your patience and understanding. I’ll be cooking up something special for subscribers to make up for the lost time.
This is a great time to sign up if you’re curious. You can join at anytime and take the class at your own pace.
Sketchbook:
A Vibe:
〰️ Follow me on Instagram: @hayleypowersstudio
〰️ Follow me on Twitter: @hayleypowers_
〰️ Visit my portfolio: hayleypowers.com
〰️ Contact me for freelance / workshops / talks: hello@hayleypowers.com
“On February 1st, 2006, the TenCentTicker Forums launched a section called Hourly Comic Day 2006, encouraging other artists to do an hourly comic that day. Some users came back later in the year and posted additional comics to this subforum, but most took place on February 1st. Additionally, artists began posting their hourly comics to their personal blogs, deviantArt accounts and Flickr pools.” - Know Your Meme
All my comics are me over-sharing tbh
I loved reading this so much! You're amazing, Hayley <3<3